Tuesday, May 3, 2016

Between the Boards - Bloggers Over 50




Many thanks to Katerine from Katherine's Corner blog for coming up with this series.  I didn't grow up with the Internet, like kids do today.  But I've been on it since the days of 286 processing speed and amber or green colored text on a black background.  No pictures.  No videos.  No Facebook time suck.

On the other hand, the Internet is responsible for me being where I am today.  I met my husband online during the Internet Stone Age in an RPG (role-playing game).  My character was a vampire and his was a shaman.  That was in 1993.  We met face to face for the first time in March of 1995.  And six days from now we will have our 19th anniversary.  And we have three children, all of whom know more about computers than I do.

If you notice #3 above, that's me! :O)  You can click on the "Between the Lines" banner above and go to Katherine's Corner to see a little bit about each of the bloggers behind the blogs listed above.

When I was little, I used to think about what age I would be in the year 2000...it was 38 for most of the year.  That sounded so old!

Then, my father passed away when he was 47, during my senior year in high school.  As I neared the age of 47, I thought a lot about the 'rest of my life', however long that might be.  Now, I've been on the Earth seven years longer than my father.  He would be 85 this year, if he had lived.

Back Porchervations started out as a 'mommy blog' in July of 2007.  I did not post with any kind of regularity.  Sometimes the gaps were months at a time.

But then, at the end of 2013 (cue the movie music), I 'discovered' reading challenges.  Now, I hadn't read for pure pleasure for y.e.a.r.s.  Most everything I read was either for a class at college, a job, or for one of the kids.  I joined way too many reading challenges for my own sanity, and in 2014 I was off to the races.

Secondly, I discovered that sometimes, authors offered one of their books free or low-cost on Amazon and other online retail booksellers.

Last, but so very very far from least, there were things called 'virtual book tours', where you could sign up to review books on your blog and get a copy of the book to read.  I've gotten so many print books, my husband had to build more bookshelves for me!  And e-books?  Oy!  I'm surprised my Kindle hasn't had a stroke, and that's all I'm going to say about that!

Then there are sites like "NetGalley" and "Edelweiss" that offer books in exchange for reviews.  Sometimes they are just available for the asking, and other times you have to wait to be approved.

Recently, I've begun looking at ways to 'monetize' my blog, joining some affiliate programs and the like.  I'm probably average at Social Media, but you can find me on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Bloglovin', GoodReads, Instagram, Tumblr and probably a few others that escape me at the moment.  The one thing that truly mystifies me about blogging and websites is SEO.

So, tell me a little about you!

25 comments:

  1. Nice to meet you through "Between the Lines"

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  2. Hi LuAnn, it is so nice to meet you through 'Between the Lines,' and what a small world. I was one of AJ's wHooligans too! I did not do well with the A-Z challenge this year. I finished, by a thread but still owe so many comments. It was my 4th year and my month became overwhelmingly busy (in a good way) and my lesson was to be more prepared.
    As an author, I really appreciate book bloggers and if you are interested in reading mine let me know.

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    1. I feel your A to Z pain, my wHooligan sister! I got all the posts in, but didn't do nearly the visiting and commenting that I felt I should. As for the book, sure! Sign me up! :O)

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  3. Hello LuAnn, nice to meet you! I'm your newest follower on all your social media platforms. Looking forward to getting to know you.
    Marie, The Interior Frugalista
    P.S. I'm trying to find your Instagram button so I can follow you there too?

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    1. Hey Marie, thanks for visiting the Back Porch! :O) Followed back everywhere I could find. :O) I just followed you on Instagram, so maybe you can backtrack through that?

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  4. I'm over 50, too, LuAnn (actually, over 60) and remember embracing computers when we were still inputting DOS commands. Nice to meet you!

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    1. Goodness yes, Debbie, those were the days, huh? *lol* All of a sudden I'm reminded of the scene in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, when Scotty accesses a Mac computer in the year well, sometime in the 80's. His comment? "A keyboard? How quaint!" ROFL

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  5. Wow, you have a lot going on here. I'm Michelle from Katherine's Corner series. It is very nice to meet you. I'll be back to scope out the rest of your blog. I see you like to read - we can become very good friends then.

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    1. Great, Michelle! What genre do you like best? I've got a real thing for 'cozy mysteries'!

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  6. Nice to meet you, LuAnn. Looks like we share a love of reading! I'll be stopping by your blog again!

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  7. Hi LuAnn,
    Stopping by to say "hi" from the Between the Lines Blog Series.
    I have participated in many recipe challenges, not never any reading challenges...I'll have to look into that. My mom was 47 years old when she passed, I was a sophomore in high school and I too remember reaching that age and thinking how young she was....
    It's nice to meet you,
    Lynn @ Turnips 2 Tangerines

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    1. Welcome Lynn! I can see why you do recipe challenges. I'm having to stop myself from starting to make those buenelos right now! *YUM* Sorry to hear about your mother. Now that I'm older than that, 47 seems even more of a young age to pass.

      And as for reading challenges? There are monthly, yearly, and perpetual challenges. Many have 'levels' that only require 1 book or a couple. Easy peasy. If I can help in any way, just let me know.

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  8. Hi LuAnn, I'm Devon from http://livingthelifeyouchoos.blogspot.com and a fellow Between the lines blogger. I have never seen a double sidebar! That means you have been blogging for a while and lots of info to share. I'll stop back by to check out the posts.

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    1. Welcome to the Back Porch, Devon! I used to have a left sidebar, then the post column, and another sidebar on the right. But I read something that it was good to have your posts first thing on the left, because that is why the person came to your blog.

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  9. Hi LuAnn, I saw your feature on the Between The Lines series. It's so nice to meet fellow 50+ bloggers! I see you love to read as much as I do ... I'm looking forward to meeting you! Carla a.k.a Mrs. R

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    1. What are your favorite books, Carol? It's good to meet you two! Us bloggers 'of a certain age' have to stick together!

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  10. LuAnn it is such a pleasure to have your participating in the series. This was a lovely post happy anniversary my friend. Hugs!

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    1. Thanks for creating the series! What a wonderful idea, Katie, to celebrate who have a few years on the Internet! Thanks for your kind words, too! *hugs*

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  11. Hi LuAnn. I love to read too, so much I've had to buy a higher strength in reading glasses. I love being involved in challenge groups too. Happy 19th anniversary. Thanks for commenting on my Fun Chili Cook blog during this between the lines series,

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    1. I should probably get a pair of those too, Annette. I can usually see better close up than far away, but if the print is small, I have to hold the book farther away to see the print!

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  12. Hi LuAnn! I am such an avid reader, especially with historical novels. I was recently contacted by one of my favorite authors and was asked to be one of her first readers for a book that was just about to be published. There were a few others and it was truly an honor, as well as awesome. I'll be featured next month in the Between The Lines series. BTW, I've followed you on all the social media that I'm on; and FIY, I'm still have so much to learn in regards to SEO and so many other things along the same line. Congratulations on 19 years!

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    1. Welcome to the Porch, Carol! Thanks for the anniversary well-wishes! Wonderful news about you being able to read an advanced copy of your author friend's book! Have you heard of the Historical Fiction Virtual Blog Tours site? They connect reader/reviewers of historical fiction with authors!

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  13. Hi LuAnn, My name is Teresa and I am so happy to meet a fellow "Between the Lines" over 50 blogger! My, how do you get so many books read! I'm impressed! Now that I know about your blog, I'll be checking out your book reviews!

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