Blogging to Bloggers.com

   This post is primarily for people who may visit my blog from Bloggers.com. All in all, I really like the site, and it is a very friendly community of people. But I do have an issue that I would like to address.

   But let me tell you why I joined the site in the first place. I have only been blogging since February of this year. I am very new to all of this blogging business. I wrote about ten posts and had about eight hits on my blog.  And six of those were from me before I figured out how stop tracking my own page views. I realized that there is not much point in writing a blog if no one reads it. I wanted input on what I was saying, I wanted to instigate conversations and debates. But I needed people to interact with, otherwise writing a blog is rather pointless.
   I started trying to find ways to gain a little exposure. I created profiles on a number of sites that I really had no intent of using very much. Sites like Reddit, Digg, and Stumbleupon. I posted my blog entries on G+ and Twitter. I did whatever I could think of to channel a little traffic to my blog. And it worked... To some extent. I directed some traffic to my page, but there was still no interaction. In a way it was more disappointing than not having any traffic at all.
   So I tried to get smarter about this. I ran a couple of searches to look for blogging communities. I figured I could check out some other peoples blogs and get some ideas, and maybe find someone who's brain I could pick to get answers to some of my questions. I checked out several sites, and created several new accounts. But It was Bloggers.com that won my attention. Several people connected with me right off the bat. They sent me messages welcoming me to the site. People were really very friendly, and helpful with my questions. Now, I have limited time and I knew I would not be able to keep up with all these sites I had joined. So I chose to concentrate my efforts on Bloggers.com. I am happy with my decision, I really do like the community there. And yes it generated a little more traffic for my blog, but I have to admit I was still disappointed.
   After three weeks of blogging I had received two comments. One from my mother and one from my cousin. Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining about who the comments were from, just that they were the only comments period. Bloggers changed that, sort of.
   This is were I have developed my issue. Understand the word issue. It's not a complaint, or a problem, or anything I can't deal with. An issue is something you consider. Something your mind returns to and perplexes on. Something that just doesn't add up.
   I did get some people to leave comments, but it was a trade. "Hey great blog, check out mine @http//etc. and join my page."  Okay I'll bite, I'll play the game. And I visited some peoples sites, and I left some generic comments and received a few in return. But to me, for the most part, it was all pretty meaningless. It didn't satisfy what I anticipated for my blog. I got bored with it and I really didn't visit the site much for a while. I did find some great blogs, there were some that I continued to keep up with all along. Interesting, funny, and genuine people. Blogs that I really enjoy reading.
   About a month into my blogging foray, something happened. I made my first Smoke and Mirrors post. There are twenty Smoke and Mirrors posts. It is too much to get into here. I followed a federal trial that a close friend of mine was involved in. I sat in the courtroom nearly every day, and when I had the time I wrote about it here. I was honest, straight forward, and passionate about what I wrote.
   Then I got a comment on what I had wrote, from someone I didn't know, I had not left a comment on their page. I didn't even know if they had a page. I'm not going to quote this comment, but in my mind it translated to "Thanks for what you wrote Jon, it made a difference in my day." That was what I was I was looking for. It wasn't the thanks alone. It was because it was real... It meant something. And that is what I was looking for.
   It went beyond that though. The comments kept coming and developed into this little community. People responded to what I wrote, they responded to what other people wrote. And the community grew. It grew to the point were I really felt a little pressure. I got more attention than I anticipated. My friends entire family and many of his friends were following along. I received a compliment from one of the defense attorneys, I received emails from people across the country with interests in the case asking me questions. I tracked many page views from Detroit, (Which is were the federal courthouse that the trial was held at is.) and Washington D.C.  The U.S. Marshalls at the courthouse began saying things like "Good-morning Jon." It was all a little overwhelming for me. So once the trial was over, I disappeared for about a month. I didn't give up,  I just needed a little break.
   I'm just an  average guy. I don't always have a lot of time to sit down and read everyone's posts, and surf the web to look at fifty blogs. And to be honest it's not really how I want to spend my time anyway. I would rather be out taking pictures and building new experiences to share in my next post. And we all have to take the time to make the money. So my time spent on Bloggers.com is still pretty limited. I really do like the site. I have found some great blogs through Bloggers, and some very cool personalities. I intend to stay there for this reason. If you take the time to send me a friend invitation I'll accept... I like to interact with people. I'll even push the vote button for you. But I don't even know what voting does. I don't care. It's just another number on the screen for me. I'll follow your profile on Bloggers.com so I can see what your up too and what's new. But as far as following peoples blogs from their actual page... That's a little different.
   Following someones blog through Google Friend Connect or my browser or similar methods is for things I am really interested in. I display it on my homepage. I use it for my blogroll on my own blog. I don't want it cluttered up with things I'm not interested in. I'm not trying to be rude or inconsiderate. But that's the facts Jack.
   If I don't follow your blog, it doesn't mean I don't like it, it doesn't mean there is anything wrong with it. But I don't need to follow twenty tech blogs, I'm not that technical. I'm sorry but I don't want to follow fashion blogs, I wear ratty clothes and torn up shoes so if I get too hot while I'm fishing I can jump in the lake. I don't need ten video game guru's spoiling the fun of playing the game for myself. 
   When I first started blogging way back four months ago, I didn't include an open option to follow my blog.  I didn't and really still don't care if someone follows publicly on my site. It's another number. I write about some controversial things and have some controversial opinions. I understand that you may not want to "subscribe" to my page as many people view that as subscribing to the content. It doesn't matter to me. I don't want "followers", I can't stand the word really. What I want is that community. The interaction of real people about real subjects whether we see eye to eye or not.
   So I'm afraid I can not trade comment for comment, follow for follow, I'll show you mine if you'll show me yours. (Oh wait, that's a different topic, sorry.) I just don't have time for it all. If I connect with you on Bloggers, I will check out your blog if you have one. I'll check out your profile. I'll communicate if you want to... I'm usually a fairly pleasant fellow. But if I don't follow your blog, please, don't be offended. I don't care about racking up the numbers. I would rather take a long time and develop that community, with genuine people and genuine interest, than amass large quantities of page views as fast as I can.
   One last note, If I follow your site... Don't feel like you have to follow mine. If you join the site and never return to read anything it doesn't really mean anything. It's not real. Don't do it. When you follow someone's blog I think you should follow it because you like it, because it inspired you, because it made you laugh or cry, because it made you stop and think, because it helped you in some way or another. Not to generate a number.
   With that off my chest, I am off with the rest of my day. I really don't want to offend... Just trying to keep it   real. Happy blogging Bloggers...

I'm Still Here...

   Hello everyone, no I'm not dead. Often when we don't hear from someone for a while we assume that something is wrong. Well that is not the case here... Things have been going quite well actually. I've just been BUSY. It is spring and the gardening season has started, so I have been trying to keep up with getting peoples gardens and yards in order. Throw in some fishing and a little adventuring and it doesn't leave much time for sitting down at the computer and writing. Keeping up on this Blog has not been easy for me. It is hard for me... I write well enough I suppose, but it doesn't come easily, and I write (type) slowly. Sometimes it takes me a few hours to write one post. And honestly, it's not a lot of fun for me. I enjoy the results, not the process. I feel like I have received some really good benefits from writing this blog, and I am not going to give it up. But I probably won't post as often through spring and summer.
   So... What has been going on with me lately? Let me start with the important stuff... FISHING. This has been a great year for fishing so far. Fishing for me is what life is all about. Hanging out with friends, being outdoors, experiencing nature, finding peace and serenity, the excitement and anticipation of the catch. I love it all. What is not to like about fishing. (Don't answer that, if there is something wrong fishing I don't want to know about it...) It is one of the things that not only puts a smile on my face, it puts a smile in my soul. It just makes me feel good.
   The first notable fishing trip since my last post was with my friends Don and Greg. We took Greg's boat out on Belville Lake to see if we could conquer some White Bass. We did... We probably caught a couple dozen Whiteys, some of them pretty big (15 - 16 inches). We also caught a couple of Walleyes in the mix, but they were out of season and unintentional. These pictures were taken April 19th.

   Not too long after that (April 22) my buddy Tom and I made it to Gallup Park in Ann Arbor. We went for a little Carp fishing. We were both successful at catching our first carp of the year. They were little, but they were still fun.

   On May 6th Tom and I went to Buck Lake in Hamburg. We went to his buddy Bruce's house (cool dude) and cruised the lake on his pontoon. We caught some nice Bass, I was hoping for a pike but it just didn't happen. We didn't have any ice last winter, and I think Tom missed ice fishing a little to much. As you see he was catching some Gills off the end of the dock with his ice rod.

   Then on the 16th Greg and I took his boat back out on Belville with no particular plan. We decided to throw some lines off the back of the boat and just cruise around trolling to see what we could pick up. We caught Walleye, White Bass, and a nice Channel Cat. And we had a lot of fun (at least I did...)

   And just a couple of days ago I made it back out with Tom to our super-secret Carp hole. We both caught a nice fish, but Tom took the trophy for big fish that day with a monster weighing in at around 18-20 lbs. The picture doesn't really do the fish justice, but Tom is a big man, with big hands, and that is a BIG fish...

   And that pretty much covers the fishing since my last post. The bulk of my time since my last post has been working. Rototilling, mulching, weeding, pruning, mowing, digging, raking...etc. Gardening isn't an official job for me, it's just something I have fallen into over the years. I do enjoy it, but it isn't really a sustaining job. The weather and the seasons dictate the amount of work available, and come late fall and winter the work is non existent. But I'd never give it up, as I said I like the work, and the people I work for even more. Here are some of the fruits of the labor. These are all pictures of flowers and plants from yards and gardens that I work in. All of these pictures have been taken this year.

   I have taken hundreds of pictures of flowers this year already, to many to publish here. For Mothers day I printed out a couple of dozen pictures of birds and flowers that I have photographed this year in my mom's yard. I printed them out on big 8.5 x 11 photo paper, and they really were quite striking. She really seemed to enjoy them a lot. I'm glad she liked them. And speaking of birds... The bird watching in my mom's bird garden has been pretty spectacular this year as well. I have spent a fair amount of time sitting in the garden there with my camera also. Here are some of the birds I've been able to get in my camera lens.

   And finally, I have gotten in a fair amount of adventuring around town since you have last heard from me. Here are some of the pictures I have come up with while exploring the world around me.

   And that pretty much sums up what I've been up to. Not to shabby I must say. I'll try not to go quite so long until my next post. But I make no guarantees. There is no telling what I may get myself into next. As for now... It is a beautiful day and I have spent all morning writing this post. I hope you all enjoy the pictures, but I am going fishing. See ya...