What I Learned: Blogathon 2010

In April, I signed up for the 2010 Wordcount Blogathon. The mission: Blog everyday for the month of May. I thought it would be an interesting challenge to add to my reading challenges and resolutions this year - something to force me to treat my blog more professionally and to spend more time on it than I normally would have. Here's what I learned as a result of this self-inflicted challenge.

1. I do not like to blog everyday.  Monday through Friday barely leave me enough time to breathe, much less blog - therefore the only way I succeeded in this venture was to write and plan a week's worth of posts on Saturday and Sunday.  It became a 4 hour job and most often, I took the easy road out and just planned a picture day, or video day. My brain was fried and I just wanted it to get done. I'd much rather blog only when I truly have something to say or share. Not because I have to.
2. I do not need to blog everyday. I blog for fun. I'm not trying to build a huge following or to set a platform for freelance writing.  I'm a governmental employee, a certified teacher, a Mom, and an on-the-side fiction writer. I use my blog to put my random thoughts in words - not to promote my analytical skills or writing style.
3. I do not have a focused blog.  I've been thinking about this one for a long time. There are tech bloggers, book bloggers, writing bloggers, Mom bloggers, cinema bloggers, etc etc etc.  My site is a bit of everything. And while I feel like I should be forced to have a focused blog, my unfocused one fits me just fine. I'm a little bit of everything. I'm unfocused as a person. I randomly jump from one challenge to the next because I want the most out of life. I want to experience anything and everything. So, if I'm not focused, why should my blog be?  If anything, it represents me more as is.
4. Bloggers are competitive. SHOO WHEE!  Blogathon was full of so many talented writers and while I saw support happening amongst each other, I could see the camaraderie in who could write the best post.  There was even camaraderie in who could comment on the most blog posts each day!
5. I will never do a Blogathon again.  These events are certainly not for me. If I were a professional blogger, I can see how it would benefit me. As is, I am not and thus I do not need to participate again. I already know my purpose, my focus, and blogging a few days a week is enough for me. So much time was put into writing and planning posts, visiting others blogs in the Blogathon, trying to leave comments on their posts - that I didn't have time to work on my actual WIP. This saddens me. my WIP should come first, blogging should come last. The balance was too hard to achieve with the month long challenge.
6. I do not quit.  Even for all the reasons above, I didn't quit this challenge. I'm not a quitter. When I take on something, I give it my all. That being said, this is the last post of the month and I am officially done with Blogathon.  I wish the other participants the best of luck in their blogging careers and in the Blogathon next year.

For now, I'm taking a bit of a blog-cation. I will post here and there (I can't miss Table Topics Tuesdays), but this posting everyday just because I have to, is complete.  

Hello June!  It's so nice to see you!