Intro-Ducing Two New Pages

Recently as I waft about the internet I have come across many references to the decline of the blog as we know it. Many people who started out at the same time as thekitchensgarden have disappeared off the blog map. Many are disillusioned and wanting to be involved still but batteries are running low. Many feel they are sending out messages in bottles. Some of you have even commented on this in your blogs.

But I still do not believe that the age of the blog is done. But maybe blogs need to change. Maybe there needs to be more of the US and less of the ME.

True, the real monetised blog is a very rare thing now and those who do make money from their blogs work a full time week to ensure they make money from it. But reading good blogs still has its place and , more than that, the conversations that result in the comments sections of blogs are pretty important too. In fact I think that this dialogue is critical.  This is the US bit.

So I am proposing two new pages to this blog. The Library page and Our Cottage Industries page.

(Of course my daily farm page will not change. And nor will it be affected by the new pages. After all I write the farm page – you will be writing in the new pages).

The Fellowship (you – my readers), The Fellowship of the Farmy, have blended yourself into a network of sorts. We have one important page already the Join Us page where we introduce ourselves to the other readers.  Many of you comment and even more just read and sometimes you even answer each others comments. I want to take this a step further. I want to set up these two new pages where the comments are the reason for the pages to exist. I want to give you two new pages where the comments ARE the blog.

I want to extend our network  and take one area of this blog world in a new direction with new challenges and really build on our relationships – create new networks in a very modern sense, let’s jump on and  see where this vehicle takes us.  The two new pages are all about you. Not me.  I will only be the hostess.

The two new pages can be found under  MENU  – see above.

The first page will be Our Cottage Industry page. So we can really focus on supporting small home industries. Your industry. Many of you work from home, many of you sell on the internet, or in markets, many small businesses are women led and I for one really want to support these initiatives. So, go into the comments of the Cottage Industry page and tell us what you have for sale. Come on – we want to know!

This may be a small page but I bet you it will be an inspiring one.

Do you make soap or jewellery or chicken houses?  Are you an artist,  do you knit hats,  sew aprons or ballgowns, sell antiques, do you have an etsy shop or a webpage to promote your wares.  Do you have a CSA, sell eggs or pasture raised pork or vegetables. OK. Leave your link and a wee description in the comments on the Cottage Industry page. And where you are based – you do not need to be specific but if you are weaving rugs in Turkey, quilts in Australia, or making soap in Missouri, or pottery jugs in Chicago, or wedding photography in Wellington, you just never know who might get in touch or be just down the road.

What a wonderful thing it would be if we were searching for that perfect birthday present and were able to buy it from one of The Fellowship and support our own people. We are going Personal. Forget Global we are that already, Global is so Tuesday anyway, we can’t get more global, now we are going Personal. Think small, lift each other up and think of how we can support each other and promote each other and enrich each others lives in the process. Let’s work together.

If you think Big Business is taking up too much room let’s find all the Little Local Businesses with integrity and quality and show them to each other.

The second new page will be The Library.

If you read a book and love it: jot down the title and author and genre in the comments of this new page.

If you have written a book and want to tell us about it – write about it in the comments of this page.

I will find all our previous book lists  and add the links to this page too. Now we start afresh and our 2017 list will be current and growing as we read and write. No need for a cattle call of books – we can check the page anytime we like.

We have a very strong community of readers right here. Many bright clever people. You belong. I hear from many of you. Many of you have good strong voices. Use them. We have a wealth of talent in our own little village. Let’s share our strengths and use this blog as a spiders web of real connections.

And yes – I AM THE SPIDER!! ha ha ha ha. No not really – more of a squirrel.

Anyway – what do you think? Can we pull it off?

Can you and I make a change in the blog world and build from the networks we have already begun constructing. Shine a light on the readers – the most important members of this blog.

Have a lovely day.

Love c