Lack of Knowledge: equals lack of direction...
I am new to blogging myself, and I will be the first to admit that I began blogging without knowing nearly enough .  The one thing that I did do was to look at some of the different blogs that other artists were using.  I was more interested in the general layout of the page, what information they included on their page besides their main article, and how easy it was to read...I didn't bother to learn how a blog functioned, and didn't give a lot of thought to what I wanted to accomplish with my blog except that I wanted to promote my art. 

What I learned was that I had two options...
I could use the Blog provided with my website or sign up and develop on my own one of the many "free standing blogs" that are out there such as Blogger and Wordpress.  My first option...the blog provided with my site was still being developed and didn't offer all the options that the "free standing" blogs did...but I was familiar with the layout and I understood how to work with the pages.  It complimented my site and my experience with the Technical Support Team had been fantastic.  My second option...was to use one of the stand alone blogs...for me this was a frightening thought and I knew it was more than I was equipped to handle on my own.  Since I know just enough about computers and the internet to cause permanent damage, I decided to use the integrated blog provided by my web hosting service, FineArtStudioOnLine.  Their Technical Support Team was invaluable...but my blog still came close to failure because I did not properly researched the complete picture, nor had I set any goals.  I ashamed to admit that I didn't even know that my blog entries would appear in reverse chronological order!

My Blogging History...
This is not something I am proud of...but it is out there for all to see, so I may as well admit to it and move on with the dedication and promise to do better!  I started my blog in April of 2007 and made entries monthly through July.   By July I was in the middle of my art fair season (my excuse) and because I had no goals for my blog (my reason) it simply dropped to the bottom of my priority list.  I finished my 2007 show season with renewed enthusiasm and commitment for My Blog.  I'm back and I'm ready to stay!

Knowledge is Power...
With my show season finished, I spent the next few weeks researching, researching, and doing more researching!  According to Sir Francis Bacon..."knowledge is power."  My research gave me knowledge, which gave me direction, which did indeed give me a since of power.  I no longer felt incompetent...I knew what I wanted to say, (at least most of the time), I knew what I needed to do, and I had a plan.  I started to seriously blog again in November 2007.

I am sharing this research knowledge with you, in the hopes that by alleviating some of your questions...you will also have the knowledge and confidence to enter this new fast growing blogging hemisphere. it is fun, it is exciting, and it makes you grow personally and professionally. 

I hope you will check back to read additional articles..."Happy Blogging"

Marsha Robinett

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