Last Updated on: February 11th, 2015
Dear Reader,
I want to know more about you.
I’d like to know what you do, where you blog, what your business is, if you have children and/or pets, what you might need help with… whatever!
Tell me anything you want!
Just leave your reply in the comments.
I really do want to know more about you. Why? Two reasons:
1. I’m genuinely interested in knowing who is reading my blog, and how I can help you in the future.
2. I’m going to be revamping my site soon. Getting a new logo, installing a new theme, deleting some old posts, etc., and I want to make sure I’m serving you properly.
I would also like to know:
- what you like about my blog
- if you find value in my posts
- what you like BEST about Wording Well
- what you want more of
- what you want less of
and whatever else you want to say!
Feel free to include a link to your site, too. 🙂
DON’T BE SHY. DON’T EDIT YOUR RESPONSES. Heck, if you don’t want me to approve your comment (make it visible for everyone to see), then tell me to delete it after I read it.
I just want to dialogue with you! I’ll respect your wishes, too. 🙂
I look forward to getting to to know you better!
Talk to you soon!
~Lorraine
P. S. The kitten is Midge. She’s my baby, now that my son is grown!
Hello Lorraine,
No, I’m not planning to sell anything on the blog, it’s a place for self-expression. Well, after restructuring the site I might say it’s now both a blog (self-expression) and branding (selling myself), But I’m not planning to sell any products or services from that platform.
Anyway I’m thinking now if there can be a more appropriate tagline.
Thanks for sharing your poetry site, I’m your follower now! 🙂
Sasha, thanks for following Poetry Perfected! 🙂
It’s good to know that your site is something you enjoy, too. 😉
Your tagline should fit what your site is about. “A place for self expression” says a lot. Perhaps you could fit that into it!
Thank you Lorraine for your kind reply and advice!
I changed the follower widget as you suggested. Regarding the tagline, you made me think indeed. On the one hand, I wanted it to display my attitude to the world. On the other hand, I agree that it’d rather reflect the idea of the blog. The problem, however, is that I have several deep interests, like martial arts, self-development, languages, travelling, and global issues, and I try to combine them all in one website. So on different days I feel like writing on a different issue / topic / idea that touches me. I used categories as a way to differentiate, but agree that focusing on something particular can be better and more effective (although don’t want to sacrifice anything now).
I play the guitar by myself (both acoustic and electric), although did a few attempts to create a band in the past. Ultimately I had to prioritize, but playing myself is totally fine as it’s a way of relaxing and self-expression for me. In future I plan to record some of my songs though, and will definitely need a band for that.
Thanks again for your help and support, and looking forward to your new posts!
Sasha, it’s great to see you take my advice. When it comes to blogging, I’ve had to learn the hard way!
Do you have any big goals for your blog? Do you plan on selling anything it on it? Or do you just use is a place to share to your experiences?
Oh, and cool about the guitar! I have written a couple of songs, too. But I prefer writing poetry. http://poetryperfected.wordpress.com is where I share my poetry.
Hello Lorraine,
This is Alexander here.
First of all, I really like your blog and what you are doing. I really like the idea of freelancing, and consider you a professional in the field. I have really benefited from your “20 Blog Post Must-Haves”. I realized that knowing HOW to write is as important as WHAT to write.
As for me, I am just making my first steps in blogging. I started with WordPress a bit more than a year ago, and I really enjoy it. I have tried following the principle “write only for myself” as a means of self-expression, but realized that getting views and comments brings enormous inspiration and motivation. So I guess need to find the golden middle here.
My traffic is not high at all, but I try to follow your pieces of advice posted here. Also, I did big restructuring of my website (alexandersvitych.com) recently, which I now regard now only as blog, but also as portfolio of my experiences and passions. Not sure if that was a good idea, but that’s how I felt like doing.
Besides blogging, I love foreign languages, politics and political science, public speaking, martial arts and playing the guitar.
Thanks for giving an opportunity to share a piece of me here, and I wish you continuous inspiration and good mood!
It’s great that you are learning how to be a better blogger! I know you’ve been following me awhile, and I appreciate hearing from you each time I do. 🙂
Here’s another tip, Sasha. Uncheck the box in the widget that displays the number of blog followers you have. When your numbers are low, it’s best not to advertise that you aren’t that well-known yet. People will be more likely to follow your blog if you leave them guessing. 😉
I’d also like to suggest to you to re-do your tagline of “Aiming high. Dreaming big.” Perhaps you could add something about the discipline of Martial Arts to it to further clarify the message you want others to get. For example, what is your blog about? I’m not really sure, upon first glance.
I hope this helps you a bit.
Thanks for sharing, and feel free to ask me for help, anytime!
P. S. I’ve never learned how to play a musical instrument, although I did take piano lessons for a year as a child. Do you have a band, or do you just like to strum the guitar?
Hi, Lorraine,
You know me pretty well already, but wanted to chime in with a little more. I certainly appreciate your whit and candor and look forward to building our friendship even more. 🙂
I’ve been earning money online since 1992, but have had my blog at CarolAmato.com for more than four years. I really enjoy helping folks learn how to get set up online, build relationships, get traffic and increase their conversions, among other things.
My blog community is such fun, and I’ve opened up a MasterMind Coaching membership last year that is such a joy to me.
I’m married, live in Tampa, Florida and have three adult children: Jessica, Emily and Daniel. Adventurous outings are my thing, and sky diving is on my bucket list for this spring/summer.
Currently I’m visiting my daughter, Emily, son-in-law and granddaughter in Texas as they’ve just moved, and I’m helping out where I can (mostly lovin’ on the grandbaby!) lol
This is a great idea for a post, Lorraine, and I enjoyed reading about your other visitors.
Take Care,
– Carol 🙂
Carol, thanks for sharing more about you. I knew most of what you told me already, but it’s wonderful to have you share a bit about yourself with anyone else who happens to be reading this. 😉
Also, you and I have the same item on our bucket lists! I, too, want to go skydiving, believe it or not, as well as go for a hot air balloon ride.
Perhaps one day, if I ever make it to Florida, we can do both… 😉
Thanks for the visit, Carol. See you soon!
Hey Lorraine,
So you already know me rather well but I’ll add that here anyway. I blog over at AdrienneSmith.net and have been there for going on six years. I love helping people when it comes to blogging and that’s how I actually started out. People starting seeing how interactive my commenters were and wanted to know more about how I was able to achieve that so that took me in the direction of helping people learn more about building relationships. As you know, I have my course on that topic which you advertise here and I thank you for that.
I don’t have any children of my own but I have a step-son, two nieces, two nephews and a four legged daughter named Kayla.
I like you as a person so I enjoy what you share here. I love your honesty and how you’re always eager to help others. It doesn’t get much better than that my friend. I’m eager to see the changes you’ll be making and I’m sure whatever you want to share will benefit your readers.
Hope that’s helpful enough and you enjoy the rest of your week.
~Adrienne
Adrienne, I didn’t know you had a step-son or were married! Thanks for sharing that. Is your four-legged pet a cat or a dog?
Thank you for complimenting my honesty. It’s one of the things my readers seem to like most about me. Well, that, and the fact that I’m always helpful.
I’m eager to see the changes, too. 😉
Thank you for this invitation. I’ve been following your blog for almost a year now, and I appreciate the variety and the helpful nature of your content. I also edit and proofread, but only as a side gig at this time. Most of my work in this area is through Wyzant, a tutoring company based in Chicago, but recently I proofread a 124-page book for someone (it’s now published) and have done some non-Wyzant related work in this area as well.
My wife and I live in Bowling Green, Ohio. She just graduated from the university here, so we’re looking to get to a bigger city again, probably Columbus, Ohio. I grew up in Canton, Ohio, but have lived in Dallas, Malaysia (where I taught English), and Minneapolis/Saint Paul.
I also run a blog that mostly focuses on the Israeli/Palestinian conflict and Biblical eschatology (the study of last things). I hold the growing, but still minority, viewpoint that those last things are not in our future but were fulfilled in the past. Instead, I’m hopeful for the future, not only personally but also for the world. Here’s the site address:
http://www.kloposmasm.com
Adam, it’s great to hear from you. Thanks for sharing a bit about who you are, where you’ve lived, and what you do. 🙂
What is the most pressing problem you have right now that’s blogging-related? If you tell me, perhaps I can help you solve it!
I see you’ve gotten lots of feedback! Sorry I’m late to the party.
I’m a mom of two young children and homeschooling one of them. My career is PT around family, usually resulting in late nights. Time management and pulling stories or ideas out of life circumstances works best for me. I am a content and ghostwriter by trade, and a fiction writer for the full children’s lit spectrum. What I love most about your posts is how personal you are with your readers and how valuable and consistent your content is to my writing journey. Plus, you’re not afraid to be real. The only suggestion I have is that you keep the text of your posts more consistent. Occasionally, I get lost in the variations.
I’m looking forward to seeing what your new sites look like! Cheers!
Emily, it’s nice to learn more about you. What a busy mom you must be, homeschooling one of your children! Wow! I sure don’t envy you! LOL
Thanks for saying you appreciate my honesty, but could you please elaborate on the inconsistency of the text of my posts? I’m not really sure I know what you see as being a problem, and I’d like to learn more so that I can rectify that. What “variations” are you referring to?
Remember, I’m here to help, not cause you grief!
Looking forward to more feedback…
hi lorraine; well i applaud your effort to connect more deeply with your readers and find out how you can make your site even more helpful to them. there isn’t much about me that you don’t already know. 🙂 but if there was I’d be sure to share it here. best of luck with the site upgrade, max
Thanks, Max. I’ve been talking with Fabrizio, too, seeking help and advice.
Yeah, at times I wonder if I know you better than I know myself. 😉
Hi Lorraine
I hope you are feeling better now. Winter colds are so hard to get rid of.
I think you know as much about me as there is to tell. I blog for the pleasure of writing and enjoy researching subjects that I think my readers want to know about.
I like your blogging style and have learned quite a lot from your posts so I would say not to change to much but to stay true to your style – which obviously is helping people.
One thing I’ve truly enjoyed is the sharing of information back and forth – makes you seem like an old friend.
All the best as you make the changes you want.
Lenie, I appreciate your input. Yes, we are like old friends already, aren’t we? 😉
I plan on staying true to myself, too, and will continue to help others. No worries there!
Thanks for the wishes.
I’m glad you like my blogging style, too. 🙂
Hello 🙂
I haven’t forgotten your question, do I want to put money in my blog. I am not sure if I will have any coming. Soo.. I am keeping you in my thoughts and thinking. I read and review books and post them on Debb’s Reads and all the popular sites for other to see and hope I piqued their interest.
I love your posts; there are so many great hints! I enjoy your personal touches and love how you give so much of yourself. I can’t think of anything I would change
Debb, you make me blush. 😉
Thank you!
But… I’m not here to get compliments. I want real advice if I’m not doing a great job. I want to make things better!
… Just so everyone else knows for when they commment. 😉
I am a reader and a blogger of books. I love to share other posts on my blog to promote authors, to give pointers to other bloggers, and I occasionally through in some stories about my grandchildren.
I majored in geology, which came in handy at various points throughout my children’s school lives. My husband and I have been married for nearly 46 years. We have three sons , three grandsons, and FINALLY a granddaughter. I love dogs and cats, and though we don’t have any ourselves, we do have a granddog, a rescue lab, and a grandcat.
I am a huge believer in volunteering and have volunteered at our children’s and grandsons’ schools, for our local children’s hospital, service academy local parent groups, and MaKe-a-Wish, to name a few.
What I like most about your blog is that I never know what I’ll find when I get here. You post a nice variety of topics.
Michelle, it’s great to get to know you better! I also appreciate your comment about “the variety” of my posts. I like to keep things interesting, write about whatever comes to my mind and NOT be forced into writing about just one thing all the time on my blog. Plus, I like to help others, and do so through my various posts and tutuorials.
Like you, I love reading, too! I’ve been reading since age three or four, I think. 🙂
2 things I love about this blog: the how-to do something and the blogger highlights. I really learn from the how-to’s, because I’m not a techy. I love it when you highlight another blogger and give us some insight into this person. It balances your blog and introduces us to many things. It also highlights YOUR skills, so I hope you can make some money from this.
I am a virtual assistant and author of a Christian fiction novel, so I appreciate anything that introduces me to new and useful information. I can use it in both businesses. I am inspired by you, Lorraine, so I look forward to each and every post.
Jo Ann, you have been one of my most faithful readers for the past two years, and I *always* look forward to your comments! You are a lot like me in that you tell it like it is, too, and I appreciate your honesty and bluntness. Thank you for your continued support!
I still don’t think I’m very techie, either, but I’ve learned a few tricks and shortcuts to doing things during my journey. I’m always happy to share these things with others, too, but often don’t know how much information to include, as I sometimes assume that everyone else knows how to do certain things. That’s one of the reasons why I need input — so that I can make good decisions about WHAT to blog about and teach!
Your book, Everyone Evelon is still on my list of books to read, too. I haven’t forgotton about it, just so you know! 😉
Thanks again for sharing your thoughts, Jo Ann!
Hi. It’s Kerry, but you already know because of our interview.
🙂
In fact, I think you now know so much about me that I should probably give you a break.
🙂
I am hopefully getting the short story I recently wrote published in a new anthology, through a small press.
I know I almost had it in another a few months back, but that turned out bad and was a false start. Things happen for a reason and when one door shuts on you, another, better door often opens wide and welcoming.
🙂
I hope for good things for 2015, for you and me and everyone.
I found your site, last summer, and how I can’t even recall now. I keep coming back because it is on a topic, words and writing, that I am quite fond of.
🙂
I now know the woman behind the words and I am a forever fan. Stuck with me.
Have a wonderful Wednesday.
Kerry, you’re a sweetheart, and witty! Thanks for making me laugh. You’re right, I know so much about you as a result of the interview we did that writing another 10000 words here would be silly!
I’m glad you found me and my blog. I think we met through LinkedIn, actually, through Max. I know I don’t stop by your blog as often as I would like, but I do what I can and of course check out posts you’ve written when you tag me on Facebook or Twitter.
Congratulations on your upcoming publication, Kerry! I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again: You’re a talented writer, and I’m proud to know you. 🙂
I also like your attitude about how when one door shuts, another one opens. So true!
I am a mother from last four years and math teacher from last 10 years and taught to bachelor and master classes in different universities.
I love to do calligraphy and some art works/ recycling at home and from a year trying to experiment with writing as I am fond of reading.
I like the way you write and I get a lot of information from your posts. They are very informative and I like you to be the way you are, no need to change your style. Here, I too believe that change in writing style and other things is part of life and it automatically happens. I like the way you talk to people, I always feel as I am talking to you face to face, this is what I love the most + you are so friendly and helping. The way you help others and take time from your busy schedule is amazing. You are also a life saver. That is simply out of the world.
When you will move to your website, I hope you will share about the difficulties that you faced and the way you solved the problems as it will help many like me.
Thank you for writing great posts for all of us.
All the best.
Andleeb, it’s great to learn more about you, too. When I was about ten or eleven years old, I received a calligraphy set for my birthday, and loved it! I no longer practice it, but I remember the joy it gave me. I hope it gives you the same joy!
Thanks for the compliments on my writing style and posts. I am a friendly person by nature, and will talk to anyone, any time, regardless of whether I know that person or not!
To be clear, I’m not moving my site. I’m only going to give it a new look. 🙂
I’m not going anywhere! I’ll continue to write useful posts that will help you!
Thanks for sharing and commenting. 🙂 I always love hearing from you!
OK. I love writing though I do not do as much these days since changing jobs. These days I write mostly business blogs for our company to share mistakes/lessons learned along the way – so other folk don’t make them! They are not as boring as they sound and very seldom about our actual business – more educational if you like.. I share some on Linkedin and others on our website. I also have a half finished fiction book buried somewhere, one on starting a small business and some poetry – on top of this I am also doing a management degree!
I have followed you for a while now because you pull no punches; the content is ‘real life’ and whilst sometimes it is hard to read because it is not all ‘flowers and bunnies’, there is a real human side that I always try to put into my writing. You give me value also, if for no other reason sometimes than to kick my behind and remind me to write something! Wording well to me is a valuable source of reading material as there is a wide range of posts on many subjects and from many angles – as far as more or less of anything I would say keep on doing what you are doing, reality and straightforward writing is becoming a rarity these days and I for one miss that in many other areas.
Peter, I recognized your name immediately. 🙂
I sure appreciate the kind things you have to say about me, too. Thank you. It’s nice to know I’m appreciated for both my honesty and intelligence.
I like having a variety in my blog posts. It’s better than being caught up in the “niche-focussed mentality” other (and big, popular) bloggers seem to shove down new bloggers’ throats. Oops, am I sounding a bit jaded?
I know you can’t please everyone all of the time, too. So I’m not gonna even try. But I’m trying to determine what YOU all want, and if what I’m doing is working for you… and everyone else out here.
Thanks for your input, Peter, and KEEP WRITING!
I’m English and moved to Southern France about 15 months ago with scanty French but an overwhelming feeling that finally I would put down roots. And I am. I have four daughters who at the end of this year will be 28, 25, 23 and 20. I have a dog who keeps me sane. My husband is a Harvard Professor and Director of Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics which means that we spend weeks at a time apart. The dog keeps me sane. When he is here, I have to adjust to being a wife. The dog keeps me sane. When my children visit I have to readjust to being an mother in the room rather than a mother in another. The dog keeps me sane. Prior to marrying my husband I had, because of so many things that I will write about when I have the courage, moved 25 times in 28 years. Prior to THAT I had the same home all through my childhood until I left it at 18. So the roots are important to me. My first book ‘Russians Love Their Children Too’ is published. To hold it was almost like holding my babies when they were born. An unbelievable joy and an out-of-body sensation that I could possibly have created it. It is not yet on Amazon and is only available in France but that will change in the next week or so. I don’t expect anyone to like it in the same way as I expect no-one to like me. Hello … nice to meet you!
Osyth, it’s good to meet you. So your dog keeps you sane, huh? 😉
Congratulations on your book publication!