Blogging for Mutes

Last Wednesday marked the one month anniversary of this blog. I'm not expecting a parade or anything ... though sparkly gifts are always graciously accepted. My address is: ... kidding. I am, however, a bit surprised. I'm a great one for starting new projects and let's just say that my will to sustain them is something less than remarkable. Some of you may remember my 5 minute stint in pastry school, or the 3 months I decided to have a wedding cake business, or the one month I considered getting an M.P.A. ... and the list goes on and on. What can I say, everything interests me - but not for long. I've never been the sort of person who keeps a journal, so the fact that I've written consistently for a month is sort of a wonder to me. Dieting aside, its been a great exercise in technology learning and the regular practice of putting thoughts into words has been an unexpected pleasure. I see no reason to stop.

Apart from the personal milestone, the one month mark is also significant in that I can now begin to apply for inclusion in various search engines and blogrolls and that's pretty neat. I'm about to hit the big time! Or not. Stay tuned.

And yet, the big time was never really the point. I began this with a will to share some recipes and my (hopefully) humorous look at dieting and my life in general. Based on the positive response I've received from so many of you, I think I'm achieving my goals here. I have only one question ... am I blogging for mutes?

Um, ... the thing is ... I kinda, sorta hoped the comments section would be a little more lively. Have you all lost your fingers in some tragic Slinky accident? Are you too busy playing Cat's Cradle? Or have aliens abducted your keyboard? Got your thumbs stuck in one of those ghastly Chinese finger traps? Are you wearing mittens? (If so, may I suggest fingerless gloves?) Do I need to do another poll?

Obviously I'm kidding in the above paragraph. This is my way of asking you to be less shy. One of the things that makes the blog medium so great is the possibility for give and take. A lively comment section is part of what makes a good blog ... well, good for lack of a snappier term. Take a look at Project Rungay, one of my favorite blogs ever, for example. Click on the "comments" button after any of the posts and you will find content as funny and interesting as the blog itself. Its a hoot! Now, Rungay fans are devoted to be sure, and I'm not expecting that level of commitment from anyone here ... but throw me a bone people. Let me know you're out there!

I've mentioned this to some friends recently, when asked about Beach Eats, and a few of them have offered that they don't know how to post a comment. Shocked as I was by this suggestion, it dawned on me that now might be a good time to give some instructions.

At the bottom of each posts there is a line of text that says: "Posted by The Diva on a Diet at ___PM 0 comments", or something to that effect. Click the word "comments" and you will be taken to a new screen. On the right of this screen there will be a box under the heading: "Leave Your Comment." Type your comment into the box, type the verification word, and then hit "Publish Your Comment." I've adjusted the setting so that you do not have to be a Blogger member to post, you can post anonymously and, if you wish, leave your name at the bottom of your comment. That's all there is to it.

In closing, I want to thank all of you who've reached out to me via email, or phone, or in person to compliment me on the blog. I genuinely appreciate it. I'm thrilled to see the traffic increasing and even more thrilled when I see that there are repeat visitors. Your support is truly gratifying. Thanks to those who have commented and to all who are reading. If I can keep it going for another month I really might call for a parade!