Happy Birthday, Blog!

And many more...

I started the Katrina's Musings blog one year ago today, and I have thoroughly enjoyed the experience. I have learned a lot through blogging, and I'll use this post to share what I've learned thus far:

• I like to write. I didn't know that about myself until I started blogging. Writing allows me a platform to gather ideas, form thoughts and share them with others.
  


• Blogging takes time. This is not a reason to avoid starting a blog, but it is something to be aware of before starting one. You cannot do it well without spending time on it. I consider this blog a ministry from the Lord, and I treat it as such. Just like any other ministry, blogging takes preparation and commitment.



• Blogging keeps you accountable. I think this aspect of blogging has surprised me the most. Writing a blog has its own accountability attached to it. There is accountability for what you say, so it causes you to research your ideas. There is accountability for how often you post an entry, so it causes you to manage your time accordingly. Since I often write about my evangelism efforts, it keeps my accountable to that ministry as well.


• Blogging exposes your thoughts. I am typically a quiet and private person. Blogging has challenged me in that area. Once your thoughts are released to a public forum, questions will ensue. In a sense, your thoughts become public domain.



• Blogging requires discretion. Not everything should be said on a blog. I often use my blog as a tool to share the gospel. When I go out in the community and share the gospel verbally with others, I give people information that contains an e-mail address for me and the address for my blog. When I am writing on the blog, I am aware that anyone could be reading it, and that knowledge should be handled with respect.



• Blogging allows you to connect with others. Blogging has a certain anonymity to it for the reader. For the writer, it allows you to connect with others in your immediate circle, and it allows you to connect with others around the world (literally) with whom you have never met yet you share commonalities.

Those are my thoughts. As mentioned above, I have thoroughly enjoyed the blogging experience. I look foward to another year of blogging.