It’s a column, It’s a blog, It’s Moving to Chelm: Is this a blog or not?

Although by nature I may not really be shy, I am used to being made fun of as the “nerd”, 4-eyes, Miss Encyclopedia, you name it. My online work has mostly been doing the design and the coding of websites, more than the writing.

Those sites I have written content for, were “for hire” so you will never see my name as the author on those sites.

Until making aliyah that was fine, as there was no shortage of work. Now, however, it seems much more important that I know people (or they know me) rather than I know how to do the work. Obviously, one way to get known is to get published. Since I really am a technical person, (thanks Svi for another pep talk today), where better to write than on a technical writing site. This was how “Moving to Chelm” got started, and, I suspect, several other columns on Elephant.org.il over the years.

I am considering creating a second, technical column for Elephant, so if you all have any ideas or suggestions, I’d love to hear them.

Meanwhile, I want to talk about blogging vs. writing a column. The funny thing is that I planned this topic weeks ago, before the J-Blogger Convention was announced. I have been toying with the idea of writing my own blog, but making aliyah is a pretty full-time endeavor. When you add up all the things I am trying to do: ulpan, computer courses, run my NY business, network on the ground & internet here, job hunt, and just plain live, like building shelves, organizing a kitchen, laundry, & preparing for drop in guests, the idea of adding another regular blog post to the pile of unpaid work projects is not overly attractive, so naturally I procrastinate.

So today, what I really want to ask you all is: is this a blog or a column? Is there a difference? After all, its regular (bi-weekly), and anyone can comment on my posts, although only a couple of you have, at least online. Some of you actually give me feedback by telephone. While that is great for my ego, it does not do much for my ratings. In fact, I have not even dared to ask Svi about my hit rate at all. Dare I? Or would I rather not know?

Some of the columnists on Elephant also have their own blogs as well. One of the questions posted to the panelists at the J-Blogger convention on August 20, 2008 was when do they find the time to write? It was readily admitted by one blogger that he only sleeps about 4 hours a night. I just can’t function well on that little sleep, so somewhere I have to draw the line.

In the online chats, it was also admitted that a good post cannot be done in 10 minutes, as a good post must be edited rather than just “slid” off. One live presenter, admittedly the youngest present, commented that he just does not know how to spell, so please just ignore his spelling & comment only on the content. Most of the online bloggers said they most likely would read a poorly written blog once, but probably never return.

I really do spell check these posts, and most of them are written between 12 & 2 am, like most other bloggers, but is that an excuse to post poor English? I even read them aloud to myself before posting, but things still slip through.

On the other hand, my friend the Spinning instructor agrees with me that the more work she has, the more energy she has. The reverse is also true: no work, no energy. Its not logical, but I find it true more times than not. How else does everything get done before Pesach every year?

At any rate, you can read my after action report of the First International J-Blogger Convention at http://elephant.org.il/event_summaries, but first, I’d really appreciate your feedback in my unofficial poll: Is “Moving to Chelm” a blog: Yes or No?