Lucky Number 72

(Warning – long wordy post – grab a cup of tea (or something stronger) and read on…)

Congratulations #72, Rachael from Blue Mountain Daisy. I had chosen a few items to include with the quilt, but since I follow Rachael’s Blog I decided to customize the “extra” goodies to her taste. Also, the fact that it is now going to Australia makes me re-think the size of the box! DO check out Rachael's Blog (here) it is so much fun!

I want to thank each and every one of you for taking the time to comment on my pressing questions. There were some very thought provoking answers and I have to say I learned a great deal about how other quilters handle their Internet time.

First, I must say that I realize that the answers were skewed by the fact that I asked these questions on a Blog, so of course you all read Blogs! I think it would be interesting if I asked these same questions on Facebook (but then I’m not sure I could find them again!).

Here is the lowdown in a nut shell:

29 of you are Bloggers only. Included in that number are those of you who don’t have a Blog, but read them on a regular basis. 

32 prefer Blogs but are also on Facebook, and

20 of you forward thinking 21^st century quilters, utilize many of the Internet’s social network sites.

Gladi of Gladi’s Quilts cannot post a comment on my Blog (above my technical ability grade, but probably has something to do with Blogspot vs what she uses). I have included it here as I think it really says what most us feel.

Wendy at the blog “The Constant Quilter”  (an excellent blog – check it out if you aren’t already a reader!) asked her readers about their use of social media.  She expressed some concern that a lot of bloggers may be quitting or considering quitting blogging and moving to other ways to share such as Facebook, instagram, etc.  Technically I don’t have the means to directly respond on her blog, so thought I’d respond here.

I can hardly believe that I’ve been blogging for almost 5 years.  When I started I wasn’t sure I would last more than a few weeks, but I learned that I enjoy taking the time to write about what I’m doing and I enjoy being part of the quilt blogging community.  I’ve met some great people!!  I very much enjoy reading other blogs and start every day with about an hour of blog reading while I quietly enjoy my morning coffee.  I enjoy seeing the projects and hearing the stories about the projects.   I do not have a Facebook account, but my husband has one (on which he rarely posts) so that we can stay connected with a very few people we really care about, but otherwise much of what is there is a waste of time.  I rarely look at Facebook and I do not do instagram or twitter.  I have a Pinterest site so I can save ideas for inspiration, but I usually only look at it for a few minutes before bedtime when I’m too tired to read.  Time is precious and we need to be mindful of how we are spending it and making sure we don’t just fritter it away.  A lot of social media lends itself to “frittering.”  I’m lucky I’m not drawn to it.

I read through Wendy’s responses and am happy to say that a lot of her responders agree with me, i.e. that we like blogs because of the depth of the information and the stories.  We hope bloggers keep going!

There are many good aspects to all the different social media. Many prefer Instagram for posting pictures. Most say that they are on Facebook only to catch up with family members or specific groups that they belong to. I have to admit to being one of these myself. It is the only way I can keep up with the younger members of my family who live far away. And, there are some wonderful groups that are specific to my interests, ie. hand applique, hand quilting and of course antique quilts.

Many of you commented that (like me) you enjoy the slower pace and more informative content that a Blog offers. I also like to use mine as a personal journal that I can refer back to from time to time. I use “Blog to Print” and print out my entire Blog at the end of every year. It is not inexpensive, but it is nice to have a printed copy to refer to rather than scrolling through months of posts.

It seems that whatever our preferences, the majority of us make a concerted effort to limit our Internet time in favor of more time in the sewing room!

Thanks again for all the feedback and “Keep on Blogging”! (And Quilting!)