Monday, June 30, 2008

Motorcycle Blogging - Reflections After One Year

Well it's been a year this month since I started this blog and it's been a heck of ride and a huge learning experience.

The idea to start blogging came to me as a good way to practice writing and the cool thing about it was that someone actually would read the stuff I wrote.

One of the first pieces of advice I got about blogging was that the subject should be something that I really enjoy talking about and could sustain enthusiasm for over a long period of time. If it was readers I wanted then I would need to keep the focus of the blog razor thin.

I made a short list of potential subjects and motorcycling was at the top. One of my favorite things to do is to go on motorcycle rides with my brother in-law and somewhere along the way we would end up in a coffee shop. There we talked about motorcycles, motorcycle adventures we’ve had, adventures yet to come and the philosophy of the road.

So I thought I would continue the conversation through blogging and let everyone interested- in on what I had to say.

But the trick was it had to be interesting enough for people to want to read. Otherwise I might as well just stick to conventional journaling and forget about blogging on the Internet.

I decided to give it a go and see where it takes me. I made a commitment to running Motorcycle & Scooter Talk at Kano's Coffee House for a year and then decide whether or not to continue.

It turns out blogging is way more time consuming than I ever imagined. And I've found it difficult coming up with new things to write about while still keeping within the subject at hand-motorcycles and motorcycling.

Which is why I've decided to expand the focus of Motorcycle & Scooter Talk out just a bit and begin to write a little more about other things, not necessarily directly related to motorcycling but hopefully of interest to motorcyclists.

And feeling restricted by single subject talk, I have a couple of other blogs going such as The Sustainable Earth Project and two more under construction; Further! Boomer News & Views and Hippieland.

But Motorcycle & Scooter Talk has been a lot more positive than negative. I've had a bunch of fun reading and replying to comments folks have left for me, visiting other blogs and leaving comments for them.

I've also found that the experience has been an exercise in self-discovery. Writing has helped me focus on who I really am and made it more clear on who I'm not. I have come to know myself better than ever before.

I've learned both in writing and in my own personal growth, how to adapt without losing integrity, to refine and to re-focus. To keep at it until I know I've done the best I can do.

I’ve come to know that personal blogging for the long haul has got to be a labor of love; it's an act of self-expression, an art with the canvas being a blank computer screen.

The reward has been the satisfaction I get when occasionally I feel that the right words have been put down that shine a light on my soul and reveal my spirit within.

And the big bonus to blogging is the feeling of appreciation I get when someone has read my work and left a comment.

Comments and the number of subscribers Motorcycle & Scooter Talk has are my feedback and inspiration for continuing to write.

And so, all things considered I've decided to give it another year at least and see where the road goes. I hope you all stick with me and come along for the ride!

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10 comments:

Baron's Life said...

Reading through your reflections, you've had me worried for a second at the thought you were stopping. Yours is one of the best blogs I've seen so far...Keep up the good work.

Bill Sommers said...

Good to see that you re-upped your commitment to the blog. I thought for awhile there that you may have ridden off the end of the rock, but was glad that you reappeared and continued your writing.

I know from my experience that it is hard sometimes to juggle in enough time to sit down and create something worth reading. I too had to step away for a bit to square a few things up, and now I feel good about getting back to the business of posting my little stories from this neck of the woods. You do good work, keep it up.

Have fun,
Bill

Stephen said...

Good to hear that your gonna stick around, I was just getting to know you!
Ride Well
E.T.

Anonymous said...

I too am glad you're going to keep on keepin' on.

I have found that I veer off into other areas that are on my mind...and no question it hurts your ability to keep people coming back for more. However I always end up coming back to posts about my motorcycling passion. They are sort of my "default" setting I guess you would say :)

Just wanted to say thanks for stopping by. I always enjoy your comments.

Anonymous said...

I've asked myself the same question. It's time consuming, sometimes you feel like riding and not writing and most of the time, you don't know for sure if your blog really matters to your readers.

But I would say that your stories, adventures and so on just get more interesting and important by sharing them with the World. And doing something that is more valuable than the personal experience always makes sense.

Conchscooter said...

Do what you like, razor thin or thick as a plank. Personally I'd enjoy some stories about where you go and who you got there with (ungrammatically, as it were).Or how to compost with a motorcycle would be unusual.

Anonymous said...

I kinda like the philosophy stuff, more than about where everyone rode to. Stuff that makes you think is good stuff.

Kano said...

baron's life- Oh you Canadians are too nice! Thanks and I'll do my best to keep this "Dog & Pony Show" going!

bill sommers- Thanks man and you do great work too! Stopping by your blog is always worth the down load time!

earl thomas- Thanks to you too and I'm glad to have recently discovered your excellent Blog!

Kano said...

sarch- NP and I'm always glad to stop by to read about your latest moto adventures!

honda motorcycles blog- One of these days I'm going to show up there in Romania to ride The Transyvanian Alps. I might need to keep the American Consulates phone number in my pocket though. Just in case I make a fool of myself and end up getting thrown in jail or something.

conchscooter- Point well taken. Now "motorcycle mulching", that's an interesting idea and one I'll follow-up on right away!

Kano said...

steve johnson- "Biker News Online" and now "Motorcycle Philosophy", what do you do for an encore? I love your new blog! Thanks for the compliment, I tend to lean in a philosophical direction usually after the second pot of coffee and even sometimes after not having any at all for 3 days straight!

My wife is trying to get me on green tea instead and sometimes I have to hide back behind the shed to keep the blogging buzz going!