Monday, July 16, 2012

5 Things I Learned in My First Year of Blogging

A couple hours ago it came to my attention that my first blog post was made exactly one year ago today on July 16th, 2011. Woo Hoo! A year!? Wow…time really does fly!

I was informed of my Blogging Anniversary by an observant young Communications Specialist named Ashley W. who shall remain anonymous at this time.  I think Ashley saw a recent post on 10 HIT bloggers on Twitter
. Ashley sent me an email of introduction and noted that I made my first blog post on 7/16/11- that it was my 1 year anniversary. Thanks Ashley! Leave it to a woman to notice an anniversary! :)

So I thought I'd share some thoughts about my 1st year of blogging:

What were my concerns about blogging - one year ago on July 15th, 2011?


Would it be fun, help me grow and be worthwhile? (I’m all about fun, growth and value. Blogging had to offer these paybacks - otherwise I'd rather be fishing.)

Would I have to goof with a bunch of technical stuff? (I do that all day long and I didn’t want any additional technical complexity after hours.)

Would I unwittingly share something I shouldn’t? (I ddin't want ANY current or former employers and clients to think I was spilling any secret beans.)

Would it impact my Self/Family/Work/Others balance? (I’m short on time, I have a large family to attend, I work a lot and I’m trying to give back to others. I'm trying to be careful about where I spend my time.)

Might it bruise my sensitive male ego? (I get bruised easily enough. I wasn’t sure I wanted to risk adding the general public to my list of potential bruisers.)

What can I now share about my first year?


I’m having fun, growing and seeing value – way more than I expected! (I like being able to share my thoughts, information with others and generate opportunities to meet others via social media and in real life. I’ve made many valuable contacts. I’m still having fun with my blogging!)

It’s technically easier than I thought. (Blogspot, Wordpress or whatever…they’re all pretty easy to work with. If you can browse and click, you can blog. Don’t worry…have fun!)

Blogging requires a clear thought process. (It takes a concerted effort to stay within “the boundaries” and not unwittingly share something you shouldn’t. I believe I’ve done this.)

Blogging takes some effort – but not much when you do it in small bits and use available tools. (I’m learning that “less is more; more or less.” And I’m becoming way more tool savvy. My time sink is sinking!)

I feel I’m a better, stronger person due to my blogging. (I’m learning that sometimes I don’t have anything interesting to write about; so I don’t. But I’ve also learned that blogging is cathartic – sometimes you just got to just talk with yourself and throw those thoughts away.)


And that’s what blogging affords me: a chance to have fun, hone my thinking processes, make an effort, and talk out loud to no one and everyone - all in an effort to gain strength.

So What’s My Plan for Next Year?

That’s a post for another day. In the meantime, go blog about something!

Shim - Steve







1 comment:

  1. You make some great points Steve. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and time. It's the greatest gift you could give to such a cause.

    Cheers!
    Ashley

    ReplyDelete

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