My running journey provides metaphors for life. At that time of day when my neighbours court sleep and win an hour or two, the wind serves crisp air as I begin jogging. I contemplate my life’s compass until I land on lighter matters like the kinds of personal bloggers I’ve come across and how they resemble the runners who share the four-kilometre boulevard with me.
Hit and Runn-ers
These bloggers resemble that runner whose gear I like but couldn’t find at the mall. I wonder if Nike customised it for her, but swallow my Maggi-size envy before it burgeons. I swear that in a previous life, she was a rare gazelle. Hit and run bloggers excel at their craft, but they only tease us with their brilliance once in a long while, lighting our skies with their fireworks. Where will their gift take them? Some roads don’t take you anywhere and maybe, that’s okay because nowhere is a place where you can start again.
Aveng-ers
Their blogs exist to avenge their enemies. They remind me of the runner whose painful breathing heralds his presence. Punishing his thighs for a crime they did not commit, he nods and grunts as he overtakes me. One kilometre later, I find him sitting on a bench shouting, “Sh*t this, sh*t that, sh*t, sh*t, sh*t!” while tying his shoelaces. Determination and ugly are not synonyms. Avenger bloggers name names, places, times, and events, as they roast people on their spit over and over. They blog as frequently as they are offended.
Observ-ers
An about page and maybe one post make up the contents of their blogs. They hop from blog to blog reading, liking, and commenting. They are like the fishmongers who yell, “Kom op! Hup hup hup!” as I turn the bend, spent, and ready to head home. These perpetual encouragers put a smile on my face and help me gain a second wind. Observer bloggers cheer other bloggers all the way to the finish line.
Reblogg–ers
They are first cousins of Observ-er. An about page and maybe one blog post they actually wrote is the extent of their originality. They have found their niche just like that blond woman in her fifties who walks her three dogs every morning. She waves to every jogger and has the same kind word for those of us slow enough to hear, “Goede morgen! Succes!” Rummaging for content on blogosphere is a reblogg-er’s high. Redistributing wealth they do not possess is an elixir. Their blogs are exotic mosaics of content from essays on Marilyn Monroe to breaking news on CNN. Rebloggers would flatter other bloggers if only not every post on their blogs was a reblog.
Promis-ers
Promis-ers begin the year with the New Year resolution, I swear to blog consistently this year, so help me God! They bring to mind the fast and furious joggers who make the word high-speed redundant. In January, they published eighteen posts, serving essays, satires, how-tos, poems, and short stories. By February, they joined Mr fast and furious on the park bench gulping air and thinking, na who send me work? When Promis-ers woo us next New Year, we will embrace them, yet no one is deceived. Why work so hard to lose credibility?
Slow and Steady-ers
They are neither cheetahs nor tortoises, but pace themselves for longevity. They run like joggers whose even breathing ensure they complete six kilometres in just over an hour. Slow and steady-ers write posts that are boring, exciting, poor, average, or excellent, but their publishing schedule is predictable. They may not win the race, but they will live to run it another day because they understand their clock and resist the pressure to reset.
Because we’re doing life together, these patterns transcend blogging. So, you don’t have to tell me which category you fall in, tell me about other categories I missed.
©Timi Yeseibo 2014
Photo credit: Francois Peeters / Foter / Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic (CC BY-ND 2.0)
Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Timi Yeseibo and livelytwist.wordpress.com with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
livelytwist 
Steady-promisers garnished with hit and runners.
Another hybrid category of hybrids.
They promise to let others enjoy their work but they don’t. They just tease and let that work dangle in their head for self consumption.
They are steady in being inconsistent with serving the main course before the dessert.
Okay I have run out of words to describe these ones. But I shamefully know where I belong though, or maybe not.
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A hybrid within a hybrid, lol! 🙂
We tend to get out of blogging what we put in it. Recently I saw this quote:
If you don’t like where you are, move. You are not a tree. XD
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I missed this wonderful post! Love the metaphor. I’m probably a jumble of lst and last characteristics, minus brilliance. I just like to drop colourful autumn (’cause I’m not exactly very young) leaves of thoughts.
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I like your metaphor too, colourful autumn leaves of thought. I enjoy them, by the way.
A fusion of hit and runn-er and slow and steady-er; Jean, you’re wonderful, through and through! 🙂
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Haha. The time I finally get to reading this post is just wonderful (i think); it partially inspires me to get back to writing this new year and sharing what i write (they say it’s just as important; maybe not), and at the same time i realize that i may not be able to do all the things i want to do. bearing in mind my limitations i try to focus on one at a time and hope i don’t lose track of the rest. is there a category that sums all that up?
Happy New Year Timi !
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Lol! Seriously, you define your category. I guess you weigh your commitments, schedule, etc, and decide how much you want to put into blogging. Please, don’t be a Promis-er XD
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Lol. I guess it’s obvious where I belong. Don’t know about talent and skill and all,but I know that I’m hit-and-run. Right now in my life, I’m hit-and-run with most everything. Only one thing – or maybe two – draw consistently upon my energies.
Hello, Timi. It’s ages and I’m sorry for not keeping up. I’m not really back either. Just hitting and running right now. 😀
Sweet post. Will be back to catch up sometime this year, I’m sure. 😉
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Hey Mr Hit & Run, I hope your other projects are taking you in the direction you want to go. Feel free to drop by anytime. 🙂
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How on earth do you expect me to read this post and not fall in disobedience to the last paragraph. I’ll try sha….but you didn’t mention those who have different techniques, sometimes I post biographies,poems and articles I’ve read and found interesting and yes, I did Marilyn Monroe…lol. I used to have a picture of her in one of my primary school books(I wonder how publishers ever thought of putting a sex-symbol on a primary school book) but recently I decided to just do my own stuff slow n steady.
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Hi Tobi, those who share different articles they’ve read, may be close to rebloggers if they do it frequently! 🙂 The more I meet bloggers, the more I realize that bloggers have different blogging goals. Slow and steady works for me as well 🙂
@Marilyn Monroe, that’s funny. But what was the context?
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I am always happy to read your posts, Timi! Sometimes everyone doesn’t connect, but to keep on trying to check in, that is really a great way to have and keep readers (and friends.) In life, though, sometimes we get busy… I liked how you mentioned some people tend to do it for the glory of it. I follow someone who was bragging about 4000 followers! I cannot imagine how busy that person’s life is, to be able to stay in touch with all of those followers!
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Haha, they probably don’t keep up with all 4000 followers, and maybe many of the followers aren’t bloggers. People blog for so many different reasons. Like you, I think it can be a great way to connect with other like-minded people.
Thank you Robin. It feels good to know you’re happy to read my posts!
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You forgot the hybrids like me (Hit n Runn-ers/ Slow n Steady-ers) 😂😂😂
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Lol, AWOL, are you back? But I understand your circumstances 😉 How have you been?
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I’m back ehn but I haven’t offloaded my luggage from the car 😂😂😂. Ive been good, #backToSchool runs
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Welcome!
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I may end up answering you request indirectly in my posts on blogging – whenever I have time to caTch my BrEaTh and get to them. =) Neat metaphor, fun descrptx, T.
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Looking forward to your posts. Join me on the park bench, we can catch our breaths together 😉 Thanks Diana!
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Looks like all bloggers categories have been covered, getting the pinch here… Blunt Timi! This post is a motivator for bloggers in whatever category that they find themselves.
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Did I pinch you? Ouch! Sorry. 🙂
We blog for different reasons. Sometimes it’s good to review why we do what we do, and if we’re still on track 😉 Thanks for being here.
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Great Post!
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There are those who skip down the road, writing light, funny blogs that make you laugh out loud or at least chuckle. Then their are the leapers– those who soar along visiting fascinating worlds/ideas and taking you along with them. Thanks for your creative thinking,Timi. It made me think about the bloggers I follow. I picture myself more like the turtle of hare and turtle fame, strolling along and enjoying the scenery but still getting there, eventually, maybe. 🙂 –Curt
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It’s not always practical to fit people in one box, as they could be spread across several. Some of those light, funny, daily blogs, help take the stress out of my day. I like taking leaps, anything that stretches my thinking, presented in easy-to-understand language is welcome.
Benn Bell sent me this quote in response to this post:
“Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up, it knows it must outrun the fastest lion or it will be killed. Every morning in Africa, a lion wakes up. It knows it must run faster than the slowest gazelle, or it will starve. It doesn’t matter whether you’re the lion or a gazelle-when the sun comes up, you’d better be running.”
― Christopher McDougall, Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen
I guess as long as we’re in the race, whether running or strolling, as long as we’re still blogging, that’s what counts 😉
Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Curt.
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But still, life is more than running or having to run. I’ve seen the lion lying in the grass with it’s feet up in the air possibly thinking of nothing more than the warm sun on his belly. 🙂
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I’m picturing the lion and smiling. True, but I bet the lion ran and caught his meal before relaxing in the sun. There is more to life and I like to pay first and play later.
This is what I enjoy about blogging- how we can stretch the conversation and receive insight. What was this post about again? Blogging, running, how people approach life? 😀
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As for me Timi, I like to define my work as play or vice- versa. 🙂
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Good for you! Both work and play are fun for me, but work feels like work 🙂
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Hi Timi
What a great analogy you’ve made here. I don’t really know what category I would fit into, but I can possibly suggest another category, speaking from personal experience.
-Wanting to somehow make an impact with what they are saying
-A place to display creativity
-The contact with others and conversations/relationship.
Great job.
🙂
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Blogging to make an impact with words, display creativity, and connect with others sounds like fun and hard work. Reminds me of runners who jog to keep fit, enjoy nature, and clear their heads. Thanks Staci!
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I suppose you could find a category for people who buy running shoes but keep waiting for the perfect weather to take that run? Their blogging equivalent would be someone registered but waits for that inspirational high when they’ll eventually create a post that feel is good enough to be published.
I’ll leave the name tags for Littlemissmenopause, Eric and you….y’all are so good at this.
…..Now I’m off to buy that running shoe I spent all day thinking about. Some brain waves….dunno how you do it.
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That would be the Hesitat-er, I suppose 🙂
Reminds me of how I edit my post- tweak this, tweak that, until finally I say, “Enough already!” and hit publish.
Blog about the running shoe and I’ll hop over to read it.
@brain waves, my running journey provides metaphors for life . . . 🙂
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This is terrific! And quite funny to me because sometimes when people ask me what I do in my spare time and I say, “I’m a Blogger” they’ll mishear me and think I said “I’m a Jogger!” And now, thanks to this Smart and Snappy post, I easily see the parallels!
Your commenters seemed to have nicely covered all the other categories. Hmmmm, let’s see–there is a small segment blogging because someone has assigned them the task — either a teacher for a class (my daughter’s creative writing instructor in college did this) or their employer insists they do it for a product or to promote the company. Let’s call someone in this group a “Cogger Blogger?” They’re basically just another cog on the wheel.
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Hmmm, I wonder if cogger bloggers have fun blogging 🙂
Jogging and blogging go together. I get ideas for blog posts while jogging. I don’t have paper, pencil, or my phone with me while jogging, so I’ll not be tempted to stop and write the wonderful sentences in my head. Of course by the time I get home, I’ve forgotten them all 😦
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Hey you’re WAY too young for the Menopausal Mush Memory!
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Some other categories that came to mind:
* Blogging to get an Ego Boost through feedback, statistics, or recognition from others.
* Blogging because someone said all wannabe novelists MUST have a platform / blog audience in order to get published.
* Blogging to CONNECT with others, expand horizons, exchange ideas, and have FUN!
My reasons for reading specific blogs vary from blog to blog. On some, it’s the quality of the writing. On others, the subject matter aligns with my interests. On still others, it’s the personality of the blogger that keeps me coming back for more.
My favorite blogs? A combination of the three ~ quality writing, varied and insight-filled posts, and more than a dash of personality and pizzazz!
You qualify on all 3 counts, Timi!
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Thanks for sharing some more categories.
Maybe I’m wrong, but I imagine that you’d have to write pretty good post to get recognition from others. Aren’t there easier ways to get an ego boost? 🙂
I checked out a recently published author’s blog once. All the posts read like a sales pitch. It put me off. I realize that’s why the blog was set up, but I got weary. I’ve visited other blogs, where the posts added value, and the authors had purchase information about their books on the side bar. Occasionally, a sales pitch was incorporated in a post. I preferred this approach. But what do I know, I haven’t tried selling my books yet . . .
Blogging to connect and for fun, sounds like fun 🙂
Nancy, you’re so generous with your words, I feel as if I’ve just had an ego boost. Thanks!
I like the mix on your blog. You give us lots to laugh about and also serious stuff to think about.
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Interesting observations Timi. There are definitely some interesting patterns. I sometimes wonder about the blogs that just reblog and their reasons for it- altruism or perhaps someone in the process of finding their voice or neither?
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I don’t get the ‘only’ reblog blogs. I visited one, and the blogger was upfront about his reblogging intentions. Though he reblogged some interesting posts, I wanted to read his post! If you’re trying to find your voice, wouldn’t writing be the way to go?
Some patterns amuse me, especially the Promis-ers. But seriously, I realise that people blog for different reasons.
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Interesting that these 100% Rebloggers have a tendency to post their stats (in fact, it’s usually their only original post!) and their columns of views/visits are up so high, it makes my head spin. Hundreds upon five hundreds of hits. Not to mention their comments section filled. I write 100% original material but rarely break 100 visitors in a day. It’s hard not to make comparisons when you know their effort ratio is minimal and mine feels like screaming underwater some days. I love this post! Will leave an original comment now and not just one where I reply to an existing comment.
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The way WordPress is set up, rebloggers direct traffic to the original post, so in one sense, everyone wins. Still I wonder why they choose to reblog 100% of the time. If I find out, I’ll share 🙂
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Thank God you did not ask us to categorise ourselves. I’d would have just read through and come back on Wednesday to catch up on the response. Commenting would have been beyond me.
Two categories I think you missed: Folks who used to blog but have stopped outright either because they are now published authors or because they are annoyed that agberos like I have joined their hallowed community; and people who should be blogging, they have all it takes, but refuse to join the community.
Now, how will this running analogy categorise people who blog using blogger and those who use WordPress?
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Lol, I guess we all know where we stand. The idea is to find other categories where we could also stand 😉
What should we call them? The Run-away-ers and the I-don-vex-ers? 🙂 But why would anyone be upset that blogosphere is expanding to include ‘agberos’? The sky is wide enough! As for those who aren’t blogging, I guess they don’t have a category until they start. Depending on your purpose, blogging can be work.
Hmmm, Blogger and WordPress, outside the scope of this post. But leaving comments on Blogger can be difficult, and it’s a pity because I enjoy some blogs on that platform.
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This is a very good piece Timi! I have seen the kind of blogger I definitely don’t wanna be and perhaps the one I’ll become if I continue like this.
I think there is a group of bloggers who are just in the blogosphere to be called “bloggers” and to just test the whole thing. There are others who will blog so long as some cash will flow thereby. Great piece Timi. Thanks as always!
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Indeed people blog for different reasons and most of us would like to make money blogging 🙂 Someone said a writer writes, I suppose a blogger blogs?
You know where you’re headed, good! When I’m out jogging, my mind makes many connections. This is one of them. I’m glad you enjoyed reading.
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Hahaha! Well done, Ms. Livelytwist. As soon as I saw the topic I was waiting for commentary on chronic rebloggers, and you did not disappoint me. I have one such person in my reader, but she actually reblogs some good stuff so I keep following.
Avengers are my favorite, if we’re talking unintentional comedy. I read a blog by a kid who said he was looking for a job because his boss made him work too much. He laid out a scathing rant on his boss and on employers in general, THEN asked his readers if they knew of any openings. Uh…
Two other types of bloggers: Apologiz-ers and Lament-ers
Apoligiz-ers start nearly every entry with “I’m sorry I haven’t posted in a while” and usually end it with “I might be away from the computer for a while, so I’m sorry for abandoning you.”
Thing is, I’ll probably survive and may even find something more interesting to read.
Lament-ers detail the misery of their everyday lives at length and also lament how few followers they have (I wonder why that is).
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Once someone reblogged my post, I was excited until I hopped over to their blog and saw it was full of reblogs. It dampened my enthusiasm. I find it difficult to follow chronic rebloggers, because I want to read some of their stuff sometimes.
@Avengers and unintentional comedy, I guess that’s another way of looking at it 🙂
I know some Apoligiz-ers. I think they’re related to Promis-ers 🙂
Ah poor Lament-ers, company doesn’t love misery 😦
I admire the writing skills of Hit and Runn-ers. I hope they’re using their skills someplace else.
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