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Wondering what all this is about? Check out yesterday’s post!

Then come back tomorrow!

You know, it would just be absolutely finer than a frogs hair if you would subscribe to my RSS feed!

For today’s story, I’ll relate a recently-overheard conversation between two co-workers…

“… Oh, we’ll have the usual herd of relatives for Christmas this year. Let’s see… there’s four coming from New Mexico, two coming from Colorado, and six coming from Austin (Ed. Note: that’s in Texas, in case you don’t know). Plus everyone who already lives here. It promises to be quite a big shindig.”

“Gee, I hope you have a really big dining room table!”

“Well, we’ll put all the leaves into the dining room table, of course. But then there’s the one in the kitchen; and oh, yeah, we can’t forget the ‘kid’s table’ over in the corner of the living room.”

“Man, I remember the kid’s table; I used to hate it when I had to sit there. I was so glad when I could finally move up to the grown-up tables!”

“Yeah, I know what you mean. The biggest problem is that the only way to graduate to the big table is for one of the older relatives to die!”

I don’t know about you, but this sure does bring back a memory or two! Ring any bells for you?

You know, it would just be absolutely finer than a frogs hair if you would subscribe to my RSS feed!

Hey, look! Up in the sky! It’s a bird… it’s a plane… No, it’s… it’s… a SIGN!

OK, by now you’re probably wondering what these signs are all about (sound of millions of fingers scratching millions of heads – hey, a fellow can dream, can’t he?) Well, all I can say is… just keep on wondering! Bwa-ha-ha-ha! (Er, sorry.)

Just kidding! Just kidding!

Actually, it’s a sign that a Special Edition of What I Learned From… is about to kick off (sound of crowd cheering), and lemme me tell ya folks; it’s so special, so incredibly off-the-charts exciting that I’ve even extended the project length from one week to three! (Sound of crowd cheering hysterically; cue the fireworks; cue the band!)

That’s right, folks, it’s the first ever Middle Zone Musings

This month’s topic (and I bet you knew this was coming already) is What I Learned From 2007.

What you probably didn’t know is (and hold onto your hats, friends) it starts this Sunday, December 23!

“So what makes this edition of WILF so special,” you ask? Boy, am I glad you asked! (Hey, I was going to tell you anyway; but thanks for asking.)

Well (lowers voice to whisper), don’t spread this around (Aw, who am I kidding? Tell everyone! I want this to be the online event everyone will be talking about!), but after considerable scheming deliberation consultation thought (I admit it: it’s an experiment), I do believe I’ve finally devised a way for me to give all project participants more than what I get… if you get my meanin’. Just drop by on Sunday and check it out for yourself!

So you’d better begin to commence to prepare to grab your favorite writing instrument, folks, and get ready for an early Christmas present from yours truly, ‘cause this one’s gonna be a humdinger!

Cheers!

You know, it would just be absolutely finer than a frogs hair if you would subscribe to my RSS feed!

OK, call me crazy. Call me irresponsible. Heck, you can even call me Steve if you like – but I guess I’ve always been one to, I don’t know, bristle a bit at the implication (or even outright command) that I really “should” set blogging goals.

Thus my first reaction to Brian Scocco’s end-of-the-year group writing project “2008 Blogging Goals” was, you might say, leaning somewhat toward the negative.

I said to myself, “Self, maybe you should finally give this goal-setting thing some thought. Why not examine the subject from all angles, analyze it extensively, and then share with the audience the benefit of your wisdom and intelligence?” (Alas, Self has a rather high opinion of, er, himself. Humor him, won’t you?)

But then I thought, “Naw – all that analysis sounds like waaaay too much work.” So I’ll just tell you what I think instead.

See, I’ve come to realize the value of never setting blogging goals.

Goals? Uh, What’s a Goal?

Oh, sure; you’re first thought is probably something along the lines of “Sheesh, this goofball whack job fine upstanding fellow (oh, and handsome; let’s not forget that one!) will probably never accomplish a thing without setting some goals.”

Now, before I respond with rapier-like wit (long, thin, and utterly useless against someone with a large-caliber pistol), let’s think about it a bit (sound of grinding gears): what kinds of goals are we talkin’ here? What would we bloggers typically want to accomplish?

Conveniently, Daniel listed a few items we can use to get started:

• Daily unique visitors
• Daily page views
• RSS subscribers
• Number of weekly posts
• Average number of comments received per post
• Alexa or Compete rank
• Technorati rank
• Google Pagerank
• Monthly revenues
• Backlinks
• Search engine ranking positions
• Popularity on social bookmarking sites (i.e. stories featured on Digg)
• Popularity on online communities (i.e. MyBlogLog)

As you might imagine (or if you’ve actually been doing these things already – then you know) improving your metrics in just these categories alone can (and usually does) consume considerable time. And there’s no shortage of subjects to learn and master. No doubt the results are definitely worth it, too – I mean, just look at some of the top money earners to get a glimpse of what’s possible.

BUT (and you’ll notice, that’s a really BIG ‘but’) I simply don’t have the time for it! Even worse (gasp!), I’m not even planning to make the time for it. (Oh, the humanity!) See, for me there’s just no need. And it’s not because I’m a rebel (although I can be). It’s not even because I have low aspirations.

Yes I’m Serious About Blogging… But It’s Only a Hobby

The thing is, for someone like me (and if you’re like me – then I offer my condolences), let’s face it, blogging is only a hobby (at least, so far).

I mean, kudos to all the folks out there earning actual, you know, money from your blogs (and there are plenty). And lots and lots of kudos (and cold hard cash) to those who are earning enough to make a living at it. Congratulations, and a big tip o’ the hat to ya!

For me, though, time for writing here at Middle Zone Musings is something I squeeze in between all the other stuff going on in my life. After all, I work full-time for a major engineering firm; there’s the house to take care of; I have a family… and a body’s gotta sleep sometime.

Good gosh, I barely have enough time for a post a day now! And sometimes… well, occasionally it just doesn’t happen. Se la vie, you know? (As you know, se la vie is a 17th century French term that means pull up a chair, take a load off, and set a spell. It’s our motto here at the Zone.)

(Now before you get your tights all bunched up in a knot, please take note – I’m talking about goal-setting, not getting organized. Learning and practicing ways to be more organized and efficient is a completely different animal. Come to think of it, it’s certainly the closest thing to a blogging goal I’d set for myself.)

Nope; I’m talking about goal setting, and the bottom line is this: setting blogging goals is great for those of you are really interested in rapidly improving the quality of your blogs. But by doing so, you should be aware of the pressure you’re adding to your lives (sound of terrified scream).

Now, for someone willing to pay the price for that kind of thing, then I say Go for it, Bubba! (Or for the ladies, should I say, Go for it, Bubbette? Doesn’t seem to work, does it?) As for me, I’m more the “slow and steady wins the race” type. And to tell you the truth, it works – for me.

Here’s a radical thought: Perhaps it could work for you too.

The Proof is in the Pudding

“So how’s that workin’ for ya?” I can hear you ask. (And who are you, Dr. Phil?)

Well, let’s see… for exhibit “A”, why not take a quick glance at how Middle Zone Musings performed as a blog in 2007. In January, MZM’s Technorati Rank was almost 1,000,000; I think I had probably 4 or 5 feed readers (Question: is a feed reader like a speed reader, except they eat more?); not to mention that at the beginning of the year I had no idea what the heck I was doing.

Nowadays, the Zone is ranked below 15,000 (amazingly, the Zone was actually a top 10,000 blog for awhile, thanks to my co-authorship – along with about 100 others – in Drew and Gavin’s The Age of Conversation Blook – yes, Blook – project this year), the feed count has gone as high as 71, and I know exactly who I am as a blogger, and what I want to write about.

Hmmm… by whatever standards you care to apply, it looks like what I’m already doing is working just fine: I mean, within one year there’s been a 6,600% increase in rank and a 1,400% increase in feeds. Not bad, if I do say so myself! (Admittedly, this is probably similar to the way a match burns brightly when first struck, then settles down to a steady flame… but still.)

Could it have happened faster? I’m sure it could have – but at what cost? Well, let me count the ways: less free personal time, more stress, and inevitably, less hair… (something I can ill afford to lose!) I could go on, but you get my point.

All I’m saying is, if you’re blogging for the fun of it, I’d hate to think you would let yourself be guilted (that shiny gold covering you find on otherwise cheap stuff to inflate its value) into doing all those things that “everyone” says you should be doing. After all, if everyone were to jump off the Empire State Building, then would you, er – (sorry; for a moment there I sounded just like my mother).

The Real Key to Long-Lasting Blogging Success

And finally… never forget; the real key to long-lasting success as a blogger is to become a better writer (and, who knows, maybe even a better person). After all, content, as they say, is still king, and that’s the one element you simply can’t afford to skip. Without it, you’re just an empty voice blowing in the wind (and lemme tell ya, there’s a lotta hot air blowin’ around out there in the blogosphere!)

But once your content is on the path to good, steady growth – well, then the question you have to ask yourself is this: At the end of the day, are you having fun with your writing?

Believe me, it’ll show if you’re not.

You know, it would just be absolutely finer than a frogs hair if you would subscribe to my RSS feed!

The story I shared with you last Friday (On Frameworks… and Lawn Care) about our across-the-street neighbor in Greenville, South Carolina just wouldn’t be complete without telling you this one, too. If you haven’t read the Frameworks post, please do. No worries; I’ll wait.

You remember I mentioned the, uh, leaves, right? Good gosh, we’re talkin’ leaves – mounds and mounds of ‘em! I found it absolutely amazing the trees could actually, you know, hold that many leaves without falling over! Eventually, Mrs. MZM and I bowed to the inevitable and set aside an hour one Saturday morning to rake them all up. Hmph; an hour, indeed.

We started in the front yard, raking them into piles to be eventually collected and bagged for pickup. Naturally, being complete neophytes to the fine art of raking leaves, we underestimated drastically the time it would take to do the job.

Oh, it started out well enough; we managed to make quite a few piles all over the place; very artful, I must say. The problem, of course (for those of you who don’t know), is that leaves have a little-known property (by which I mean, we didn’t know) that when piled up, they have a tendency to, er, multiply. Must be related to rabbits, I guess.

Anyway, before too long, we had already gone through the entire box of large leaf bags purchased for the event (20 bags – gone!) and had barely managed to rake half the front yard! Yikes; the back yard was even bigger, too! Our pile of bags in the roadside ditch was getting to be quite impressive, too (resembling something along the lines of the Great Wall of China).

By now the entire morning had come and gone (and was, alas, but a distant memory). To illustrate how I was beginning to feel about the whole endeavor, I began to rack my brain for a plausible excuse to fall down dramatically in simulated pain. I’m ashamed to admit it, but all kinds of ridiculous things crossed my mind.

Could I convincingly fake chest pains? Naw; too serious. How about a turned ankle? Hmmm… now that had possibilities. What about that trick knee? Incipient Rheumatism? Warts? Maybe I could *cough*cough* prompt a drafting emergency at work (I was a piping designer back then). You can see I was getting desperate; anything to avoid the thought of raking all those… leaves.

Well, along about mid-afternoon, our neighbor across the street strolled over (in Texas, we would have said he moseyed over). We gratefully took the opportunity to offer him a glass of lemonade and take a breather. He looked around a bit, then commented about how these leave sure were a pain, weren’t they? We allowed that they were definitely more than we bargained for, that’s for sure! Then he casually dropped the bombshell (sound of bomb falling…)

“I been watching you folks baggin’ these leaves all morning,” he told us, “and I was wonderin’… Why are you doing that? Didn’t you know the city will scoop ‘em up for you? All you have to do is pile ‘em up in that ditch over there, and they’ll take care of the rest.” (…sound of bomb exploding)

I’m almost positive a jury of our peers would have let us off…

You know, it would just be absolutely finer than a frogs hair if you would subscribe to my RSS feed!

You know, it would just be absolutely finer than a frogs hair if you would subscribe to my RSS feed!

Anyone out there remember those big singing groups from the ‘60’s; groups like Mitch Miller & the Gang, or Ray Coniff and the Ray Coniff Singers? Oh, good. (Please forgive me. I have to ask questions like that every now and to reaffirm the fact that I am not, in truth, the Oldest Person On The Internet.)

Well, last night we had our own version of The Gang when we had a bunch of folks over at our house for a Christmas Sing-along. There were 18 people in all, and we had a wonderful time munching pizza, scarfing cookies, and singing all the usual Christmas songs you may have known and loved over the years: Silent Night, Hark! The Herald Angels Sing, Here Comes Santa Clause, and of course, various pathetic attempts at Elvis impressions for a rousing rendition of Blue Christmas (Thank you. Thank you very much.)

In between singing, though, our song leader asked for folks to share a Christmas memory, and here’s the one that came to mind for me…

I must have been about 4 or 5 years old, and at the time we lived in a large (well, it was large to little ol’ me, anyway!) Victorian style house in the area of Houston known as The Heights. I woke up about 5 AM or so and jumped out of bed all excited, because it was, you know, Christmas Day! I couldn’t wait to see what Santa had left me under the tree.

Maybe you remember what it was like. There was perhaps that special something you’d had your eye on at the toy store, and you’d done everything you could to make sure the message had been received. You made your list, you sent Santa a letter (it was *ahem* letters – you know, snail mail – back then), you sat on the fake Santa’s lap at the store, hoping he’d tell the real one all about it.

Yep, I figured I had it all covered!

Anyway, I jumped out of bed (this was way before anyone else was up) and rushed down the stairs to check out all the (sound of needle scratching across a record) – hey, wait just a doggone minute here!

I couldn’t believe my eyes. Right there, in our living room, underneath our beautifully decorated Christmas tree – were absolutely no presents at all (sound of anguished sobbing)! Nope; there was nuthin’ (sound of dull thud as heart drops to the floor). Nada. Zip. Zilch.

I was so shocked I couldn’t help but question the very core of my being, even to wondering if I had the right day (as if any kid wouldn’t have that day, of all days, accurately pinpointed). I even had to look two or three times, just to make sure I was seeing what I was seein’, so to speak.

Well, after I scraped my disappointment off the floor, I figured I might was well just go back to bed; I mean, what else was there to do? Santa has somehow missed our house last night, and it was over. Talk about feelin’ lower than a snake’s belly.

I crawled back into bed and somehow got back to sleep. Finally, somewhat later the smell of bacon woke me again. I moped around my room, trying not to feel too badly, and finally got dressed and made it downstairs.

To my utter surprise, there were Christmas presents literally all over the place! Huh? Now how did that happen? Had I imagined it? I was so amazed, I completely forgot the utter disappointment from earlier that morning. The day was saved! All was indeed Well With The World.

Now, I realized somewhat later, of course, that my parents had simply not made it down before me to put the presents under the tree. (See, unlike some folks, I don’t recall if/when I ever stopped believing in Santa Clause – I think I always knew it was my parents.)

But one thing this memory did for me was remind me how it felt to be utterly disappointed in an expected outcome, and then have it fulfilled right before my eyes!

See, when we spend a lot of time working toward a goal, dream, or whatever, and we’ve done all we can do; well, there comes a time when you just have to wait until it happens, right? But what if it doesn’t? It can be pretty crushing, lemme tell ya!

But then… what if – now stay with me on this one – what if it’s just a case of not happening the way you thought it would? Now, you not only have the joy of seeing the fruits of your labors, but now you get to flavor it with the sauce of amazement as well!

And I can tell you from experience; it’s a whole lot better. After all, even *cough* 50 years *cough* later, it’s still an amazing memory.

You know, it would just be absolutely finer than a frogs hair if you would subscribe to my RSS feed!