4/2/11

B: Bloggers of the HoCo

B is for Bloggers. HoCo Bloggers, to be specific.


It took me a while to get into blogging. Sure, I had blogs before. The most successful was one that was defined by a short-term goal. More of a project then a blog. An internet journal, if you will.


When I started SwimWriteRun (originally MoWrites), I tried to set parameters like that because I thought that would help keep me blogging - a schedule, the decision to cover whatever theme I chose, etc.


What I didn't anticipate was the HoCo blogosphere.


Howard County's blogging community is both rich and active. There are more than 200 bloggers on board. Monthly get-togethers give bloggers an opportunity to meet face-to-face, adding an unusual amount of personal contact to blogging. I know it wasn't always that way, that the group was smaller. I'm not sure if it's grown because that core group was so awesome, or if it reflects a wider, more general trend in how people express themselves (or their causes/agendas/brands/passions) to the rest of the world.


I do know that the "blogosphere" has become part of why I like to blog. I like to know that people are reading my posts. (Hi!)  


More importantly, I like to read local/community blogs. I like the thoughtful social commentary, the quick and timely snippets of local politics, and the varied points of view offered by the community. I like seeing honest, intelligent, and even-keeled debate when bloggers do not agree. I like how bloggers support each other, whether by donating to someone's cause, linking to other blogs, or stepping up when an anonymous commenter is out of line (not that such a thing ever happens).


Most importantly, the bloggers of Howard County have helped me to see my community in a different light. It's as if there is a whole new side of a place I thought I knew. And I do think, since having found HoCoBlogs, I pay more attention to my community. 


Rock on, Bloggers of HoCo. You are super. So super you get your own letter.


B is for Bloggers in Howard County.





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This post is part of the A to Z Blogging Challenge. (hocoblogs@@@) Click on The Link for more info and other participating blogs!

11 comments:

  1. Good post, I hadnt heard of HoCo before now, so thanks for getting me onto something new. Look forward to more of your A to Z posts. :)

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  2. HoCo has great blogs. We are fans especially of those that give us local news and reviews of food :)
    And I, of course, lurk the writing blogs ...
    One Writer's Mind

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  3. B is for Bounty, much of which you've added to the hoco blog scene with your own style and voice.

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  4. Great post and nice that it links our local community to this larger challenge.

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  5. I've never been to a HoCo Blogging event, although I get the emails... Why can I put my life on the internet for the whole world to read but then I'm apprehensive about meeting people fact to face?

    Did you ever get up to Philly? I never sent you my recommendations.

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  6. As a newbie to Howard County blogging it has been a fascinating experience to connect with an amazing group of folks. Looking forward to meeting bloggers at this week's get together.

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  7. Amy, I do hope you'll come to one of the blogger parties. Many a blog-reader come too. http://elkridge-patch-blog-party.eventbrite.com/ If anything, I'd say more bloggers bite online more than they do in person ... :-)

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  8. That's great that you have a local group. I'll have to check and see if there's one near me.

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  9. When you start your posts off by number Mo, I want to be "53". See ya tomorrow!

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  10. Thanks for the comments guys! For those of you local, hope to see you tomorrow!

    @ Amy - actually, I do kind of understand that. It's a little odd meeting "strangers" who read my blog, because they know something about me (even if it's just that I blog) and I might know little about them. But it's also really cool to connect faces and names, and to meet the great people who visit and comment. :)

    @ MM - That might be the 99-posts blogfest (99 blogger posts on the wall, 99 blogger-posts. Take one down, pass it around... OMG that blogfest would take FOREVER). :D

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  11. @ Amy - Also, I haven't been up to Philly yet. Toward the end of May. :)

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