Why I started blogging

A Catholic Mom in Hawaii has tagged for the new carnival meme that originated at Don't Try This at Home involving a series of eight questions. I'm not entirely sure what the carnival part means, but here goes.

1. How did you start blogging?

I started while I was in the seminary (on the 8th of January 2005, in fact) as a way to keep in touch with family and friends. I had been sending out an e-mail newsletter of sorts (The Seminarian Gazette) but each issue was getting lengthier and I couldn't always remember the good stories that long. I began the blog to replace the e-mail but very few followed me over.

2. Did you intend to have a blog with a big following? If so, how did you go about getting it?

Not at all, really. I had hoped that fifty or so from the e-mail list of nearly two hundred would come but they didn't. Over the past several months, however, I have noticed a steady increase of visitors. I attribute the beginning of the growth to the Roving Medievalist who, I think, first brought my blog to the attention of the blogosphere. After his link others began linking and it grew and grew.

When I first signed up with Site Meter, my blog had 406 visits for the month of January 2007. In May, 2,404 people visited my blog. As of right now, 1,527 people have visited my blog. I'm now averaging around 100 visits per day, which I consider large.

I'm not really sure why people keep coming. I suppose I keep offering something they like. So long as they keep visiting I'll keep blogging.

3. What do you hope to achieve or accomplish with your blog? Have you been successful? If not, do you have a plan to achieve those goals?

I simply hope to explore the mystery of the Christian Faith through my shared homilies and other bits that I post. I also hope to help people see that priests have individual personalities and are just as human as they are. This blog is a way to share my loves with other bloggers. I think I've been successful at this, judging from the range of people reading my blog.

4. Has the focus of your blog changed since you started blogging? How?

Not really. It has expanded, but it hasn't changed.

5. What do you know now that you wish you'd known when you started?

That the posts I hoped would trigger big discussions wouldn't; instead it would be the posts I thought odd and silly that would trigger the largest discussions. Even so, I don't think this is a bad thing.

6. Do you make money with your blog?

No, but there is that "It never hurts to ask" section at the bottom of the side bar...

7. Does your immediate or extended family know about your blog? If so, do they read it? If not, why?

They do, but I don't think they read it. If they do they are anonymous. I suppose they here enough of me already :)

8. What two pieces of advice would give to a new blogger?

First, my answer to question 5. Second, that you just never know who will stumble upon your blog, and that you might actually meet some of the people who read your blog (Thanks, Esther!).

I do hereby tag Thom of Ad Dominum and Jeffrey of the Roving Medievalist.