It’s not the smartest thing to do, and the resulting effects are swift. I don’t have any friends with pools, so I launched my blog instead. I didn’t get exactly what I expected, but I came prepared, or so I thought.

I want to tell you what it’s like after only a few days. I’m telling you because I know that some of you are on the cusp of your own blog projects. I’m also telling you because this seems like the right place to put this observation. We’ve all got our own space that we work in online, and we each have our own digital friends, so results may vary, but I believe that what I’m writing may sound familiar to some. A few observations:

• I’m making new friends, but not too many have introduced themselves just yet.
• I haven’t heard as much from my old friends online.
• My offline friends don’t want to hear about my blog so much.
• “Real” friends, online and off, will support you.
• Writing still takes only minutes. Proofreading though, can take hours.
• This is harder, and more work than I anticipated.

The blog is launched, and I do feel great about it. It’s an odd feeling too right now, not one I can compare to anything else I’ve ever felt. It’s a big hill that I’ve set out to climb. It just looks like the first few steps are going to be a little lonely, that’s all.

If for you, starting a blog is a necessary thing, a vehicle that gets you to the next thing …you’re going to have to ignore the signs and go ahead and let it fly…and you have no choice but to tell people about it. If the echo of your own voice starts to get to you, call me, I’ll come make some noise with you!