One year ago today I started this adventure called blogging. Actually I had set up a Blogger site a long time ago but never developed it, and I coordinated a couple of group blogs for Christian E-Authors but never got as much participation as I’d hoped. Although I had helped several clients start blogs, they quit posting after varying lengths of time.
I had also been maintaining a devotional blog for my church and a blog for an Army chaplain who used to be our priest. But I don’t write for either of those blogs; the priests write the messages, and I simply post their messages and moderate comments.
In my first post, I said I’d be sharing news of my projects, writing and editing advice, and information about electronic and small press publishing. I hope my readers have been introduced to good books written by my clients, learned more about publishing (including self-publishing), and gained some helpful tips on writing and editing.
However, rather than primarily educating my readers, I have gained far more than I have contributed and far more than I could have imagined a year ago.
I discovered that my blog is not just a place to share what I’ve learned. Blogging is a large city with hundreds of small neighborhoods. It’s a place to make new friends, a place to learn and share. It’s synergy that makes the whole more than the sum of its parts.
When I realized that my blog was not a platform for teaching or preaching but an arena for learning and sharing, I began to expand the topics I cover. Some topics (like my faith and support of our troops) have evolved naturally because these are important to me, part of who I am. Other topics were instigated by bloggers who challenged me to memes/group writing projects or those who inspired me or made me think in their own blog or in comments here.
Thank you to my blogging friends old and new, including Alicia, David, Doris, Edith, Harmony, Helen, Howard, Hummie, Jeanne, Julia, Karen, Laura, Lisa, Liz, Lori, Matt, Merry, Michi, Mig, Theda, Thomma Lynn, Vikk, Yuwanda, Yvonne, and more. These 24 people who have inspired, educated, motivated, and encouraged me are listed in alphabetical order – each one is special and unique.
Thanks also to each one of you who has visited my blog, especially those who have commented and participated in the community.
One year, 159 posts, 544 comments, and 13,914 spam comments (since I installed Akismet in January!), too many mistakes to count (including one major goof) later, I’m addicted to blogging.
Now I’ve decided to take the advice of Mig and Jeanne and others who write about SEO. Blogging has been a wonderful experience so far – it’s bound to get even better if more people find me … and I make more friends.