birding-aus

Birding Blogs - some explanations

To: Birding-Aus <>
Subject: Birding Blogs - some explanations
From: Trevor Hampel <>
Date: Sat, 15 Dec 2007 20:43:40 +1030
Over the last day or so there have been many comments on Birding-Aus
about “I and the Bird” and birding blogs in general. I have found that
some comments were obviously made out of ignorance of what a birding
blog is and why some birders are also very keen bloggers.

Disclosure: I have been blogging about Australian birds for just over
two years now and have published almost 700 articles about birds and
birding in that time. I try to publish a new article every day.

Why do I blog about birds?

I have several reasons: a desire to share my birding experiences on a
worldwide stage is one reason. A blog can reach far a wider audience
than Birding-Aus will ever achieve (and that is not a criticism, just
the reality – they are quite different in their intended audience and in
the way they operate). I am a retired teacher and I also use my blog to
teach people about birds in a simple way that I hope is interesting and
informative. I also like to share the photos of birds I have taken.

Is blogging worthwhile?

I find it very satisfying to have so many readers visit my blog on a
regular basis. Last year I had nearly 30,000 visitors. This year, with
two weeks left, I have already passed the 100,000 visitor mark. This
month alone I had visits from people living in about 80 countries. Some
of these visitors leave comments and many people ask questions about birds.

Why do I have advertising on my blog?

There are some costs involved in running a blog, including a broadband
connection (this is almost essential, especially where photos are
concerned), hosting costs and the annual cost of my own domain name. The
small income from the advertisements is just about covering those costs.
It would be nice if the income could cover a few extra birding trips,
but that seems a long way off. I certainly do not regard my blog as a
commercial site, as one person erroneously commented about “I and the
Bird.” My tax agent agrees with me.

Australian Birding Blogs

I find it interesting that there are only three Australian birding
blogs, including mine, that post articles regularly, Duncan’s site being
another. I know of two others that post occasionally about birds.

Shameless plug: the link to my blog is below my signature. The choice is
yours – no expectation or pressure. If you do click – I hope you enjoy
what you read. Just a reminder – comments are moderated (so be nice to
me and other readers).

I hope that these few long-winded comments help people understand a
little more about blogs and what they are.

Happy birding.



--
Trevor Hampel
Murray Bridge
South Australia

Check out my BLOGS (web logs):

Trevor's Birding - observations and photos of birds at
http://www.trevorsbirding.com

Trevor's Travels - travels in Australia, Thailand and Nepal at
http://www.trevorstravels.com

Trevor's Writing - read some of my writing at http://www.trevorhampel.com
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