The Tyranny of Choice

I am finally going to “post” a blog today.  I'm emphasizing the word “post” because I have written, tinkered-with, debated and deleted many over the past five years. This will be the first one I have officially released into the wild.  

This reticence was not due to apprehension about the content but, a self-imposed hesitation about the platform and presentation.  Much like choosing Friday night entertainment on Netflix -  the delay was a product of the "Tyranny of Choice. What do I choose? What should it look like? What will be a great title? Is this good enough?

My routine, for many years, has been the same. I start, or rediscover, an account on a platform (WordPress, Blogger, etc) and then begin to build the perfect blog environment.  I select titles and templates and carefully craft a catchy URL address. I dutifully search YouTube videos to provide me with step-by-step tutorials. Simply put, I exhaust my enthusiasm in the minutia. The "devil is in the details" - but - those demons are sometimes Boredom and Diversion.

Invariably, I would get as far as composing a large, unedited chunk of my first post when distraction would set in...life, circumstance, uncertainty, a hockey game on TV. I would convince myself that I needed time to reflect and I would leave the post unfinished.  

Prior to my return, I would learn of a new platform (Edublogs, SquareSpace) - I have stale accounts on them all - and I would begin the process anew. Today, I have decided that this must end.

Here is what I have learned about getting an education blog started. (And this will be short and simple because of #3)

1. Just write something that you think is important and that you want to share with fellow educators. Once it is written, you will be far more keen to put it out into the world.
2. Find a tutorial to help you, but look for a tutorial that is current. Blog platforms change frequently. An excellent tutorial from 2011 may be more confusing than an satisfactory tutorial from last month.
3. Make your points simple and clear. Write a blog that you can edit easily and can be read in a few minutes.
4. Have fun. If you are not enjoying the process, blogging is not for you.
5. Post it. Give it a quick edit and then put it up. You can always revisit it in the future when you gain a new perspective.

With that said - here goes nothing.