Zemanta! Who knew? Not me.
I have been on WordPress for over a year now and it has been a process of learning.
The first stage was the enthusiasm of writing – the certainty that I can write everyday and it will all be meaningful. The naivety of it!
Then the realization that the writing is only part of the fun of blogging – the equally exciting part to me was the exploring. I enjoyed reading other interesting bloggers. Yes, you can read even without being a blogger, but there is something else about being an insider, an understanding of what went before the publish. I believe, you comment and interact with a sense of fellowship.
Then came a period of despair – I was wondering what I had taken on and how I was going to keep it going. It bothered me tremendously when I dropped the ball on my daily post commitment. Added to this was the feeling that nobody read what I wrote. The blogsistential angst that came with it!
Then with the (probably) unknowing support of a few blogosphere friends, in the form of timely comments and likes, I became re-energized and decided that I wasn’t going to focus on the numbers. The lies I tell myself!
In the meanwhile I had also taken to playing around with the Theme and Appearance and enjoyed the different decor options. One week I was all into the dark background and contrasting colors, and the next I wanted nothing but modernist clean lines. WordPress allowed me to feel artistic and creative!
Now, I see myself as being on a sort of an even keel. Post when I can, and when I have something meaningful to share. Comment and engage with posts that I like. An evolved WordPress philosophy, so to speak.
And then, yesterday, I realized that there are whole new things in here that I am yet to discover. Zemanta was there under Users, Personal Settings, waiting to provide me with links and tags and I had no idea! As the assistant was ‘introduced’ before I joined WordPress, I ended up finding it purely by accident. It has been a thrilling discovery and I am eager to see how it’ll pan out.
Zemanta reminds me of why I always think of myself as a student, a learner – about blogging and social media, about people and life. There’s always something new out there; one more thing to be discovered.
If you didnt know about this assitant before, enjoy exploring! If you did, I wish you the joy of some other exciting discovery!
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- Zemanta now available on WordPress.com (zemanta.com)
Stringing Words Together 
I am a new blogger, so thank you for identifying my emotions for me in your post today! I am headed to check out Zemanta now! Keep on writing….
Stuff I Tell My Sister, its always good to know we are not in this alone, right?
Enjoy your blogging journey.:-)
Hi
I also discovered Zementa by accident, but I only use it occasionally 🙂
There is a whole world of blogging buddies out there and it’s great to have their support. I have personally learned so much over the last year. I much prefer reading blogs with clean lines. Blogs with a dark background I personally find difficult to read.
Pea green is also yuck. My biggest downfall I’m into posting photos to back up my posts. Mr Piglet thinks I am a crazy woman with my camera.
Blogging is great fun….and…addictive 🙂
PiP, yes, it does look like Zementa has to be used with discretion.:-)
The whole “kindness of strangers” bit has been one of the beautiful things about this blogging for me. I have not actively promoted it with friends or family, and so random clicks and comments have been a source of inordinate excitement! Here’s to blogging buddies.:-)
WOW, I had no idea. I need to explore my settings, maybe offer then a glass of wine and have a fiddle with them. That’s a very fun post and I was nodding along with it.
I am just loving the support and kindness people offer each other on wordpress. It’s inspiring.
Sarah
Sarah, it’s well worth spending quality time with those settings. And there’s no situation that’s not helped by a glass of wine! 🙂
Those snark fests that happen in many public forums and comment sections had me a little nervous about blogging originally. But I have found it to be a kind and gentle place, by and large.
Shoba, I related to a lot of what you wrote in this post. Being a blogger is such the process, so multi-faceted, and it can take you places you never expected.
I also find that paying too much attention to visitor stats can really detract from the experience. An old writing mentor of mine advised me, paraphrasing an old saying, to write like no one is reading, and I think that has made all the difference.
I think it’s made me a better writer, because I’m not trying to sell anything, to ride some trend, to go viral, to use all the latest tricks to attract visitors. (Attracting them means nothing if they don’t like what they find when they arrive and then never come back.)
Zemanta, is definitely a cool technology, but I don’t use it simply because I do all of my composition using the HTML editor rather than the WYSIWYG. I don’t miss the extra links and tags, but that’s just me.
F&B, I agree with you about that “writing like no one is reading” bit. I think that I became a better blogger when I turned the corner about not fixating on visitors.
The Zemanta discovery was momentous purely because it has happened so far down the road. As for whether it’ll replace any of my research, in terms of links, I’ll have to wait and see. It’s a new toy and I want to play with it!
romba nalla post shobee!
And then there are the thoughtful comments from friends and family! 🙂 Thank you, Radhika!
Shoba loved your description of the roller coaster that is writing – especially the hit line “The lies I tell myself”! Especially when i post, and then I’m sitting there, all dumb, just refreshing the page again and again – are their any views? Laughable. My Ego, and I – that could be a book all by itself.
Blogging, even when we say we are doing it for ourselves, is a way of stepping out and saying hello – unless we keep it private. In which case, it is but natural that we want someone to greet us back! The challenge is to not get anxious about it I guess.
Chitra, I like the title ‘My Ego and I’ – now just write the rest of it.:-)
Now, I see myself as being on a sort of an even keel. Post when I can, and when I have something meaningful to share. Comment and engage with posts that I like. An evolved WordPress philosophy, so to speak.
Love this….thank you
Glad that resonated with you, Subtlekate!
Thank you for your kind words on Zemanta! 🙂
We’re always interested in feedback, so if you ever have any questions on how to use the assistant or want to leave a comment with us, let us know at support@zemanta.com !
bye
Andraz Tori, cofounder at Zemanta
Woohoo! A comment from Zemanta!:-)
It’s nice of you to track and respond to all references – I like the promise of Zemanta very much and will take you up on using your support email if I have any feedback.
Wish you all the best with your product, Andraz Tori!
Self-doubt and second guessing one’s self – I think it is an occupational hazard of creative types. I guess the unexamined mind is the one I really have to worry about?
You are joking I believe, Imayfly! A little less examination may be what we need.:-) Yeah – social media offers new venues for self-doubt for those inclined to experience it!
Another generic “thank you” comment 🙂
–aNti
Antitheftpotseat, the mandatory “you’re welcome” follows!
“Added to this was the feeling that nobody read what I wrote. The blogsistential angst that came with it!”
Uhm, yes! You hit it right over the head! I love writing. I love reading blogs. And I especially love the dialogue in the comments section. I’m always impressed with writers who actually get their lurkers to participate int he conversation. I’m only a couple of months into blogging publicly, but I always feel like no one’s reading.
Thanks for stopping by my little blog!
Bella, doesn’t it help to know you’re not alone.:-)
As for getting people to comment – I don’t know if there’s an easy way to do this. Strangely, in most non-celebrity personal blogs people seldom like to comment on a blank page but are more willing to participate in an existing conversation stream….I .wonder why.
I have had the same angst and on more than one occasion thought about giving up this blogging thing. She is a fickle mistress. Why is it that I got a ton of visits on a day where I didn’t post anything? Argh. Thanks for letting me know about Zemata.
Robincoyle, I think the pressure that we feel to post and then the gap many of us experience in getting a response, (this does not apply to some of those folks who get instant fame with their first post) before building a community can really take its toll, no?
Visits seem to happen through random clicks and don’t always relate to what I post. For me personally, the reduced focus on posting, and increased efforts to read and engage, has meant a more meaningful blogging experience.
Thanks for taking the time to comment! Happy blogging.:-)