About Blogging

I started blogging for a couple of reasons: 1) to share my experiences, research and knowledge to help other caregivers, 2) to show that alternative/complementary therapies are useful adjuncts to treatments for various diseases and that they improve the quality of life for both the caregiver and the one receiving care and 3) as a journal for myself because journaling in itself is therapeutic for any caregiver (scientifically proven).

I am by no means a blogging expert, I'm still doing this by-guess-and-by-golly.  I did research, by reading reviews, viewing  different platforms, different blogs and website builders, and chose those that were free, easiest to use (WYSIWYG), had the nicest templates and were compatible for mobile users. I also chose my blogging platform because it was compatible with my website (http://starfireholisticheal.wix.com/html_home) and word processor (OpenOffice).

I have no clue on how to program and any programming that I remember is stuff I learned in grade 10 (a million years ago) and that was BASIC (LOL). I will admit that I have been thinking of learning  HTML or JAVA but that is only so I can customize my blog and website the way I want on my own but it's not that important to me - that's what designers are for and when I can afford it or trade for their services I will. The only time I use the HTML editor is when I want to embed something in my blog and then it's just cut-and-paste. The only other reason I want to learn programming is to figure out how to block redirects from other websites that I have no affiliation or interest in because they are just plain annoying (and possibly carry viruses) and I believe that they skew the results of the true interest in my blog.

Blogging in itself has been a learning experience for me as I learn how to use Blogger more efficiently, trying to figure out what to write about (there's just soooo much!), and in trying to get my thoughts, research, blog and self organized. I should probably sit down and write a business plan for my blog so that I have a clear idea on what the bloody-hell I'm doing and where I want my blog to go. 

As a journal, I will admit that my blog is a little lacking. Mind you, I've never been much of a journaler either, not since my journal was stolen from me by bullies in the schoolyard as a kid and I also tend to forget to keep it up. I'm also trying to balance what I want to say with some privacy - I don't want to embarrass anyone and I don't believe anyone would care to see lists of what I didn't manage to get done today. I'm also avoiding writing about some personally painful subjects at the moment, they are still a little raw and I'm not wanting to cry into my keyboard when I write about them. However, some more personal stories will be forthcoming as soon as I get my thoughts and words into some sense of order. (My thought processes are a little odd, I tend to jump from one idea to another and not in a nice, neat, linear way.) Writing tends to be linear and this can be tricky for me.

Some last thoughts about blogging. Apparently you can keep your blog private so that only you can read it. I chose to share mine with the hopes that it would help other caregivers, especially those of us in Canada, particularly Ontario, as there doesn't seem to be much like what I'm doing here. Keeping your blog private or sharing it is up to you but writing one can be therapeutic - journaling can help clarify your thoughts and feelings, reduce stress, help with communication with others, aid in problem solving, help you know yourself better, and improve immune function. (I'll be writing more about the benefits of journaling at another time). Apparently, you get the benefits of journaling if you do it daily, which is why I try to post everyday but how often you write will be up to you and how much time you have.

How you arrange your blog is, again, up to you. You can have different pages for various subjects or just keep it simple. I tend to be a tweaker, so my blog is evolving over time and, right now, I have no idea where it's going but I know I'll be changing it soon so that  it's easier to navigate and have important resources and articles easier to find. 

And finally, try not to run afoul of copyright infringements, plagiarism, and other bad manners - it's a sure way to get to get in trouble with the law and no one wants that. If you are going to use something from elsewhere on the internet, make sure that you give credit where credit is due. Keeping your blog original is the easiest and safest way to keep everyone happy and edit, edit, edit.