3 Nov 2008

FUN MONDAY - Why do I blog ?



More participants here


Our host this week is Bee Dancer and her assignment :

I'd really like to know WHY you blog. Tell me how you got started or why you got started and why you keep it up. Plus there's a photo requirement: Post a picture of the one person/place/thing that most symbolizes the town or area where you live.


I didn't start blogging. I just fell into it. In 2006 coming back from Egypt I was looking for documentation about Egyptian cats. Mr. Gattino told me to look in Internet.

Now I and a computer were two very different things. I just used it as a typewriter and from time to time I managed to send an email. Otherwise I didn't know anything about this thing standing in Mr. Gattino's room since 1994 !

Since he started working at Analyst and programmer in 1972 I was allergic against computers. He spoke about programs, back ups and I don't know what all the time with his collegues and friends and I sat there like an idiot. I refused to learn anything, I was allergic !

After he had explained to me how Internet worked I suddenly became addicted ! I found my Egyptian cats, then cat forums and suddenly a cat blog ! I never had heard about a blog and nobody around me either.

As I started to love to fumble around on the computer, I created one in Yahoo (must still be there) and was quite proud of my result. But then ? I wrote and published pictures, and nobody read me. I don't know how but in June 2006 I suddenly discovered Blogger. I subscribed. I didn't know anything about htmls or links or whatever, feed and atoms and such stuff was chinese to me. But I subscribed. I subscribed to everything I could without knowing to what I subscribed. I subscribed to Feedblitz,Technorati, blogflux, blog linker etc. I inspired myself from other blogs and meanwhile visitors started to come. Slowly slowly, but it worked. Now when I want to subscribe to something to my big surprise I am already member !

As I am retired and have nothing special to do anymore blogging became my hobby. I started with photography and I learn a little about htmls. I learned how to change a background and how to make headers. I love it and I still learn a lot. It allows me to make friends all around the world and to see how people live in other countries or continents.

Around me only some friends of my son know what a blog is. In my generation only very, very few do ! and I gave up to explain. It's useless !

I live in Waterloo the famous town where Napoleon lost his battle and which was taken as a song by Abba. Waterloo is situated only 15 km (9 miles) from Brussels the capital of Belgium. Most of the people living in Waterloo are working in Brussels.



The Lion Hill of Waterloo



The Atomium of Brussels

10 comments:

  1. It's interesting to hear how people started blogging and why they/we keep it up!! glad you found motivation to blog and that we met that way.

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  2. I and Bud were just talking about you the other morning....and Waterloo, and Napoleon. LOL....were your ears ringing?

    I'm glad you took your allergies of computers and such to actually begin blogging!!! You're a blogland prize Gatttina.

    My Fun Monday is shared tho I seem to have been overlooked on the list of participants. So, come on by if you can find time today, I'd love to have you visit with me.

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  3. I can relate to how friends your age never heard of a blog, my friends also had the same reaction. After seeing mine, they now think I'm some kind of genius! lol, I didn't tell them how easy it is to start a blog of their own. Love to see pictures of different countries, its a big world out there. keep on Blogging, its good for the soul.

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  4. I love that last shot of yours! Great job! I am glad that you blog...I look forward to hearing your point of view every Monday!

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  5. Thank you for sharing...I wish I could figure out some of that techie stuff...I still don't know how to do backgrounds or headers and I'm kind of nervous about messing around with the template code

    I love your photos...They're the perfect contrast between old and new

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  6. Gattina you are very much like me in that blogging was a retirement hobby! I've always enjoyed seeing your lovely photos :)

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  7. Cool photos! Is that second one a building?

    I guess you weren't allergic after all!

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  8. And a great blogging job you do too!

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  9. Isn't it the best to be in contact from people all over the world? For instance, I had no idea that you lived in Waterloo - or that Waterloo was near Brussels! See, you learn something every day! Thank you for sharing - great post!

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  10. Gattina, I agree with your desire to keep up with technology. Just because we're retired doesn't mean that we have to communicate by scratching on a rock! Experimenting with blogs is an easy way to keep up with technology. I'll bet you and your husband now have some interesting conversations about computers and the internet.

    What is the story behind the Lion Hill? I recently saw the Lion Monument in Innsbruck, Austria. The agony and sorrow depicted in the sculpture broke my heart.

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