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13 June 2016

14 Reasons Why The Amish Were Right About Blogging

Sorry. I’m afraid this has nothing to do with the Amish. I’ve lured you here under false pretenses. I’m not really sure that the Amish know all that much about blogging considering they don’t make a habit of using computers, but they sure do make a mean shoofly pie.

I had planned about doing an update on the Fair Maiden’s quest to awaken the Great Machine on the blog today, but it all got a bit too depressing to write about as the Fair Maiden still hasn’t been able to get it sorted. She’s off in Las Vegas just now hoping she can make enough money at the craps table to buy a new diesel engine for her sailboat in the event that the Great Machine never wakens. Either that or she’s going to become a show girl.

While the Fair Maiden is off guzzling down cosmopolitans as she blows on the dice for good luck, I sat here a bit stumped. What should I blog about today? Being at a loss for ideas, I turned off the computer and got some chicken curry cooking away in my Wonderbag for dinner tonight. Next, I thought about doing some boat projects outside but the forecast is for a real feel temp of 111F today. Yep, not going outside today if I can help it.

Then, I remembered this great post by Megan Morgan about blog idea generators so I thought to myself, “Aha! Problem solved. The internet will come to the rescue, providing blogging inspiration, along with other time wasters, like adorable videos of cats using sign language to get food from their humans.”

So, I thought I would share a few of these fun blog idea generators with you. Fellow bloggers might be interested for those times when they get stumped and the rest of you might find their suggestions amusing. Plus, if you stick around all the way to the end of this post, I do have some thoughts on why the Amish were right about blogging.

Portent’s Content Idea Generator


Portent’s Content Idea Generator gave me today’s awesome blog post title. All you do is enter a subject, like blogging or sailing, press the magic button and you get brilliant suggestions like, “Why Blogging is More Tempting than a Cinnabon” and “8 Things Spock Would Say about Sailing.”

Answer the Public



On Answer the Public, you enter a keyword and the Seeker gives you all sorts of blogging prompts like, “Who invented sailing” and “Blogging without showing your face.” The Seeker looks around impatiently if you take to long too ask him a question. It’s pretty funny.

Blog About



Blog About gives you ideas for blog post titles into which you enter your own keywords. I turned “Why [blank] is more about [blank] than [blank]” into “Why blogging is more about procrastinating dull but important boat projects than contributing anything meaningful to the universe.

Reasons Why The Amish Were Right About Blogging

It’s not strictly true that the Amish don’t use computers. They don’t actually reject all new technology, but, if they do adopt new technology, it’s only after they’ve carefully considered it. There probably aren’t a lot of Amish bloggers out there, although I have discovered Lovina’s Amish Kitchen (delicious sounding recipes and glimpses into Amish life), and I really have no idea what the Amish think about blogging, or sailing for that matter, but I imagine the Amish could give us some food for thought.

The Amish are selective about what technology they adopt, not wanting to become slaves to it. Does blogging, social media, surfing the internet for cute catz videos take over our lives at times? Could we survive for a week without our computers or cell phones? Is our technology in control of us or the other way around?

If you’re interested in learning more about the Amish, check out the Amish Studies site.

Have you ever been to Amish country and had shoofly pie? What do you do when you get stuck on what to write or blog about? And, one final question, what do you think about new technology? 

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16 comments:

  1. I like the blog post idea generators. I found one a while back that generated heavy metal band names and it was hilarious.
    If I'm ever stumped, I just go for a movie or music review. Or some trivia. Like today's post! Not that I was stumped...

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    1. They're good fun and they also spark ideas. From reading your blog posts, I can't imagine you ever get stumped. They're always chock full of good stuff and seem to be well thought out.

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  2. Very funny post and ideas, Ellen! I have driven through Amish (and Mennonite in Belize) country before and am always intrigued with their way of life, especially the "purists" among them. Their horse and carriages are very picturesque and they know how to build decent stuff! Unfortunately (or fortunately) I have too many things I'd like to write blogs about. It is time - and sometimes motivation - that I miss. New technology is mostly good and helpful. It is up to us to not get carried away with it and find the right balance between the virtual and the real world. Easier said than done, sometimes. The internet can be mighty addictive. :-)

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    1. I'd have to agree that the Amish country with the horses and carriages is so picturesque. I'm impressed at how they can preserve their way of life in the midst of all of the "temptations" of modern America.

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  3. I must confess to being a little addicted - I always seem to have phone or iPad in my hand. I'm not sure I could last a week without being connected....

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    1. I saw somebody post something recently about not having had decent internet connection for quite a while and then when they did get it, they didn't really have any desire to use it other than to get email and check a few things. Maybe it's about having constant access that makes you "dependent" on it?

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  4. We're home. Wonderful trip, but we're thrilled to be home.

    Have you ever been to Amish country and had shoofly pie? Yes, we've been to Amish country, but never had shoofly pie.

    What do you do when you get stuck on what to write or blog about? Steal a joke from somewhere.

    And, one final question, what do you think about new technology? I'm not opposed to new technology, but we're pretty much in the dark ages here.

    Have a fabulous day Ellen. ☺

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    1. It looked like you had a great trip :-) You'll have to try shoofly pie one of these days - a delicious sugary treat.

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  5. Never been to Amish country or had the pie :( nice pointers for blog ideas. Have a good day staying indoors

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    1. Amish country is so interesting and the pie is delicious. Maybe put it on your bucket list :-)

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  6. Hahaha these are great! I need to use these things more!

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    1. They're a lot of fun - thanks for flagging them up!

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  7. I've visited Amish towns in Ontario and Indiana. Enjoyed my visits over much. When I don't have anything to blog about, I just don't blog.

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    1. I hadn't realized the Amish were in Ontario but it makes sense considering the proximity to Amish country in the States.

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  8. Can't go wrong with pie! I think technology is awesome if it adds to real life and improves relationships. We love our gadgets!

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    1. Especially pie that's basically filled with sugar. No fruit getting in the way trying to make it healthier :-)

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