Moments in Time

This is a guest post by Joshua A. DeLung.

So, I’ve never met Kelvin Oliver — not in person, anyway. We’ve known each other online for quite some time now, though, and I suppose just the notion that I would refer to him as a “friend I have down in Memphis” might have been a bit absurd only a few years ago. But with the increasing popularity of social media (which has been popular among folks like Kelvin and I for years now), I think it’s becoming more and more common to consider people you’ve never met before, at least loosely, as friends.

And why not? Friends are people we can bounce ideas off of, people we can turn to for advice, people with whom we can collaborate. So when Kelvin asked if I would consider a guest post for Moments In Time, I thought sure, why not, why wouldn’t I write guest post for that friend I have down in Memphis who coordinates a mean synchroblog?

But with writing a guest post comes the need for a topic. I mean, sure, part of guest blogging is an opportunity at shameless promotion of one’s own blog or agenda. But you just don’t want to come up in someone else’s audience and have those readers come away questioning the blog owner’s decision-making skills after you’ve supplied him or her with a dud of a post.

Now, about that need for a topic…  oh yes, so here are five tips to a good guest blog post (I think that’s what I was getting at):

1) Have a clever, insightful introduction that mentions the contemporary state of medium.

2) Be sure that you promote the host’s blog in the nut paragraph, not your own! (Until, that is, the end of the guest post.)

3) Pretend as though you were struggling to find a topic, just to keep readers on the edge of their seats (even though everyone knows writer’s block is something only experienced by people who aren’t really meant to be writers… the rest of us always have something to say, whether it has any value or not).

4) Use a sort of how-to list because people probably will not read the rest of the post and will only scroll down to grab some quick tips anyway. (Caught you!)

5) You should probably do some research about the audience of the blog on which you’re posting, chat with the blog owner about expectations, find something useful to say, include fun links, follow the style of the host blog and do a bunch of other technical hoopla.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this post, readers of Moments in Time! Perhaps you found it helpful, entertaining or just plain confusing. Ciao!

Joshua A. DeLung is the creator, owner and primary writer at Relatively Journalizing, where he writes about journalism, public relations, new media, life musings, sports and more. In addition, he also blogs for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Energy Empowers Web site, which chronicles the personal stories of American people whose lives have been touched by energy-efficient and renewable energy technologies.

The views, opinions and any other content created by Joshua A. DeLung on personal or social media sites do not necessarily reflect those of the U.S. government or any other entity and are not approved by or affiliated with those entities.

Often times it is a relief to sit down and write. Sometimes there are no words to describe how life is whether bad or good; hopefully the latter. Writing helps me a lot in the ways that I can express myself through words and sort of have a one-on-one talk with someone. I will say that this particular semester, there aren't really any words that can be used to describe it. One word can be unique, but that is not the word although I'll use it. College can be a journey of self-discovery. Exploring what we want to do, who we are, and being able to do just about anything. Whether or not someone attends a college or university, in whatever they do, they will something about what it is they do to be enjoyable and worthwhile in a way.I can attest to this because this semester (along with the stress and long nights and sleepless nights.. ups and downs), I'm finding out who I am and where I'm going in life.

Since being at the University, I've met some cool people, those that I admire (have not found too many of them), and the ones that set them apart in a group of their own. But all in all, we are here doing what we do for a reason. Maybe the dreams or goals that I aspire to achieve may be too big for me or often times maybe I may get the weird look or feedback of people thinking I may be crazy. I know not everyone wants to be a teacher and not everyone will feel the same way I do, but hey, that is just me. I know there are those who may not want think or dream the same things I do, but that is just me. Maybe I'm thinking about actually want to be person that wants change, but there are others who may not be on the same page. I am not the person I use to be, but I'm the person that is evolving to the person I want to be. Sometimes it is said to be the change you want to be and I don't know that not everything will change, but coming to the realization of true reality and the purpose is something to think about.

There is something I must remember is to stay positive, keep my faith and moral values at heart, and know the reason that I should not fall but keep on going. I didn't want to continue onto the University for nothing. I'm not wasting my time and money for nothing. There's a path I have decided to take and that's a path that is not taken.

Today is 20 Something Bloggers 6th Blog Swap. So, the members of the community who decided to participate has a partner. My partner is Jennie White, the writer of the blog Generation You. So she is guest posting for me on today and kindly enough have written such an awesome post. Don’t forget to visit her blog to read my post! Now presenting to you, today’s guest writer Jennie White!

Hi Guys, sorry, but this is not Kelvin! I am taking over Moments in Time on this fine Monday. Kelvin has been so generous and awesome to let me guest post over here and I am really excited about it. For about the past week, I’ve been exploring Kelvin’s blog, Moments in Time. I am sure you all know this by now, but our friend Kelvin here is a beautiful writer. He’s deep, descriptive, and thought provoking which are all crucial for a successful Blogger. In Kelvin’s most recent post, “The World of Blogging,” he talked about why he blogs and why blogging isn’t for the faint of heart. It got me thinking, why should we blog?

Why is it important for us to twenty-somethings to sit down and pour out our thoughts on the Internet? We don’t blog to give our problems a microphone, we blog to connect to one another. I’ve “met” or connected with people from all over the world. I mean I am guest posting for Kelvin who lives in Tennessee! Kelvin and I probably would’ve never met had it not been for blogging.

This might sound like a far out comparison, but I often like to compare bloggers to a hockey team. Often people don’t recognize why people blog. They don’t understand the commitment and passion that goes into blogging. Just like I’ve never really understood hockey players waking up at 4 am to skate in a freezing cold ice rink. Hockey players and bloggers alike have a deep routed passion and the support from their teammates or fellow bloggers is key. We keep showing up to our blogs and to the rink because we’re getting this high and rush from the support and feedback of our peers.

Just like a hockey player, bloggers need to be tough. They need to show commitment and show passion. Use your blog to broadcast your commitment and passion. Who knows who will stumble upon it from Google one day? Commit yourself to your readers and your network; blogging is all about supporting one another. Your thoughts are more valuable if they’re out there, available for people to react, agree, and disagree. What good are your thoughts locked up inside that brain of yours? Trust me, we want to hear them!

So yes, maybe I did just compare blogging to hockey, you’ve probably never heard that one before, but I really liked how in Kelvin’s post, “The World of Blogging,” he stressed the importance of staying committed to your blog.

So, I have not written anything lately in this space. On the brighter side, it will be the weekend and tomorrow is Friday! 20 Something Bloggers sent out e-mails for their 6th 20SB Blog Swap to those who are participating, letting us know about our partners. This is my third time joining the fun and swapping posts with other bloggers. It’s a thrill to see what random person I will get partnered up with. So on next Monday, the 26th, you will get a chance to see Jennie’s (her blog is Generation You) post on this blog and mine will be on hers.  You can find both of our (awesome) posts on next week!

I’m noticing a trend of comments from anonymous people. I’m not saying that there is nothing wrong with that, but I would like to know who they written by instead making a connection of the authors being random people. Sometimes I find it interesting to read comments from others. I would have to say that. But I think they tend to not want to be known. Sometimes I write things and not think, one some topics, about editing a post. Blogs… if you have one and most do, you have to make it your own. No matter what way you blog, in whatever writing style. It’s your account, your space, make it your own. I believe that a lot of people, from what I read from 20SB, have their own feelings and thoughts when it comes down to reading blogs. But I am not going to talk much in depth about blogging because I’m sure you may have read and talked with others all things blogging. People tend to blog for different reasons and you know the whole deal with that. I do tend to try to blog each week. Even more so I like the conversations and the comments that are left because they help to spark new ideas and perspectives. Not everyone read blogs will comment. Only when they feel needed to comment. There are conversations out there about people leaving useless comments that do not contribute to the conversations. Sometimes the comments may strike up a hardcore debate; whereas others just want to leave their remarks.

You may be wondering exactly what I’m talking about. I’m really not talking about anything specific. Overall, blogging to me is like being able to write and keep an electronic journal publicly or privately-for yourself or those select people. I may not be a complete expert, but I will surely enough give you a best and complete answer to any question that may be asked. But I think my perspective of blogging has changed and still is changing.  From classroom blogging in the English Composition class to just continuing blogging on my own.It’s like almost everyone is blogging. Some have been blogging for 4 years while others have started within the last year or few months. I will say that blogging may not be for everyone. Some start off blogging, but then all of a sudden they stop writing and disappear. And this may happen to those who really have a unique style and we enjoy their blog. And the next thing we know, they stop posting and we only get the few posts that are still up to read and cherish. I even have seen this happen a few times. Where the good bloggers stop posting and I wonder where they have gone off to. Johnonline has the statement “Blogging is not a habit. It’s a lifestyle” on this blog. I think that is quite interesting that he makes that statement. Could blogging be a lifestyle and not a habit? A hobby? Or something we think would be fun?

Well, you may notice that there has not been a post written in a couple of days, more so a week or two. Don’t worry, I have not fallen off the cliff of a mountain.. not yet at least (laughing out loud). But there will be a post soon. So much has been going on over the last few weeks and another week until Fall Break. Woohoo! I’m excited. I hope you all had a wonderful week and the weekend is going good for everyone. There have been a couple of guest bloggers that have accepted the invitation to guest blog for me. Sometimes the blogger needs a bit of creative boost and go away from the work space to muster up the next best thing to write about. To put the cap on this quick update post, here is a video for you to enjoy… It’s one of my favorite.