tagged

I've been tagged by angharad about blogging....

1. Why did you start your blog?

I've mentioned before that it was Beth at Fibrespace who got me into blogs, I started to read hers after I went on one of her courses, and after several months of lurking I decided to start a blog so I could comment........

2. How did you come up with your blog name?

Good question. It just sort of was right, but couldn't really tell you why. I do always end up carrying little bits whenever we are by the sea, but then I could also have called my blog sea glass, or broken shell.......... Driftwood was taken at blogger so the actual URL is driftwoodblog - not very imaginative, but then anyone who reads this knows I'm not good at coming up with names....

3. Do your friends and family know about your blog? What do they think of it?

No. Only hubby. I was going to tell my sister in law, but one day as we were discussing The Guardian food blog which my brother reads she said "I just don't understand people who read other peoples blogs, it's like reading someones diary, why would you want to do that" so I guessed she wouldn't really get it..

as for my friends I think the reaction would be what's a blog... except for maybe one who has a facebook account so she can keep in touch with her daughter at University, she might know what they are, but can't think she'd read it.

hubby used to think I was totally mad, and now he thinks I'm totally utterly mad, because he finds me laughing at comments, and photographing scrabble letters.........







4. How do you write posts?

Sometimes there is a plan, sometimes not. At the moment I'm writing in my pj's, E is awake playing with lego, the rest of the family are asleep, and I've got my first cup of tea of the day in my favourite mug. I try not to ramble hopelessly, but often that's what ends up on the screen, bit like today really........





5. Have you ever had a troll or had to delete unkind comments?

No trolls, or unkind comments thank goodness, but then I do have the settings on blogger set so that search engines don't crawl my blog.

6. Do you check your stats? Do you care how many people read your blog? If you care how do you increase traffic?

I set up google analytics about a month after starting my blog, and watched it obsessively for several months, and now I suppose I check occasionally, and I know how many people are subscribed with bloglines. I have no idea how to increase traffic, although I suppose changing the settings as described above might help....... getting more people to see my etsy shop would be nice.

7. What kind of blogs/posts interest you?

I read all sorts, philosophical ones with beautiful photos like Alice writes, ones with recipes, ones with tutorials, ones with pretty holiday photos, ones about quilting, and knitting, and .......
I read blogs by people who comment on my blog, blogs by people who are writing about important things in their lives, and I have to keep reading so I know how they are getting on. like Mary Beth whose little boy is sick and yet she still makes time to stop by and say hello. my bloglines is way too long, every so often I have to unsubscribe to a few or I get overwhelmed and don't read any..






8. What do you like and dislike about blogging?

I like all my new friends, I like the comments you leave, and the emails I get about comments I've made. I like the things I've learnt, the tutorials I've read, the presents I've been sent! I like the confidence this blog has given me, about myself as a person, and a mother, and as a friend. I like that I have more confidence in the things I make, and that someone else likes to look at them - J does a very good "it's lovely" but it's so nice to share things with people who might be interested, and I like being able to help other bloggers, either with tips about photos, or sewing - makes me feel useful I guess...


I don't like it when I go away for a few days, and you've all written 3 billion posts and I feel like I'll never catch up, when blogger refuses to upload my photos, when I spend ages trying to get the spaces between lines right, and then it looks totally different, when I don't get email addresses so I can't reply to your lovely comments, and say thank you for reading this total drivel that I've just written..


gosh that was long and waffly, sorry. the photos are some more from our trip to Hadrian's Wall, boy it was cold. but at least dry, unlike our trip to Scarborough yesterday, which was cold, grey and in the afternoon very WET. but I bought some fabric (not much - end of the month....) which is just about to go in the wash, and then will become some more of the quilt along, and the long overdue wall hanging...


edited to add.
oops forgot to tag anyone, I've just mentioned it to fioleta, and I'll choose Gina and Lisa if you want to have a go.