So - Darren Rowse @ ProBlogger is running this little free online study group of sorts about tips on improving your blog. Each day has a specific topic with his tips and links to helpful information. I've come across other similar postings but they involved me remembering to go read the posts each week which never happened. Darren's project promised to send us daily e-mails which I figured would be difficult to avoid so I signed us up.
Well, the first day of class was yesterday so I was all excited to learn when I opened our first Darren e-mail. But I didn't realize he was going to dole out homework assignments every freakin' day! Ugh. I suppose learning is most effective when it is applied in your life so I have decided to humor Darren and play along.
Unfortunately for me, his first assignment is one of my least favorite things in the world. Mission Statements. Oh sure - he cleverly tried to disguise this by calling it an "Elevator Pitch" - but he's not fooling me.
When I graduated from college and went looking for a teaching job I was told that as part of the interview process I would need to create my Mission Statement. This seemed pretty obvious to me - my mission was to get a job that paid me money to educate children. Apparently that is not exactly what they meant by a Mission Statement. And since I wasn't very good at coming up with one it probably explains why I never got hired. Yet here I am, 20 years later, being asked by Darren to provide a Mission Statement for our blog. Well Darren, here's our stinkin' Mission Statement - I mean "Elevator Pitch." I hope it's worth it.
"CLUMSY THOUGHTS FROM CLUMSY PEOPLE" ~ This is our tagline and the short version of our Elevator Pitch. Here is what we are trying to convey, in more detail:
Our blog is here as an extension of our home. It was created to allow us the opportunity to introduce ourselves to you, share the things about our life that we enjoy, and learn new things from you. It is a place for you to come by when you need a laugh, want to participate in something fun and challenging, and explore our part of the world. We aim to offer a little of a lot of things to whomever may stop by, rather than focusing on one item of interest since we welcome all walks of life and encourage as many visitors as possible.
Not all blogs are professional, but all have a purpose. It is OK to bumble your way through life sometimes until you figure out what that purpose is. We like to share our world with you so that you will in turn teach us a little something about yours. Molly may not have gotten that teaching job, but she is always interested in education - sharing information and learning from others. So in our own way, we are bumbling along with this blog to try and do just that. Welcome - and share something new with us each time you stop by. And don't worry - we won't ask you for a Mission Statement.
9 comments:
I've often been told I need a Mission Statement. Well, at 54 I'm still working on it :-)
I think finding a good Mission Statement is like determining the meaning of life. I'm not sure if I could do it, even if I tried really hard. Congrats to you...I like yours, and seems to be pretty accurate based on what I've seen over the past few months!
I hate mission statements. I keep thinking they should be right up my alley since I like goals, which often hinge on mission statements, but I still suck at them.
Thank you. I'll keep reading your blog because you won't make me write one. I'm so tired of book blogger stuff telling me how to make my blog more professional, get more ARCs, track every possible statistic and increase the numbers. Pffft! My two blogs are for fun and relaxation. I get enough of that other nonsense at work.
Your blog is fun and entertainng. Keep on doin' what you're doin'
Thanks for sharing your homework assignment :) I enjoy your blog. Maybe one of these days I'll participate in your movies meme.
Myrtle Beach thanks you for your posts.
Personally, I love your tagline! I remember it and it amuses me -- pretty much all you can want in a tagline! And it does seem a wee bit silly to have a mission statement for a personal blog ... I guess mine is "writing about anything I think about ... and trying to make people laugh."
Actually, your serious attempt is pretty good. : )
Good elevator pitch which sums your site up pretty well. Have to say I wouldn't have a clue how to pitch mine, and would worry about such a pitch restricting content or possibly pigeonholing the blog.
I like your elevator pitch! I have been half a$$edly doing darren's 31 days, and I am quite please with my elevator pitch. It's really short:
"Do you have 2.3 children, a corporate job, walk in closets and a white picket fence?
I don’t!
Come see how the other half lives at Thorne’s World, where a pair of lesbians are eking out a sustainable lifestyle on 40 acres of desert scrub.
We rescue parrots, assorted critters, and save garbage from the landfills. We precycle, recycle and upcycle; creating art from junk and treasure from trash.
Follow along on the journey of a witch and a butch in love, building a roadside attraction and spiritual retreat off the grid!"
What do you think, Bumbles? Is it Thornesworld in a nutshell?
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