To blog or not to blog

[Horus]

To blog or not to blog, that is the question.
I enjoy taking photos and writing up my walks with Annie and various other things that take my interest while I am out and about, but it all takes time. Even worse is that after doing all of that work there are very few people who actually read it on here, now that could be down to several reasons, primarily that it does not interest the average reader of an Egypt based forum or that they are not much good to start with. So I have been considering whether or not to start a blog of some sort and maybe link it to a Facebook page, it would have the advantage of targeting people of a similar interest and maybe a bit more interaction. I was thinking of keeping it very broad, my walks with Annie, photographs that I have taken, places I have visited and various things that take my fancy from time to time. It could be a Steam Engine country fair, or a visit to a castle, some interesting bit of nature or natural history or even some local history. The idea would be much like I tend to post now but all under one blog and not just individually spread out posts, so what do you all think?

[Grandad]

I am not too sure about that H. A blog is little more than a diary, a personal thing, and blogs that I have read (not too many I might add) tend to go along those lines.

On here although we are a very small group we DO share our interests and the reception is always friendly and favourable. And we do have the opportunity to express our views and also threads tend to wander off topic which adds to the interest.

My wife is an ardent fan of QVC and often buys from them online. You get to know the presenters and she then wants to know more about them so she reads their blogs. What little I have read I have found very boring BUT no doubt there are many like my wife who feel a sort of affinity with these presenters and want to know more about them and their lives.

So, in a roundabout way I suppose I have identified the pros and cons about blogs. You either like them and what they tell you about the individual or you find them a bit self praising.

From many of your posts on here I believe you have something better to offer in written word in the form of either a novel, with factual experiences as a background; or a sort of 'man and his dog' account of experiences with pictures.

As Egypt is pretty dead at the moment perhaps this forum could be renamed to something that would have wider appeal.

You asked for comments mate

[Horus]

Thanks for your comments Grandad and you raise some good points, maybe a personal website is more the way to go.

[LovelyLadyLux]

I've had the same thoughts in that I do take mega photos and have lots to share but it is lots of work putting it on here for the few of us and, of late, I've just been too busy with old houses and renovations and gardens and just everything to devote the time to prepare it all, write it up and present it. It IS lots of work and sometimes time runs short for me. Not that I don't think about doing it. I actually think about doing it all the time i.e. I've got some really good photos of the Panama Canal but just can't seem to find the time to get it all on here.

I know I'd never keep up a blog. Never kept up a diary in the days of diaries and know I'd never keep up a blog either. Don't know how to make a Website so probably wouldn't do that either.

I've never really read blog sites so really can't comment if they're interesting or not. I've usually got my nose into a book unless I'm on here so ???

BUT I do get your point H about wondering IF it is worth posting on here for the five or six of us who actually read it.

ON another note - and I've harped on this before - if you look at the number of visitors who are reading we're way up there it is just that none of the visitors ever talk or contribute - AND - it does annoy me quite a bit that whomever is 'visiting' is rather selfish in just reading and absorbing our efforts yet never even bother to click a 'Like' or add the occasional 'okee dokee' etc.

[Mad Dilys]

I do agree with most of what you say LLL.

But I think that so many people who read the excellent contributions from the members of this forum who do contribute (not including myself here ) are rather shy, thinking that they couldn't contribute anything of that quality.

I know I am not alone in writing a post, only to delete it completely when reviewing it as being not worth reading by a stranger.

I'm quite embarrassed after I've posted on many occasions and will be this time. Hence my likes, but not many posts.

[Kiya]

Horus I think stick to what you do now & know best.

I find when I have followed a blog I tend to get bored with it forget about it & finally just give up on it.

[Horus]

Lots of opinions and views folks, thanks for taking the time

[LovelyLadyLux]

I do believe that on some forums and one of a certain azure hue applies that you can be nit-picked, critiqued, blasted, and quite harshly too, for anything at anytime so I can see the reticence to write but I really don't get that on E4U as anybody reading anything on here - hopefully - doesn't get the sense they'd be blown out of the water for an off-hand comment.

I'm more than sure Choccy of multiple personalities lurks daily and is probably reading this now but even he periodically touches down with a "why I hate Luxor" or "damn infrastructure" comment however given the number of new members that that stats show join and given that we get almost always close to 100 visits per day it just seems to me that more people should be commenting.........but........on the other hand "what do I know?"

I think cause we're a small group we sometimes get bored with ourselves and it is hard to know if after you put lots of work and effort into something if the other few are really finding it that interesting.

Personally I quite enjoy coming here daily and always find lots to hold my interest so I'll be here daily ('til I install Windows 10 and lose it all! - just kidding (I hope) )

[Horus]

A lot of what you say is true, in particular as to whether or not you are just wasting your time and effort with so few views. As to all the visitors, well my guess is that they are playing the online games.

[Grandad]

Personally I quite enjoy coming here daily and always find lots to hold my interest so I'll be here daily ('til I install Windows 10 and lose it all! - just kidding (I hope) )

Me too LLL. I enjoy our friendly little discussions and exchanges on a range of topics. But I agree that to post something interesting with pictures can take a couple of hours, and when you know that just a few will read it, you question in your mind if it is worth it.

I DO understand Horus's thinking in that if you can attract a wider appreciative audience then it is more worthwhile. I agree with the view that even an interesting blog can lose its appeal. And Horus, I have said it before but from the eloquence of some of your posts I do think that you could author something that could be published and I am NOT patronising, that IS serious thought.

@LLL If you do upgrade to 10 you won't lose a thing. I was very pleased that everything remained as it was before, including all shortcuts, saved passwords etc etc....

[Horus]

Thank you Grandad, but I feel your faith in my writing skills is misplaced, maybe the odd interesting post, but to produce a similar thing in a book would be a far more difficult challenge. It could hardly be a walking guide as that would be too local in its appeal and I think the same thing applies if I were describing local places and things of interest, too parochial to attract much interest in a book I fear.

@LLL, I think its fair to say that anyone already stuck with Win 8 will have little if any problems with upgrading as they will have sussed all that out quite early on, it is other versions that will throw up incompatibility problems with drivers etc. that may (or may not) give a problem.

[Kiya]

Horus do you think I would have any problems upgrading from W7 - 10 ?

[Horus]

Kiya, the short answer is probably not, but nothing is 100% so make sure that you have important files and images backed up somewhere just in case. It will take about 1 hour so just let it get on with things, but to be honest I cannot see any real advantages for you at the moment and you have almost another year to decide on the free upgrade or not

[Jayway]

Horus. I have a friend on FB who has made himself a separate site for his short stories and he does get a lot of greek likes. Of course I cant read them as the translators give me gibberish. Couldnt you put your stories on FB page ? so a click and the photo is there ?? I message my friends with my photos, so easy. Anyway you wouldnt have to go every day, just when you had a story to tell. Blogs are strange things, remember when the L4u author lady used to have a blog? Cant see the point myself, if you want it read put it on FB. Oh and near 1000 people have read my algarve weather report ! ! ! It is useful to me to check conditions and planting.

[Grandad]

I am not very au fait with the wider capabilities on FB. I am on there but my circle of 'friends' is very small and mostly family, that's how I want it. I don't particularly like FB because if you 'like' somebodys post it automatically gets sent to all your friends cluttering their page with posts from people they have never heard of

I think FB groups are a good idea. I am only on one, specific to my home city, and that is (mostly) friendly. I often post on there and usually get a good response. With FB when you introduce a new topic you can post as much text and as many pictures as you wish but if you want to contribute to an existing topic you can only add one picture and any text has to be in one paragraph. (I think I got that right)

But the point I am coming round to is that perhaps an FB group would be a good idea for us all and,as such, it is more likely to attract more people interested in joining our kind of chat and pictures. (My pictures always go down well on my local group) The only downside is that, unlike a forum, you cannot scroll through a list of topics but have to scroll down through all topics and their responses to see what has gone on before or to find a topic that you want to add to.

So in summary, I think an FB group could be a good idea accepting its limitations compared to a well constructed forum. (The E4U forums are about the best constructed I have come across)

PS: An afterthought.....Why don't we all move over to L4U and continue in our usual vein posting discussion items and subjects of common interest (to us). Perhaps that would draw some of the members over there to broaden their horizons and get away from some of their tittle tattle

[LovelyLadyLux]

I'm on FB but with reservations. I signed up eons ago and only had to put down a FAKE birthdate and never added any other details (didn't want the world to know) but I think nowadays if you 'join' you have even provide a phone number (I know I'm always asked for one but that is the last thing FB is going to get from me)

I joined a couple groups but they're a Gardening group that sells garden stuff and plants and same with a used furniture group (which I have no idea why I joined cause I have no idea how to access it really and there seems to be strange rules about even talking on there i.e. "interested" (presumably in purchasing your item) means you want to buy it but then you're in a FB queue.

I do think if we were on FB we possibly could chat 'live' with each other but then maybe we could do that on here too - can we? I don't believe I ever have - hmmm - I don't think but maybe.

What I do not like about FB is, as Grandad says, I get (to put it nicely) "STUFF" from anybody and everybody anywhere in the world and it definitely clutters up my page in that I have to scroll through mega stuff daily if I want to keep up with it. My friends in Trinidad are super active on FB and I think I've had posts from everybody IN Trinidad as they all post and comment and again anytime anybody else comments then "I" get all those comments too.

Then I have the few friends who feel compelled to send out daily "messages" of warmth and love. Not that they're not nice but when you get half a hundred people doing this it can add up to LOTS LOTS LOTS.

As I said I've never done or kept a blog so not sure I'd read one daily.

I definitely do like the idea of attracting MORE people though to discuss stuff with.........

And lastly - I did, last night, check and scroll the Arcade as there is a theory that many of the 'visitors' are on there playing games but if you look at who last played a game you can see the stats don't support that theory. There are i.e. Moonstone for example playing games but that is only one person. There is definitely not a long list of unknown names playing games so I'm still stuck with WHO are all these people who VISIT yet never leave a comment? Strange and curiouser and curiouser.....

[Jayway]

Fb is easy to control and believe me LLL - it is not me who sends you those crap lovey dovey posts, I only send you graphic warning posts and political stuff .. haaa haaaaa. - - Horus, hopefully you werent thinking of putting your REAL NAME on FB?? I have 5 pages at this moment and different genders and addresses. Use Horus Smith, find yourself a postcode and any set of numbers will do for the phone,(if you CHOOSE TO GIVE A NUMBER) I am in a whole lot of groups but I look at THEM, I DONT FOLLOW as I dont want their stuff on my page. People cannot post on your page if you dont want this , 2 of my pages are public, the rest are not. This is me, Jay Way, with the yellow egypt balloon (first on the left) and the other has the blue nile with felucca ( we were having a race to Banana Island)

[Horus]

I agree with you on settings Jay, I make all my information private or do not give it out to start with, although you cannot avoid giving them an email address. The biggest problem with FaceBook is the insidious linking of everything you do with something else, so it is very hard to use without some of your data in whatever form from getting associated with or part of something else you do not wish to be associated with, that is the main reason I usually stay well clear of it.

[Jayway]

I have just set up another page, no email, just use a phone number from one of my defunct phones. Used a portuguese name as the phone no. is portuguese. You miss my point Horus, no one can can associate with you and take your info = you will be a FALSE PERSON.

[Horus]

But Jay, regardless of your false identity you have to give a valid email address in order to get the authorisation back from FaceBook and that has your details and can be tracked