I am so sorry about the way I left.  I know, it was abrupt.  I should have said something.  But sometimes it’s just too painful.  There was so much going on…so many things I had to think about, to work out.  No, it wasn’t you, I promise.  It was me.

So many times I’ve wanted to tell you why I left.  What I was doing.  But even I could not make sense of it all.  But I’m back now.  Well, that is, if you will take me back.

I know you have probably changed also.  You may not want me back.  You might have found someone else.  But I’m just asking for a second chance.  I want to win you back.  I want to be the blogger that you deserve.  I need you.  You make me want to be a better man.

So, here I am…exposing my very soul to you.  Asking for you to forgive, and someday, forget.  Will you have me back?

Love,

Jim – Blogging Startup”

[PhotoCredit:gaab22]

For many of us, blogging started as a hobby but became something more. In my own life, I started blogging as an outlet from work; a way to share my ideas and gain ideas from others. But it didn’t take long for blogging to become much more than that. Soon it was two blogs, then three. A couple months ago I added a fourth blog as a resource for a training workshop I was doing. Four blogs will keep you very busy.

But I also have a life outside of blogging. And recently, that life has gotten in the way of my blogging. Well, maybe that’s not a good way to put it. The fact is, I have to set priorities for my life, just like each one of you. And my priorities are family and work. It was work that needed the most attention and will continue to consume the majority of my time for the next month. So, something had to give, and it’s been my blogging.

I don’t blog for a living. Heck, I could probably make more with a sign on the street corner. But I do value my blogging for other reasons. Nonetheless, blogging has taken a backseat in my life for the past several weeks. Any of my regular readers already know this just from the infrequent posting on this blog. I’ve even got a few kind emails (thank you) from readers wanting to know what had happened. As I said to them, it’s just a situation where life had other plans than I did.

When you are blogging, or involved in any hobby for that matter. You need to keep things in perspective. Keep your priorities straight, even if something has to suffer a bit. I’m not suggesting that you neglect your blog, but don’t let it take over your life. We’ve probably all heard the jokes about husbands or wives that seem wed to their blogs, allowing their relationships to suffer. But when it really happens, something is desperately wrong. Put blogging in it’s correct place, and give it the proper attention only AFTER you have taken care of the other priorities.

So, I’m probably not going to be posting as often as I’d like during the next month.  Let me apologize to you now.  You may want to take the time to visit some of my older posts or spend the time working on your own blog. I will be posting once or twice a week, so I’m not disappearing entirely. And watch out for mid-May, when I get some of my free time back.  There is still a lot I want to accomplish on this blog and a lot that I want to share.

[PhotoCredit:OiMax]

1) I need a custom logo to replace the generic template typographics. The big orange title (now white) is simply part of the original theme design. But it is neither eye-catching or memorable. I want a logo that adds to the branding of the site. So look for new logo in the future.

2) I want the Popular Posts section in the sidebar to automatically populate with the most popular posts. This requires adding a plugin and placing the proper code in the sidebar. I recently installed the Popularity Contest plugin by Alex King, and I highly recommend this plugin to all users of WordPress. You will find it here along with several other Alex King plugins. Now I simply need to enter the correct code in the correct location (for me, this could take months).

3) I will be replacing the Adsense advertisements from the top of the sidebar. This, like the title format, is part of the original theme design. I want to replace this prime real estate with something more beneficial to my readers. I have been looking at some products and services for advertising, but I only want to promote stuff I know is good. I hope to make this change in the next few weeks.

4) I will be adding some valuable resource lists to the blog. I’ve been working on a number of exciting lists that I will be adding either as posts or as pages tabbed at the top of the blog. I want to make Blogging Startup the first place new bloggers go for resources and information, so these lists will add a lot of value to the site. Of course, it’s a lot of work to find great resources, so it has been taking me some time. I hope to have the first list published in the next two weeks.

5) Finally, I want to start doing more blog reviews. Every few weeks I will review a blog that is just getting started. Each blog will receive a review of both content and design with a list of strong points and areas for improvement. For an example of one of my reviews, see the Push Standards Review. My hope is to provide some encouragement, advice and a wee bit of traffic from my readers. I will write more about this later, but if you have a new blog (less than six months old) and would like a review, drop me a note.

Finally, I have a question. Do you like the text color for this blog’s hyperlinks? The orange text is not my favorite, but I want to know what you think? Should I change the color to a more traditional blue or another color…or just leave it orange? Leave me a comment and let me know what you think?

[UPDATE: Well, with two votes counted, it's unanimous.  I've changed the link color to blue.  Thanks Shari!]

[PhotoCredit:Davichi]

Use the new “Archives” page at the top of this blog. This page lists everything ever posted at BloggingStartup.com. By the way, the page is created with a wonderful plugin called SRG Clean Archives 4.2 from GeekWithLaptop.com.

Use the wonderful search feature in the upper right corner of the blog. It’s big, pretty, and very functional. Give it a try…you know you want to.

Check out the list of popular articles in the right sidebar. This is where I list the most popular posts as rated by Good Housekeeping.

Use the list of Recent Posts in the right sidebar. This is a list of the last five posts appearing on this blog.

Finally, find what you are looking for by category. The category list in the right sidebar is a great way to find articles by topic area. For example, click Blog Contests to find all the contests that I have reported about.

So there you go, five great ways to find what you are looking for at Blogging Startup. So quit sending me emails asking where to find stuff. I have no idea where you put the T.V. remote!

[Photo Credit:C.P. Storm]

So, here’s the Blogging Startup menu of domains for sale:

MIDNIGHTSOUP.COM ($150) – This domain could be used for a variety of ideas. I was going to use it for a personal blog. Just liked the name.

SOCIALNETBLOG.COM ($150) – Another blog domain I purchased but never acted on. This blog was going to be on the topic of Internet social networking.

SOCIALNETFORUM.COM ($80) – This was purchased at the same time as socialnetblog.com with the idea of starting a forum on the same topic. NOTE: You can purchase both SocialNet domains for $190.

[SOLD] STARTBUTTON.NET ($200) – It was a great website idea….I know this, because Google launched their own version shortly after I purchased the domain. Oh well, there are still some interesting ways this domain could be used. Even as a .net, this domain is appraised better than many of my .coms.

VISIONOFME.COM ($120) – A ten-letter .com that I no longer have a use for. I was going to use it to chronicle my weight loss…my diet diary, so to speak. Well, I’ve lost 30 pounds and the interest in using this domain.

If you are interested in any of these domains, please contact me through the Blogging Startup contact page.

[PhotoCredit:DanielBroche]

So, expect to see the regular pattern of two to four posts a week and hopefully some exciting and informative information for the growing blogger community. I had several projects underway in late April when I had to step away from blogging for several weeks. So I will be picking up many of those tasks in June. Expect to see some great resource lists and more advice for beginning bloggers.

As for my other blogs, I have decided to cut back a bit. I will continue to regularly post on my blog about midlife career change. But I will be doing things differently at the personal change and nonprofit technology blogs. These will be updated less frequently and slowly converted to a more traditional information and resource website.

I am exploring a couple other web projects for the coming months. I have designed a resource website for Dreamweaver users and will be launching it in the next couple weeks. I am also in discussions regarding a regional website promoting outdoor festivals and events.

I’m trying to better allocate my time and resources to those projects that are the most fulfilling…and Blogging Startup is near the top of that list. This is probably my favorite Internet pasttime, and I have really missed all the friends I have made here at BS. But I’m back with more energy and excitement than when I started this blog.

Thanks for dropping by and return soon!