Wednesday, June 3, 2009

What's Your Blog Story?

This post was written by Mary Snyder. Mary is a Christian speaker and a published author. She is a very active and humorous part of the Alabama Blogging and Twittering community. She'll tell you more about herself and her journey into blogging below:

When Rachel tweeted that she needed some guest blogs up this week, my helium hand affliction kicked into high gear and I raised my virtual hand with a “I’ll do it!” tweet. Don’t get me wrong, I want to get to know all the bloggers, but I’m just clueless on what to blog about for such a group. So I thought…. why not blog about why we started our blogs? Yes, real deep and meaningful stuff. I know. Now some of you may have deep meaningful stories, but I don’t.

Let me introduce myself & tell you a little of my blog story. I’m Mary & you’ll find my blog at http://www.MaryRSnyder.com. I’m a blogger by default. I started my blog in January 2008 when my then editor suggested that I needed to secure the rights to a website of my name and start a blog. MarySnyder.com was taken so I opted for Mary R Snyder. I started the blog on January 3, 2008 and I didn’t know what to blog about. See, not much has changed. My blog is really a mish-mash of thoughts and ideas that fall out of my head and land on the page. Some are deep and thoughtful and others are frivolous and silly, but that’s my brain.

You may wonder about that editor that suggested the blog, but sadly we’ve gone our separate ways. No hard feelings, but Thomas Nelson decided to cancel my upcoming book and we just didn’t have much to talk about after that. Why they chose to drop me and not that Lucado dude I’ll never know. Me or Max Lucado? Well, I know you’re stunned too. Apparently Max brings in a few dollars for the Thomas Nelson folks.

The book is being shopped around by my agent, so we’ll see what happens. But the blog is still up and running …. aground sometimes, but still running.

The blog has connected me to women who are now among my dearest friends. We met on the blogs, we connected on facebook and we chat daily on twitter. These women are so incredibly important to me and many I’ve met face to face and others I’m looking forward to meeting soon. I don’t know what it is about this crazy bloggy world, but it’s created a new place to build friendships and that’s a good thing.

It’s amazing to think of all that has happened because of this little blog. I have new friends, not to replace my old friends, but to add to them. My life is richer because of them. I’m now speaking regularly for women’s groups and events. I blog for two of the biggest and most amazing Christian women’s events – the Girls Getaway Cruise and Extraordinary Women Conferences. I get to hang out with women at these events and I have so very much fun worshiping & praising the Lord with these women. I’m constantly pinching myself that I get to do this work! It’s incredible! It’s fun! and It’s humbling to think of all the bloggers the Lord could call to this and He chose me. I don’t take any of the credit; I’m just honored to be in His service.

The blog that started because someone told me it was a good idea turned out to be a great idea.

Why did you start your blog? Share!

9 comments:

Trina said...

I've been blogging around the WWW since 2003. Today my bloggy home is www.fabulouslyfrugalicious.blogspot.com

I've always loved to talk and "overshare" as I like to call it. I'll tell anybody pretty much anything so blogging is my way of sharing and it's there for others to read or not. But I also like blogging as a way of keeping track of my life/family and the milestones my kids reach.

I enjoy meeting new people through the blog world too!

Jennie said...

I started my blog www.countryvaughnsblog.blogspot.com as a way to communicate what's going on with me and our family. It began last July when my sister and her family moved to China for 6 months. She already had a blog, as did another sister, so in order to stay in-touch I came over to the "dark side". ;) Since then I've met some truly fabulous people through blogging and caught up with some old friends, too.
Additionally, I love that our blog can serve as a journal of sorts for our family! I frequently post about things I just don't want to forget (kid's stories, family events, and life's general craziness).

Rachel said...

I really "discovered" blogs early in 2008. I knew what they were before that, but I actually started reading a few then. I loved the idea, and wanted to do one, but I was afraid that I would have NOTHING interesting to say, and that my blog would be totally boring and no one would want to read a blog of a Mommy to a toddler.

Then I read a few "Mommy blogs" of friends of mine and saw that people DID read them and seem to enjoy them, so I decided to give it a try.

Little did I know that it would be come the biggest, most fun, most affirming hobby that I had ever had. I am beyond thrilled with the amount of our life that I have now permanently journalled (and "published" in hardback, full color "blooks") and with the friends I have made and enhanced relationship with.

Christen said...

I've been a blog stalker for about a year now, but I just started my own blog about a month ago. I loved reading blogs, but was afraid I didn't have the writing skills to start my own, so my blog is mainly just a scrapbook of what's going on in my kid's lives.

Ashley said...

I started reading my good friend's blog and enjoyed reading her updates and seeing new pictures as they moved around the country. My life was/is not so thrilling but I thought it would be so nice to have such great records of how Lucas and I spend our first years together, building a home, and starting a family. Even now I love looking back on our lives just a year ago through my little blog. I just made the transition from our family blog to my new home at www.SouthMeetsSouth.com.

Valerie said...

I started my very first blog in 2004. Daughter was off to college I was on disability and not working. I was bored. I had been reading blogs for about 2 years before I started one. Then I got behind in my last blog and started this one in 2006.

I thought with my first blog that I could keep all my family in California and across the US up to date on all of the family here. But its turned into just a blog about my daily life. lol

Rhoda @ Southern Hospitality said...

Hi, Mary, that was fun to read about why you started yours. I look forward to getting to know your funny self a lot better this year & glad we got to meet in person.

Dave Robison said...

I started blogging on a Blogspot address back in 2004. Initially, I was commenting at other blogs and forums regarding the Direct Sales Industry. Mainly debating at "critical" sites of the industry.

As it happen, I managed to make a few friends of the critics and was praised for my writing and debates. One critic challenged me to start my own blog about the industry.

I have many interests, and decided to start a blog but not make it solely about Direct Sales. Over the years the blog has evolved into an eclectic mix about my life and my pursuit of entertainment stardom.

I can be read and admired at www.ontheroadwithdave.com

My description still pretty much says it all.

"Now Appearing in an Extended Engagement! Join David Robison as he takes you into his world and his daily life of reviving a stand-up comedy career. Prepare for side trips exploring the "art" of salesmanship and business ethics and his experience with Multi-level Marketing. Enjoy some frequent detours describing his observations on life. Read the exploits of this self-proclaimed Renaissance-man and blooming blogger as you go On The Road With Dave."

Jill said...

I started my blog because I thought it would be a great way to be able to go back and just "remember". My sister, Mama Hen, had a blog and I guess I still want to be like my big Sis.

If you haven't linked up and introduced yourself yet, be sure to go here to do so!