And now? 'Social Media Presence' another elective?

Yes, I will make a blogpost, detailing how I begun this blog. How we can open a new blog. Write in it, continue.

Not today.

Today I am happy, I had my blog evaluated, I delivered also the speech about my blog evaluated. Completed that elective project.

At level 4 there is only 1 required and one elective, chosen between many possible offers. I have chosen "Create a compelling Blog", but there are at least three interesting ones I did open and read too:

1. Social Media presence. I have a very active: describe.
2. Question and Answers, an interesting project too.
3. Conduct an online meeting. I did for more then 2 years now, planning it as VPE, as TMoM a few times, organiser.

I am not aware if it counts or not, but it really does not matter, as they are interesting and I am not in hurry to finish my level 4 before July. So, I will try all three. One after the other.

The required project of level 4 of Visionary Communication is a lot more difficult: Communicate Change. Convince, entice, explain. That speech is programmed for me to the 22th June meeting, at Witty Storytellers Online, as VP Education I will explain to the members of my online club the changes I propose to them for the year to come. I know well all to whom I address it.

Not evident, but a lot more easy then explaining the Pathways to Toastmasters who resent it.

Why should we change? Why should you repeat a speech? Why?
That will be a post yet for another day.

What IS a blog?

A few weeks ago, I was frustrated: could not get farther then Level 1 of Pathways.

I begun Pathways toward 25 March eager to discover more about it. As Pathways Ambassador I heard a bit, but did not experience it. So happy to be able, now that I was member of a club in the Pilot District 27! Retired, D.T.M. and almost 83 now, I have a lot of time, and I wanted to discover something new.


While waiting to get farther and read what is in level 2, I discovered that at level 4 I will be able elect "Creating a blog: write 8 posts at least in a month". Why wait?

Write about what? 

Of course, about my Pathways Experience as I go, a personal diary focused on the new educational program I was discovering and enjoying; sometimes frustrated, too.

By 1st of June, I had begun to have regular readers who enjoyed what I was writing while progressing.

But what IS a "BLOG" ? 
An easy platform, ready with frames and themes: you "just" have to write in order to publish. About yourself, about a subject, about what you like.

I wanted to publish my diaries, a bit more then 20 years ago, it was not easy to create a Web-site! I discovered BLOGGER at age 70 (now from Google). At the beginning, you had to add HTML even to get a bold! Later, you could use it just as Word or any other word processing application. With time, I could even add images from my own computer. Before, as with Videos now, you have first to upload them to a site. Flickr for Photos, Box for sound, YouTube for Videos. From there, you can add to your blog-post.

Blogging day by day for 10 years: Is there a life after 70? (in French) I learned how to retain readers:

1. Blog regularly. Day by day is the best. Same hour even better.
2. Post varied: open up and speak of your problems, but do not be gloom all the time. Do not boast - often either. Deeper you open up, more can identify with you. Think of it as an ongoing story.
3. Add pictures (and video and sound) makes reading more interesting. Short paragraphs best.

After 3 years of not posting any more day by day, in this blog, with huge pleasure I do it again.

"Blogger does not give stats" - that you could read in yesterdays blog is no more true.

Blogger is free, and free also (through Google who did buy it) to create many blogs.
I was able to chose a "frame" that is flexible to new devices, so could concentrate on writing.

Yesterday, I also shared my blogpost in different groups on Facebook (not yet on Linkedin) and the result were more 300 come to read it in one day! A lot more then before, a lot more then expected. Here are the stats telling me from where they come. What a diversity! This one is for the day from 12 to 13.

I have asked a Toastmaster pal from New Zealand to write a feedback I needed, Geni does love my blog and did complete the official Evaluation form. Today, will speak about it for 3 minutes allowed in my Arlington club and get a feedback from it too. Speak shortly. But for very long from now on, I hope to continue to post day by day, and have more and more of you to comment.

Let me know what you think of a post.
What would you know?
What may I improve?

Dear readers: here it is about YOU

Want to know from where you come to visit and read this blog? 

On my Macintosh, I could see "2300" total visits : wonderful! I just discovered that Blogspot, Google Analytics, gives me a lot more information!

Here are last week from where I got readers, "pageviews" by countries.

All over Australia and United states (light green), with a dark green from where more come. It seems to me towards where Pathways is already on pilot, around Virginia and California. A lot of interest and visitors also from UK and Ireland. I count them together even if we are now D 91 and D 71.

I do know many of my Canadian, Malaysia and Germany visitors, but Thailand was a pleasant surprise, as was Belgium and Australia. 

And here is how different pages views are seen by day, week or month as I chose. 

And yet another view by posts looked at commented to most, last week.

This one from last stats shows what where the last weeks more read posts. 

It will help me to write perhaps similar one's or remember different ways I showed them to get more interest. Some perhaps because of title? Or the front image?

Then it can be discovered even what kind of browser was used and what device! 

At least 1/3 is Macintosh with Safari, but surprise! 38 mobile devices: my flexible blog setting accommodates them too. Even the iPads or iPhones as well divers Android devices. I am happy to have chosen Blogspot and this Theme that works as well all the way from big screen to small mobile phones.

It does not exactly shows the same way, adopting. On my iPhone, I can read the note, the main note and do not see the side board, so perhaps less easy to navigate to read in disorder the title that attracts you. But all devices and navigators can be used, that is the most important.

A great pleasure to have readers, followers!

Welcome all!

Soon I hope you will be coming back again and again, from so many places and through so many devices! Yes, I am very happy I have chosen Blogspot as blogging platform, and from it this flexible way to show posts depending on the size of your device.