The Perils of Blogging

I took up blogging as a form of relaxation.  Being in the Human Resources profession for almost 8 years, I decided I needed something else to occupy my free time aside from work (believe me, our kind of work is never with rest periods as you have to constantly be in touch with your people.)  Don't get me wrong, I love my job.  It's just that I also believe that life needs a balance.

In my dealings with other HR blogging professionals, I've found that they write to let off steam, to convey free HR-related practices and advice to those who do not have the priviledge of an accomodating Human Resources division.

I could have easily taken that path and followed in their footsteps.  God knows I've been in Human Resources for quite a while and have dealt and experienced a lot of different scenarios already.  But instead I chose a different route.  One where I could talk about everything and anything besides work, hence The Average Jane was born.

In the months since I started blogging for the public, I've discovered a number of interesting things:

1. Stores really don't like it when you whip out your camera to take a picture of their merchandise.  Pictures make describing an item so much easier so I try to make it a point to include a few shots here and there.

Be prepared to suffer the consequences though.  For clothing and accessories stores, guards are on hand, giving you the evil eye.  Thank God for mobile phones with built-in cameras!  I cannot count the number of times I've pretended to be texting when in fact, I was secretly taking pictures of the items I wanted to blog about. 

No problems for restaurants though.  Most of them have very accommodating staff who do not mind picture taking.

2. Prepared to be hooked on hits.  I really started blogging on my Multiply site but never really though of sharing it publily.  For me, it was just a means of expressing myself.

So when I finally decided to open a public blog, I was giddy with excitement, ecstatic when I had my very first follower, and delirious with happiness when the site averaged a hundred hits within a week of its birth.  Yes, I know it's small compared to the other sites, but hey, it's a start right?  =)

As the months passed, I slowly learned the ropes, added HTML codes here and there, and even opened up Facebook and Twitter accounts for The Average Jane.

I am still learning the ropes.  Hoepfully I could do so much more in the following months.

3. You have less free time.  So many things to do, so many things to write about but so little time.  I've learned of new activities happening all around me of which I might not have been aware of if I did not start blogging.

What I truly love about blogging is that it has turned my life around and has made my world more colorful.  Now even the most ordinary of experiences becomes a spectacular entry to write about, to reminisce, and most importantly, to share with others.

I started blogging to get rid of the doldrums.  Little did I know it would change my perspectives in the most extraordinary way.  Hmmm...maybe I should rename this blog entry as well?  =)