Tuesday, May 3, 2016

Between the Lines: Amy's Creative Pursuits, What IS It Like Being a Blogger Over Fifty?

If you're looking for a craft or home project today, there is none, because today I am being featured over at Katherine's Corner in her "Between the Lines" blog series.  This series started two weeks ago, and will continue every Tuesday through June 28th.  It will feature eighty eight bloggers over the age of fifty.  Every week Katherine celebrates and introduces bloggers of  "certain age" and asks them questions about the joys and pitfalls of being a blogger over fifty.



So before I get into the questions Katherine asked me, I would like to answer the general question "What is it like being a blogger over fifty?"  Difficult, would be my answer.  People in my age group or older are not as active in social media so it's hard to get over fifty readers.   Most of my readers are in the 20-40 age group.   Although I'm happy the younger crowd supports me, I also find that so discouraging, because I really want to connect with women my own age.  But even over-fifty bloggers don't seem interested in me.   I don't know why.  I'm not sure if it's a competitive issue, or if over-fifty bloggers just don't spend as much time on social media as their younger counterparts.  My main motive in participating in this series was not to promote my own blog, but to meet other over-fifty bloggers my own age and develop new relationships.  I'm sad to report, that has not happened yet.  But it is early in the series, so I'm going to stay positive and hope that changes soon.

So why then do I blog?  This is an issue I come across quite frequently on many blog posts.  Most people I believe start blogs with the wrong motive:  to make money.  This ultimately ends up in disappointment because they can't understand why their blog is not as successful as someone else's blog, and they begin to get discouraged and quit blogging.  Of course, money and free gifts is a fun plus to blogging.   But the main reason I blog is simply because I ENJOY IT.  I absolutely love to write about the things I love:  

My Family

 My Travels


My Hobbies

My Home and Garden

Recipes


Beauty
and

Fashion


 If no one, and I mean NO ONE ever read a single blog post, I would still be writing.  It is my on-line journal that chronicles my life.  It is a creative outlet for me.  It is very therapeutic for me to come here and write about my life.  It is a place where I can go and share my thoughts and my experiences.  I just love it.  

But I also love how easily I can share these experiences with others.  I love that my children, friends, and extended family that live far away can pop over and see what I/we've been up to.  I love that technology has advanced so much that I no longer need to pay extra money to get reprints to send photos to grandma, and she can now just view our photos and stories over the Internet.  It's a way to stay close to people that live far away.

Now every week in this series Katherine asks the over-fifty bloggers two questions as a way to get to know them a little bit better.  These were my two questions and how I answered them:

Question 1:  How many categories do I have on my blog?  Do I use more than one for each post?

Good question, as I think some new readers get confused about what my blog is all about.  I consider myself a LIFESTYLE blogger.  I have seven categories on my blog:  Fashion Over Fifty, Crafts, Travel, Gardening, Home Decor, recipes, and Beauty.  I follow a strict blogging schedule so that if a reader is only interested in one category they can visit my blog just on the day that features that category.  For example, readers who are interested in Travel, will visit my blog on Wednesdays when I do a Travel post.  My blogging schedule is always listed in my sidebar.  If I don’t have anything new to share on that day, I just won’t do a post.

Do I use more than one category for each post?  Rarely, and only then when they overlap because of my lifestyle.  One example would be that when I travel I tend to dress very fashionably, so I use those travel occasions to create interesting photo backdrops for fashion posts.  Another example would be my gardening posts.  I love to visit botanical gardens when I travel so I share those on Sundays when I do a garden post.

Question 2:  Do I have a pet?

Yes, but only one, a cockatiel named Emery.  Plus a koi pond fish that lives inside an aquarium in my house…if you count him as a pet.  I love animals, and I use to have a lot of them.  At one time I had two dogs, one cat, two finches, a parakeet, a cockatiel, and a lovebird.  I have a special fondness for cats and birds.  One by one, all my pets passed away over the years, and I just never got new pets.  I would love to get another cat or a lovebird but we decided we travel too much now and it’s too difficult to have any more pets.

I hope you have all gotten to know me a little bit more through this post.  If you have any questions at all that you have always been "dying" to ask that you would like to know about me, please feel free to ask in the comment section below. 
If I can answer it, I will!  I also have an "About Me" page, you can find that by clicking on the tab at the top of this post.  There you will find a general summary of me and my blog that covers different things that were not mentioned in this post. 

Now be sure and visit the other over-fifty bloggers being featured today and show them some support!

Have a Great Day!  Amy




27 comments:

  1. It's such a pleasure meeting you, Amy!

    I truly enjoyed reading about you and find so much in common. Especially the fondness of pets. (Even birds! I have two Amazons!) I had koi in my garden pond, but after losing those I had named, it was heartbreaking to try it again. They get huge! And wintering them inside was quite cumbersome. I just lost my 13 year old dog last week. He was my blog photobomber. It's been difficult to focus without him. Luckily, spring clean up and meeting all of the "Between the Lines" friends will keep me busy.

    I'm following you and can't wait to read more!

    Hugs~

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  2. Congrats on being featured, Amy! I am not over 50 but can tell you that your fashion posts have really inspired me and I love all the topics you are sharing on your blog. Very happy I "met" you through the paper crafting world years ago!

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  3. Hi Amy, it is so nice to meet you through Katherine (the great connecter)and the Between the Lines Series.
    I am so sorry you have had trouble connecting. There are SO many midlife bloggers. There was just a fabulous conference in Las Vegas, it was a blast! If you would like an invitation to join the midlife bloggers Facebook group let me know. I think you would enjoy it. Also check out MidlifeBoulevard.com.
    I am enjoying your fashion and your photos, beautiful!

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  4. Hi Amy---I have seen you in some of the link ups, but it truly is nice to actually "meet" someone through this series!!
    I like that you blog about different categories...when we get interested in one thing, it can be so all consuming, so it's nice to branch out!!
    jodie
    www.jtouchofstyle.com

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  5. posting is lots of work but I'm glad you're still doing it and i'm sure with a little more time you'll start connecting with others your age! so glad to have you in the blogosphere!

    cute & little
    kileen

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  6. Hi Amy, I've been following you on G+ but I'm not so active on that platform. I'm your newest 50+ follower on your other social media platforms. I suspect this awesome series is going to help you in that regard quite a bit. It's so great meeting other bloggers in the Nifty Fifty Club and I look forward to learning more about you.
    Marie, The Interior Frugalista

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  7. Such a pleasure meeting you Amy. And thanks for stopping by to say hello. Appreciate it. A koi pond sounds wonderful. We have been longing for a dog but also enjoy travelling so ....no more pets right now! Happy to connect. xxx Sabina

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  8. I see I can learn a lot from your blog, Amy! We are also a family of five, with the 'kids' being 12-19, 2 young men, 1 girl. I love papercrafts, too, but don't do a lot of it - I'm teaching myself crocheting at the moment. I'm trying not to have serious yard envy right now. We have 2 acres, but it's much more rustic and much less planned. My kitchen and I are not close friends, maybe that's because too many of our cats and dogs love to sit and watch (and try to sneak something when I'm not looking)! And if what I know about fashion was a piece of cloth, my 'knowledge' could be wadded up, stuck in a thimble and have half the room left over! *lol*

    I'm trying to subscribe to the over 50's blogs as I work my way through, and maybe some of the social media links after I've read and commented on the blogs. :O)

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  9. Amy, I enjoyed reading your blog today. I look forward to getting to know you better. You have many creative ideas. Congratulations on being featured this week! Kathi

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  10. Hi Amy - Very nice to meet a fellow Between the Liner. Liked your post too. I'm going to follow your advice about listing your blog schedule on the sidebar. I've watched a lot of youtube channels where they use that system and say that works very well. Takes the guessing out of it for the reader.

    http://livingthelifeyouchoose.blogspot.com

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  11. Hi Amy, I'm from Katherine's Corner Blogging Over 50 Series. I enjoyed reading your post and you have a lovely garden, family and blog. I totally understand what you said about getting bloggers our age to engage. I've been at this for 16 months now and yes, I do believe the younger bloggers are my main readers. As you, trying to get women my age to be a part of my daily reads has been a challenge. Feel free to link up any posts on Thursdays on my blog at Party at My Place which begins at 6:00 am EST. I'd love for more bloggers in our stage of life to be a part of it. You can find me at grammietime2.blogspot.com or see Katherine's list this week. My post will be out tomorrow due to another commitment. Nice to meet you.

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  12. This is a great post and I am so happy they have something for bloggers over 50. I just turned 54 and I am blogger, I try to keep young by keeping my mind active and my body in shape. Love your sweet blog
    Maria

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  13. It's nice to meet you, Amy! I enjoyed reading your Between the Lines post. I understand what you mean about connecting with other over age 50 bloggers. That's why I'm happy to be a part of Katherine's series. I look forward to visiting your blog again and again!

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  14. What a fun idea for a blog series! So fun reading more about you Amy! I hope you can continue to connect and meet other bloggers through this series. I enjoy visiting your blog and I really like how you post about lots of topics, especially love the gardening posts :) Have a great week and take care, Tara

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  15. Hi Amy,
    So nice to meet you through Between the Lines blogging series.
    I also decided to participate in Katherine's series to meet
    over 50 bloggers. It's been a lot of fun meeting everyone~
    Lynn @ Turnips 2 Tangerines

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  16. Love this! Always love seeing all your different types of posts!

    <3 Shannon
    Upbeat Soles

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  17. Hi Amy! I'm Sue from Sizzling Towards Sixty and I live in Brisbane, Australia. I loved your post and identify with so many things you have said. I think that Between the lines has given us all the opportunity to find other fabulous women in our niche. My audience is also younger although I really started out writing when I retired and trying to encourage other midlife women to get out there and give life a go! Have a great week and I can't wait to explore more of your blog.

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  18. Hi Amy! I saw your feature on Between the Lines. I have loved meeting bloggers my own age. I love love your fashion sense and your pics are lovely! I look forward to meeting you.

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  19. Such a pleasure to have you joining in this series my friend. You know I am a fan of your blog and I appreciate your friendship so much xox

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  20. Hi Amy, you truly must love to write if you post everyday. How do you do it? My schedule is once a week and I know it is not enough. Your green yard and garden is gorgeous. Love those cute teal pants. I have a makeup highlighter that I am going to apply like you have demoed here. Great to meet you here in this series. Thanks for commenting on my blog this week too.

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  21. Oh, even though I have seven categories to blog about, I don't always blog every day of the week. I just reserve that day for that category. If I have nothing to share that day, I don't post. I probably more like five or six posts a week. But I agree with you. It's hard to find the time. Writing isn't the most time consuming for me...promoting my post is.

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  22. It's so nice meeting you, Amy! I'm in the Between The Lines series and will be featured next month. I used to post 5 days a week, but it got to be too much for me, so now I only do 2-3 at the most. I've followed you on all the social media that I'm also on. I look forward to reading more of you blog.

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  23. I found you via Between the Lines. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE that little red house!!! Squeee!!! I also really like your cards--great work. I"ll be back to read more.
    Lisa @ https://hopewellslibraryoflife.wordpress.com/

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  24. Visiting from the Between the Lines series~glad to meet you!

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  25. OMG!!! We could be besties! LOL We like exactly the same things :) I look forward to reading your posts and become great friends.
    gwingal

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  26. Hi Amy, I am a fellow "Between the Lines" over 50 blogger! So nice to meet you! Your gardening skills certainly look terrific; I love your beautiful backyard! Teresa

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  27. I'm a fellow Between the Lines feature and I found your blog through that. I love the way your blog is set up - I especially love the blogging schedule! I may just have to incorporate that into my blog. I've seen it done on others but never thought much about it. Like you, I would be blogging if no on ever read or clicked on my blog. It's my free therapy haha! I've found some great posts on your blog and can't wait to read more!

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