What I Learned From 2007 – Joanna Young
Inquiring minds want to know: What were the most amazing, profound, surprising, or even whacky things you’ve learned over the last year?
It seems like every month there’s at least ONE contributor to our WILF projects who figures out how to participate within the guidelines, yet somehow step outside the box and make it completely unexpected!
Leave it to a long-time WILF contributor, lover of haggis, and one of my best blogging friends, Joanna Young of Confident Writing to be the one who wins the “Out of the Box (OOB) Award” this month:
When I look back at 9 months of blogging at Confident Writing I realize that I’ve learned the most not from the posts that I’ve written, edited and polished – but the conversations that have followed. Seeing as this is the Middle Zone and all I’m hoping that Robert will allow my a little license to share -
What I learned from comment-box conversations in 2007
April: Comments lead to new business partnerships
You never know where a comment will take you. The first comment on the blog was from Emma Bird at HowToItaly.
“Congrats on the new blog. I’ll refer the want-to-be writer clients of mine to this blog for tips on how to turn their lives in Italy into a book.”
My reply:
“Thanks very much Emma. I know writing a book is a dream, an ambition for many people. Maybe one day I’ll get the chance to come to Italy and share ideas with you and your clients over a cappuccino or two – all in the interests of research of course!”
Who would have thought that 8 months later we’d be opening the doors on our first writing workshop in Sardinia?
May: Comments introduce you to blogging mentors
I was blessed in May with comments from two of my all-time blogging heroines, Rosa Say and Liz Strauss. It’s led to many rich conversations on each other’s blogs, to a joyful jubilant collaboration with Rosa and something interesting with Liz of that I’m sure – we just haven’t cooked it up yet!
June: Comments are the start of blogging friendships
I got to know Brad Shorr by commenting on his fabulous word nerd challenges. I got to know Robert Hruzek when I first took part in WILF (yes of course he goes round and comments on every entry). It’s funny to look back at those first few words of exchange in a comment box, and to reflect on where that’s taken us – to guest posts at my place and theirs, a group writing project, and lots of shared conversation, humour and friendship. Thank you guys – lets hope we get the chance to meet in person in 2008!
July: Comments provide the motivation to write
I flagged up the importance of comments in a piece I was compiling for a bloggers’ toolkit, including a thanks to Robyn McMaster who encouraged me through her comments when I first started out. I know that she’s done the same for many others besides. This was what she said in reply:
“Sometimes all a new blogger needs is a kind words that helps them realize that someone really does visit and affirms what you do.”
One to bear in mind if you’re wondering whether to make the time…?
August: Comments lead to offline networks
A comment from Jamie at Terinea Weblog led to an invite to come along to the Friday morning meetings of the Edinburgh Facebook group – a chance to meet up with other bloggers (facebookers, tweeters, flickrers) in person. Getting the chance to meet people off as well as online has been a great addition to my blogging experience.
September: Comments can make a difference
One comment from Pelf on a piece I’d written at Joyful Jubilant Learning… led to me writing a piece for The Giving Hands on 10 ways our words can make a difference… which was picked up by Lorelle at The Blog Herald… which is read by a lot of people. Our words can make a difference – even that short sentence in a comment box. You never know where it’ll take you – so write with care, and positive intention.
October: Comments bring life to a blog
Comments are often where we have the most fun. Hey you can even have a fun with a conversation about haggis (I had to include this one as haggis is a subject dear to Robert’s heart)
November: Comments come when you ask for them
You can adjust your style of writing to encourage comments – by writing with rapport, making your style more engaging, leaving your post a little undone. You’ll get more if you follow Copyblogger advice and craft a great headline – my Cosmo style piece got a ton of comments. And blogging about blogging is always a good bet – or just go the whole hog and blog about why other bloggers don’t reply to comments.
December: Comments are at the heart of my blog
I love the comments I get on my blog. I passed a blogging milestone in December with 1,000 comments (a happy coincidence that Mr MZM, one of my most generous commenters, took us over the 1,000 mark). It prompted me to try and explain why comments count but even then I don’t think I’ve quite captured the power of comments. There are some that just stop you still in your tracks. This was one from Karen Swim that I know I’ll always treasure:
“Comments are an integral part of the process teaching you to hear, to learn, to grow and always letting go so that there’s room for more. Thank you for the inspiration and motivation that you so generously give to your readers. I feel myself growing inches taller with each read. 
”
Comment boxes don’t look like much. They’re often hidden from view. Some people never bother to drop down there at all. And yet, for me, they’re where blogging comes into its own – leading to new connections, partnerships and friendships; to learning and writing and collaborating; to frivolity, laughter and fun; to the fuel to keep on blogging – the inspiration and motivation to write.
That’s some of what I’ve learned from comment-box conversations in 2007 (and even that was just the edited highlights – I didn’t realize this blogapalooza would turn into such a marathon!) I wonder what you’ve learned from commenting in 2007 – or where your comment box conversations will take you in the year to come?
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So what’s it all about?
Friends, if you’ve written about it at your blog in 2007, then you’re invited to join us for this special edition of What I Learned From… Care to share with us your favorite/ best/ most controversial/ strangest, etc. posts? (You get to pick one from each month you’ve been blogging in 2007.)
Well, don’t just sit there like a bump on a pickle; click the link, check out the simple instructions, and jump right in! Get your entries in by Sunday night, January 13, and I’ll publish them all right here at Middle Zone Musings.
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Middle Zone Musings is a comfortable place to stop, have a cup of coffee, swap a few stories and share practical ideas for the real world. I don't ask for much, just a bit of your brain every now and then. Have a seat, take a load off, and relax...
How interesting, Joanna. You tell the story of how blogging really enriched your life over the last year or thereabouts. I’m glad you, Bob, and I got to know each other in 2007, that’s for sure.
Howdy Brad! Yep, the 3 Musketeers, we are! One for all and all for one!
3 Musketeers – I like the sound of that!
Thanks for the opportunity and challenge to write this piece Robert, it was a lot of work, but I enjoyed it. And I am thrilled to have won the Out Of The Box award!
Joanna
You’re welcome, Joanna! Hey, for your prize, I can offer you
this lovely book, “Wild Mind”er, I’ll think of something!Joanna and Bob, you have the very best all rolled into one – here in the “What I Learned from” challenge for January. Though I had been developing blogs when I first started to blog in June, 2006, it wasn’t until January, 2007 that I made a concerted effort to extend conversations to others and learn from them. I guess you can chalk that up to the fact that I still had lots to learn. I wanted to gain confidence at first as both a blogger and writer in this medium.
I have learned so much from the two of you! Keep up the great work in 2008!
Thanks so much, Joanna, for your kind words.
Thanks for being an inspiration to me as well, Robyn!
Aww, Joanna.. You have just reinforced the importance of using the comment form to “change the world”
Robyn, you are such a phenomenal teacher and learner, I’ve learned so much from you. Your encouragement to me at the beginning was a huge boost to my confidence, thank you
Pelf, you’re right, we can. You do.
Joanna
Robert, no need to think of anything, the award is prize enough.
Do you know for 10 years of my life I worked as a senior civil servant in Scotland. It’s been a big stretch to get to here. Winning an out of the box award at the middle zone seems like the perfect way to mark my transformation
Joannaa
Joanna, how wonderfully creative your post is. (Wish I’d thought of that!)
So many lessons to learn – I learned in minutes what it would take me months (maybe years) to understand. So, thank you Joanna.
And Robert, thank you for providing such a warm and fascinating classroom.
Thanks for the feedback Dar
I’ve found Robert’s writing challenges to be a great stimulus to my creativity over the last six months – as you say, he creates a pretty fascinating classroom!
Joanna
Joanna – I was, um, kidding about an actual prize… surely you remember what I said about MZM being a blog with je ne se quoi (which as you know means blog with no budget)?
On the other hand, I can offer you Klondyke bars!
Thanks for the kind words, y’all. Stop it! Yer makin’ me blush!
Besides, you haven’t seen the upcoming WILF topics for this year yet!
Just wanted to reiterate what someone else said about how lovely you write, Joanna. I hope to learn some of your writing skills, especially in an academic context.
Joanna – This is great! I love that you immediately thought of your commentators when you thought about this prompt. Of course, I love it because I did the same. We really approached it differently though. I think your approach was more from a personal relationship to your commentators than my analytical approach, but both give credit where it is due… to the readers and commentators of our blogs.
-Will
@ Robert, it’s okay, I knew you were kidding
Thanks for the offer of the Klondyke bar though. BTW I was thinking of you last night – stayed up late to play over at Liz’s place, and guess what – Mike was offering a recipe for mini confectioner’s haggis!!
@ Sarah, thank you. I have to say that my writing style and tone has developed, softened, got more human by spending time here at the middle zone (and other wondrous places in the blogosphere) and I’m sure it’ll work some magic on you too (or something like that!) if you keep on spending time here…
@ Wilf, I thought we made for a good double act too
Joanna
What a wonderful post, Joanna! Sorry I’ve only just now gotten around to reading it! Excellent points about comments, which are such an integral part of blogging–or at least SHOULD be, but unfortunately, aren’t always.
Well said! Particularly enjoyed your “Comment boxes don’t look like much” paragraph.
Jeanne