Op Ed Sunday

It's Sunday and the first day of September. Well, not as I write this but as you read it. I have decided that 60 to 70 hours a week is enough and taking a day off is called for. I have friends who concur. Well, actually they concurred for a long time. I am the one that is just coming around.

I'm not sure if I will have some chatty bit of wisdom or opinion each week, but I will try to schedule a post so that The Blog isn't empty for a day. I have some readers who go into panic when there isn't something new up  *wink*.

Coming up on 3200 posts I am pleased that five hundred page views a day is no longer an event that calls for breaking out the champagne; it is a normal occurrence. This may not be a big number, I don't compare statistics with folks. But when you consider that my page views encompass three posts instead of one and that many folks read my words (well, OK they look at the pretty pictures but that counts too) on the feeds and readers (do readers count into your stats? I know not), I figure that there may have been a million views over time (Blogger seems to point to that anyway). So thanks to all of you who have stuck around over the years.

Don't worry, my head won't get terribly inflated and I won't be taking on any ads (oh no, hate ads). Before I went virtual I had a website that constantly had 1,000 visitors a day. I am not big on fame really. Too many strings attached ----

Did you catch that segue?   No? Here it is again "too many strings attached". And that is the actual theme of my musings this Thursday eve.

There have been a fair amount of new blogger opportunities this last week or so. Some posted, some passed along, they all seem to have something in common  -- and that is STRINGS. I made a comment in a blogger group chat the other day and I want to reiterate it here. Seasoned bloggers know this; time and experience are good teachers -----

READ THE FINE PRINT!

I can't stress that enough. You of course get to decide what works for you, but when a venue, hunt or merchant requires the "official bloggers" to blog every item? Hear those alarm bells ringing?

What if the item doesn't fit? What if it simply looks really bad on you? What if you find flaws and don't want to recommend it to your readers? Well you get the picture. As I have said before (and had that echoed back to me from other bloggers this week) we all make mistakes. We pick venues we think will be good to find they are not. It's not a big deal if you can make a post or two highlighting the positive points of the event. But when you have sold your blogger soul to be "official" -- it's not a pretty picture.

Then there is the "must put my store logo on your blog" rule -- so not going there. 

I have more to say but I think I will edit myself here. There is such a thing as a too wordy post :D.

Enjoy your day!

Outdoor seating area by {what next}.