Introduction: Another blogg'n newbie?

Hmmm, this is really not as easy as it looks.

Although the WYSIWYG characteristics of Blogger make "building" a blog seem relatively easy, it’s all the decisions that follow that make this a thought and time consuming process.

Being that this is my first blog; I decided to go with one that’s associated with a name I'm already familiar with. The brand loyalty I have for Google may someday come back to haunt me...as George Stroumboulopoulos said when discussing the real time GPS tracking abilities associated with Google Earth, "...Google makes Big Brother seem cool.", but for now I am happy to work with something I can quickly get my head around.

What I am finding much more difficult is what I assumed would be the easiest parts. Much like a kid trying to figure out what to wear on the first day of school, I am getting hung up on what my site should look like. Because this is the first real introduction of myself to the rest of the world, I am feeling very self-conscious. Unlike a social networking account or email, I am using this space to discuss and share ideas with an audience that doesn't really know me and leaves me with the question: “What is the impression I am going to make”?

So, I have spent the better part of the last 5 days trying to establish a look/feel for my blog. I spent 3 hours just trying to think of a meaningful title alone! I have tried numerous layout possibilities while working with different themes, images, etc. Templates are great, but I find it very difficult to create something I feel personally connected to. I hope overtime to create my own artwork for the site, but for now (and as I am already behind the "eight ball" of time), I think I need to stick with what I have already put in place.

This struggle has however got me thinking more about how one deals with representing themselves in a format that requires attractive and effective "hooks" (in terms of both content and aesthetics) to create and maintain interest from potential followers, and how much responsibility we have when posting, in terms of what we choose to say, what is said, and how we say it. Suddenly, with the notion of a wider and somewhat unknown audience, I am feeling that I need to be even more conscious of my tone and how I approach topics for discussion. It's like sending out that first email to someone new, but now "everyone" will be reading that same email. Oh the pressure...