She Just Walks Around With It- Kristy Sammis

Once, on a very romantic date in a tiny bistro, I accidentally leaned forward too far and smooshed my boobs into my mashed potatoes. I am not kidding. And because I am not kidding, these are the sorts of things I write about. I’m a single-ish 30-something woman living in San Francisco. I am divorced and I have two cats and a BLOG, plus sometimes I knit so how sexy am I? WAY.

Blogging is my hobby, because no one has offered to pay me a million dollars to write it. Yet. I am holding my breath, though. And while no one has offered me a million dollars to “work” either, I do have a job.

I actually work for BlogHer — the online community for women, which has upwards of 14,000 members (check it: www.blogher.org) — managing their awesome blogging conferences all over the country. In fact, last July, we held the world’s largest blogging conference in Chicago. The last few months were (thus) pretty insanely busy for me, and detracted from my personal blogging. I hate when life intervenes. Blogging is totally more fun.

I started blogging initially about my weight-loss efforts and weight-related issues, because, as one of those women people, I seem to have a few of them. HOO BOY.

But I discovered after just a few weeks that having a “theme” or “purpose” was way too limiting. So I started writing about my life in general. It’s easier, there’s more material, and it’s more honest. Plus it allows the weight-related issues to be put into context.

I mostly write humorous stuff, but have discovered I’ve had the greatest readership and response when I’ve veered toward the serious, such as when I wrote about my divorce.

I started this blog in January of 2005.

I spiked somewhere between 1K and 2K uniques a day. But that was like, a hundred years ago. Now it ebbs and flows with the frequency of my entries. Also, I used to get mean commenters, and then there would be “Comment Wars” and that was pretty crazy. That’s all died down, though.

I JUST joined BlogHerAds this month (9/07), and have zero idea of what, if any, sort of income this may generate, but I’ve heard good things. So we’ll see.

Well I for one would certainly like to read more of my stuff. My family also seems to enjoy it, and/or prefer it to having to actually call and speak to me. “She posted today. Guess she’s still alive.” Otherwise, I suspect I appeal to the sorts of people who are like me: I trip and fall and spill. A LOT. I’m chubby and trying to lose weight pretty much all the time. I’m very sarcastic. I use literary references. I drink. I think Arrested Development was the best show on television. Plus, um, other stuff.

This changes regularly. In a good, “on” period, I may take all day to write a blog post — hacking away at it in spare moments until I’m happy with it. I find that adding photos or drawings takes forever, in which case those entries take days. Sadly, in busier times, I post maybe twice a week. And a piece of my soul dies.

Think of all you’d be missing if you didn’t! My life, it’s a non-stop party.

I’m not entirely sure that I’m the poster girl for blog success (”Hey OJ, what advice do you have for other former sports heroes who are trying to stage a “sting operation?”), but I can say with surety that three things help a lot. 1. Write in a style that feels comfortable. Writing is no fun (for you or the reader) if it’s forced. 2. Post regularly. If you can’t write every day, stick to something of a schedule. Readers love fresh content. 3. Marry Heather Armstrong.

This blog can be visited at http://shewalks.blogspot.com