The first blog I came upon is called Turning Life Skills into Life Experiences by Wendy Kusumowidagdo, which is an inspirational self-help blog documenting the journeys of Kusumowidagdo and the lessons and skills she learned. After reading her “About” page, I was a bit skeptical that I wanted to continue reading this blog, as she is oozing with inspiration and enthusiasm about life’s turmoil: “The defining moment for me was year 2010 when I was going through a personal turmoil, during which I had to push myself beyond my limits to be strong. It was a personal triumph for me to see how powerful my mind really was, and how it was able to overcome anything I used to think impossible.” Keeping my potential blog in mind, I’d rather indulge in the melancholic attitude that unfortunate events naturally bring out in us. However, as I began reading her posts, I decided I may actually mimic the organization and flow she has with her writing. In her posts, Kusumowidagdo will begin to tell a story, and often, just an instant of a story. For example, in her post from January 1st, 2016 titled “2016 Resolution: Stop making Excuses for Yourself!” she first began by talking about an episode of “My 600lb Life” that she recently watched. After discussing that in detail, she went into her whole mantra of “the 3 D’s” of a New Year’s Resolution. I really liked how this set the stage for her thoughts, and offered a clear connection between her experiences and what she had to say about them. Her formatting remains pretty simple. She has a title at the top of the page, a header with tabs, and then a small column on the right hand side with her archives and a search bar. Once you pass that, it’s pretty much a blank canvas for her words, which I really liked. It allowed me as a reader to focus on what she was saying. There were some advertisements under her most recent post, but again, it was pretty blank moving forward. There was also no social media links or much engagement form the audience as well; after searching a few blog posts, there were no comments to be found. This blog is most likely meant for businesswomen, as female empowerment and business dealings are central to many of Kusumowidagdo’s posts. The next blog, called Heart Talk, is from the Adult Congenital Heart Association (ACHA), which features a rotation of bloggers all living with heart defects and their everlasting side effects. The only “About” blurb is: “Our ACHA bloggers cover many topics relevant to the CHD community” followed by the posts of these aforementioned bloggers. The blog is heavily engrained into the ACHA website, with clickable buttons for social media and urging readers to donate all throughout the page. A column on the left holds the recent posts and archives, and a simple and clean border fits around the page. One blog post I enjoyed was from Kelley Dimaggio, and it was titled “A Decade Gone By: Then and Now With CHD.” Dimaggio discusses how her life and outlook has changed from the time she was eighteen until the time she was twenty-eight and living with the repercussions of her defect, and her subject matter was a bit more aligned with my proposed style. Her physical and mental prowess has declined, which is an unexpected turn for a blog that is supposed to be helpful and inspirational. However, she still manages to find a silver lining, even though she tackles issues such as most being able to carry her own children. Her writing is humorous and it indulges in the attitude of “life sucks,” but shares with readers how to deal with that feeling and accept it. Another similar blog I had the absolute pleasure of reading was called Thriving from Boston Children's Hospital, which features guest bloggers writing about a myriad of health and medical conditions and how Boston Children’s Hospital made their lives so much better. It’s essentially a massive advertisement for BCH, as each of the blog posts feature doctors and other medical staff by name and picture. At first I wasn’t a fan of this, but now I’m thinking I may want to include this into my blog if the opportunity arises. Although this blog is definitely a monster of an advertisement, speaking from experience, I cannot thank my surgeon, cardiologist, and all the medical staff I still interact with seventeen years later enough for the life I lead today. If possible, I may just want to highlight them. The blog that warmed my heart to the point where I was on the verge of tears was “Our patients’ stories: saving 'princess' Emily” by Paul Schuster, which was eerily close to my story with my heart defect. Both Emily and I were diagnosed with Atrial Septal Defect (ASD) years after we were born, showing very little sign that something was wrong with the organ largely responsible for our lives. The red flag for both of us came from a heart murmur that doctors didn’t think was much of a concern—until it was. Furthermore, Emily’s birthday is only a day before mine! Although heartwarming for me only because of personal attributes, there wasn’t much more emotion behind the words on the page; Schuster merely explained the process and the happy outcome. I decided to research a more personal heart defect blog that wasn’t attached to a larger body, and I found One in 1 Hundred, written by mother Kristen Tragethon. The blog’s formatting is definitely a bit overwhelming, starting with a massive picture of sweet little Kalvin, followed by an explanation of the one in one-hundred statistic, some tabs, and a very, very, very lengthy “About” section on the right hand column as your scroll down, followed by archives and an extremely long list of Tragethon’s favorite blogs. The written content is just as intense as the visual content: constant emotion, suffering, and miraculous perseverance. As a “heart warrior,” I completely understand the need for people to understand your journey and for you to share the burden with people who will understand, but good grief. The next issue I want to tackle on my blog is the loss of a pet. The next blog is from the website I Loved My Pet. The website allows pet owners to create digital memorials for their pets, and all proceeds go towards animal charities. The blog discusses way for pet owners to cope with loss, and because it’s a “one size fits all” problem, there isn’t much personal story to the posts. However, the professionalism of the posts allows for readers to indulge in the saddening circumstances they find themselves in, without being overly emotional and dramatic. The side column includes the live Twitter feed of the blog, which is a nice touch. A plethora of tabs overhang a header full of sweet little creatures, allowing the reader to explore and understand the website and its features. Because this blog is under a larger company, there were no individuals credited in the blog posts. I really enjoyed the author-to-reader communication that was present on this next blog. Marian Silverman appears to be a counselor who specializes in pet loss, and she hosts her blog Your Pet Loss on a website of the same name. The mainly green site hold a simple header with tabs, and then it lists the most recent blog posts with clickable links, with testimonial quotes and a link to her services on the side. The blog posts mix between professional and emotional, allowing for an optimal balance of the two. This allow the reader to indulge in their feelings while gaining insight and not walking into something overly dramatic. On some of the blog posts, there are comments between the readers and responses from Silverman herself, allowing for a feeling of closeness between reader and author. The next blog was from The Center for Pet Loss Grief by Wendy Van der Poll who is an “author, speaker, and pet communicator.” In her blog, she tackles issues of dealing with pet loss through several lenses—as a grandparent, vet, etc.—and offers advice on how to cope. She seems dialed into her audience, and voices some of their same concerns. For example, in the blog titled “Memorial Video for Pet Loss Grief” from August 29th, 2017, she touches on the concern that the memories of a beloved pet may one day fade, a concern I certainly had and have with my dogs. She offers a caring and gentle voice that allows pet owners to indulge, but not overly so. For some reason, comments are turned “off” in her blogs, but social media pages are included on the bottom of the page. She also includes tabs for “FAQ” and “Contact.” The final issue I want to discuss on my blog is going through parental divorce as an adult. The first blog I found is called I am a Child of Divorce, and it features posts geared towards children, teens, and even adults who all identify as children of divorced parents. Wayne Stocks, a church volunteer who has worked closely with children of divorce, runs the blog. I do wish his about me page was more informative—I had to travel to his personal blog to receive the information I wanted and to establish his credibility for myself. Otherwise, Stocks simply identifies as someone who has worked with children of divorced parents. The formatting is clean and simple with a header boasting the website’s name, tabs for navigation, social media links, and then a list of most recent posts. The blog is written in first person, often addressing the audience with pronouns of “you” and “your,” allowing for the feeling of a personal conversation and connection. Stocks dives right into the issue central to the blog post and the feelings associated, and then gets right down to business with advice and solutions. The next blog I found is called The Grown Up Child, written by a woman named Carolyn, who identifies as “the last remaining remnant of the biggest mistake of [her parents’] lives.” The website was very easy to navigate, with tabs and large links to social media pages. My favorite feature was archives sorted by topic, such as “Anger,” “Funny Stuff,” “How To’s,” and more. Her posts switch between funny and deep, allowing readers to receive a blend of both or focus on whichever feeling they want. It was actually really hard to find blogs written by and for children of divorce. Most divorce blogs were centered at parents. I found a blog called Annabashedly by a young woman named Anna. She is not only a child of divorce, but she writes about life’s struggles in general. On her “About” page, she calls for the necessity to indulge in feelings of sadness and suck in general: “I’ve dedicated this site to spread the message that you’re allowed to sidetrack. You’re allowed to feel lost. You’re allowed to have moments where you don't love yourself.” In addition to her ever-present social media links, she also includes the number of shares her blogs have had in the title links, all of her posts being shared 100,000+ times. She also writes her posts in first person, using “I” and “you” to make that direct connection with the reader, diving right into the advice in each of her posts. Many posts are also directed at helping the audience feel not-so-alone in situations, even if they are as lighthearted as knowing when you can talk to your new friend about your period and other private matters.
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