Armchair BEA ~ developing as a blogger

This is the day we are supposed to talk about how we develop ourselves as bloggers.  Have you branched out into your community?  Do you partner with other bloggers?  Have you gone "pro" or begun supplementing your income through your blog?  Are you a long-term blogger, and how has your online personality developed over the years?  These are simply ideas.  Think development and tell us what comes to mind.

Sheila wrote:  "If you read this blog you probably have a pretty good idea of what I look like.  Why?  Because my picture is on the right sidebar and used as part of my morning meandering post.  Why do that?   By putting my face on the blog, people who read me feel as though they know me.  For me, I think it increases a comfort with the writer, a feeling you know them, and that is why I do it.  It also helps when you go to bookish events such as the expo [BEA in New York] for people to know you.  When people approach me, they know me by my face."  She also takes business cards, like the one above, when she goes to BEA.  I see her photo on it, but not her name.  Maybe it's on the back?

I've been blogging six and a half years, since January 2007.  I used that header above, showing Yella Cat reading a book, in 2008 when my blog was over-run with cats looking for treats.  I got my cat Kiki involved in reviewing some of the books, and I tried a variety of features like this one:  You may be a bookaholic...

... if you ever stayed up so late reading that you overslept the next morning and were late to work.

And I never finished writing this post.  Yep, maybe I read too late, overslept, and wasn't thinking.  Anyway, I had it set to post at 12:01 a.m.  One minute after midnight.  Only now have I discovered I never finished it and never clicked the Publish button.  Summary:  Over the years, I've tried a variety of things on this blog, but mostly I now write about what interests me day by day.  I don't worry about what you, my readers, think of me.  Maybe I could get a bigger following — why, exactly, DO you "follow" me, anyhow? — but I'm more interested in pleasing me and enjoying my blog.  When I'm too busy, I don't post anything.  When I have several things to say, I post more than once a day.  If you like the same things, I figure you'll read it.  If not, that's okay.  I'm still having fun.

Becoming a better blogger ~ bloggers are linking up on today's ArmchairBEA post.