I’ve noticed that when I post a link to Twitter or Facebook for a given blog entry, my readership spikes over the next several hours into the following day. Fancy that – social networking works! 😉 After that initial upswing, however, it dips back down. I don’t want to flood my Twitter feed or Facebook wall with blog links, so I tend to just post links that I think would appeal to my “friends” and “followers” en masse. My rationale is that if people want to read my blog, then they’ll bookmark it or subscribe via RSS or email.

Not that I mind writing for a small audience (or even no audience, seeing as I kept a private journal for years), but I’ve been thinking about some of my favorite blogs and what makes me continue going back to them. In turn, what would make people want to continue coming here to read what lil’ ol’ me has to say?

My favorite blogs are the ones that have a similar style to each post—the author has created a brand, so to speak, and it is consistent. They also tend to have routine themes, like certain days for poetry (I look forward to Haiku Fridays at Osler’s Razor) or give-aways (Hello, Free Earring Fridays at Lisa Leonard Online!). Since I began writing the weekly devotionals and daily prayer prompts for my church, though, I have slacked off on writing much else. Grad school assignments and five boys under my roof certainly also have an impact on my free time for writing/blogging, but mostly I just haven’t put a lot of thought into it. (At least I’m honest, eh?)

So, following is my attempt at organizing my blog a little better. I don’t want to commit to something that I won’t be able to maintain, so I’m going to pick three theme days for the time being. I figured I would start with three of the categories that I’ve written about a lot, already: Prose & Poetry, Scholarly Stuff and Food & Health. I will fill in the other days, as time permits, with the sort of random drivel you are used to reading here, like silly Monkey Boy business. :p

• Monday Musings: My favorite poems are haikus and nonets. What are your favorite styles of poetry? We’ll share a few here.
• Writing Wednesday: It might be a novel, public policy textbook or my own work-in-progress, but I’ll share a tidbit about what I’m currently reading &/or writing.
• Foodie Friday: People often ask me about how (and why) I eat low-carb, so I will share recipes and ideas here.

There you have it … I’m looking forward to the new format and hope you’ll enjoy it, too!