The Seven Habits

Let me just preface this by saying that I do not for a second consider my blog to be on the same plane as many of the blogs I visit. I could never measure up to the blogging talents of Danielle Bean, Karen Edmisten, Melissa Wiley, or the many other talented bloggers out there. But Maureen at Trinity Prep School invited me to contribute, and she has been so supportive of me, so I will give it a go.

Here are MY Seven Habits of Effective Homeschool Blogging

1. Be real. I try to always be honest about who I am and what I am doing. For me to write about classical homeschooling or living the Liturgical Year would be rediculous. It isn’t who I am and I would come across fake and uninformed. I’ll leave those topics to others who know more about them. However, nature study, unit-study and relaxed schooling-these I can offer a little insight on so I try to stick to these things. Besides, I like what we do and am happy to share that with others, in hopes that they might like it, too.
2. Be positive. By that I do not mean that you should only write about happy, sunny things. That would get sickening after awhile, I think. We all have our troubles and it is wonderful to have a forum to seek support. What I mean is to avoid negativity like blasting other bloggers, diatribes, belittling homeschool methods and philosophies which you don’t use, and just plain cattyness, or meanness. I think it is fine to disagree, but be civil about it. In addition, try not to get drawn into these things on other sites. I have made this mistake before and been hurt by unkind responses. I will never do it again.
3. Stick to the topic-homeschooling or the homeschooling lifestyle. There are some great blogs out there with political commentary, action-alerts, education reform news, etc. I visit some regularly. But when I visit a homeschool blog I expect it to be about homeschooling and the learning lifestyle. Not necessarily always, but usually. Sure, we all chat about other topics from time to time and that is nice because it lets the reader know something about you as a person, but you should not have to hunt for homeschool-related content on a homeschool blog. If you have alot to say about other topics (for example gardening or cooking) then start up another blog and link to it. That way those who are interested in that topic can go there and read more.
4. Post pictures: I love to see them when I visit sites, and folks seem to respond well when I post them here. It is so nice to get a glimpse into the lives of fellow homschoolers, and to be able to attach a face to the names and experiences we read about. Plus, seeing real work from real kids is always beneficial to me, helping me to gain ideas about things my kids could be doing.
5. Add Links: If I describe a website or book that I like, I always try to post a link to it. Saves the reader the trouble of looking it up themselves and is a courtesy to them. And always test your links.
6. Leave and respond to comments: Here is an area where I struggle sometimes, as I am sure many bloggers do. With the demands of homeschooling, time is so limited that we often have to choose between reading several blogs, or commenting on one or two. I try to comment when I can, but truly I read many more posts than I comment on. Same goes for responding to commments here. I do read them all, believe me, but responding to each one is not really feasable. I do try to respond if there is a question, however.
7. Be humble: We all have so much to learn! It could take our whole lives to do it, if we are lucky!

Please remember that these are just my ideas about my blog and should in no way be taken as a criticism of other blogs that may vary from my particular way of thinking. I am really the last person from whom you should take advice! Really!