Celebrating 17 years of running a blog!
Glad 17 KERFday!
At the moment is my weblog’s seventeenth birthday! I used to be just lately on a zoom name and instructed the particular person my website was “16 or 17 years outdated, I misplaced depend.” Afterwards I regarded it up – 17 years it’s!
A few of you will have been following me since these very, very early days. You in all probability bear in mind bowls of oatmeal with a peanut butter spoon floating on prime earlier than I went to my PR job, the RD days once I wrote weblog posts between courses, the Nice Harvest days, the BERF days.
For those who haven’t been round lengthy, try:
In that tenth anniversary publish, I had written 6844 posts. As of right this moment, that quantity is 7935 posts plus 382,493 feedback and 265,000 pictures shared. GEEZ!
In honor of 17 years, listed below are some ideas / enjoyable details / reflections about running a blog into the teenage years.
17 Years Of Running a blog
Selection Is Key
For me, writing about quite a lot of matters is such a key element of protecting issues fascinating. Lengthy-time readers know that I’m going via phases primarily based on what is going on in my life. I went via two massive child phases, loads of Dwelling Neat Dwelling phases, some entrepreneur phases. What I like most about my weblog is that I’m not restricted to 1 area of interest subject. The specialists would inform me that’s hurting my visitors and they don’t seem to be mistaken. So it’s a great factor most visitors isn’t my finish sport. However writing in regards to the matters on my thoughts means I’m writing creatively and never forcing it or losing interest, which I do suppose creates the perfect reader expertise.
Construct A Way of life, Not A Firm
After I began my weblog in 2007, I used to be solely searching for a inventive outlet. I had no concept it was doable to generate income on the web, and I scoffed on the concept of doing so when my dad introduced up placing adverts on my website. (He inspired me to look into it, and I’m glad I finally did!) After all, as time went on, producing earnings to cowl my internet hosting prices and possibly some groceries turned a bit extra interesting.
A couple of years in the past I listened to a podcast interview for an additional blogger who began across the similar time as me. Within the current time, she had dozens of full-time staff working for her and a elaborate workplace. For a break up second I had a twinge of jealousy over how a lot cash her website should be making to assist these issues, however then I had a quick actuality examine that going to an workplace on a regular basis was precisely the life-style I didn’t need. What has all the time been most essential to me is to have the ability to put my inventive vitality and time into one thing that might assist or encourage others whereas additionally incomes cash to assist my household alongside the way in which. I’m eternally grateful for the flexibleness this job gives to let me greet the boys after they get off the bus every day or make a journey when the invitation arises.
Studying to Pivot
All through the years I’ve pivoted and branched out in methods I couldn’t have predicted coming. When my advert community contract with Foodbuzz ended. When model sponsorships moved from blogs to Instagram. After I joined Beautycounter. After I created Digital Muddle and Bloom. When Beautycounter closed. And lots of extra methods. Having variety of earnings, platform, and income channel means when one thing is down, one thing else is commonly up. Who is aware of what’s subsequent!
Running a blog Has Gotten A lot Extra Difficult, However Additionally A lot Simpler
A contradictory sentence? Including the above branches has actually sophisticated issues. Weblog pals and I typically reminisce in regards to the days after we “simply needed to weblog” 3 times a day. There wasn’t all of the social media amplification and so forth. However in some ways issues have gotten a lot simpler. I used to take all of my pictures on a Canon Mark II that I haven’t touched in years now that iPhone cameras are so nice. Apps like Asana and YNAB have made monitoring duties and accounting so organized. Canva is the perfect app/web site EVER INVENTED!
Flexibility Is At all times High Precedence
Lengthy gone are the times once I would come house from an occasion and keep up an additional hour to put in writing a publish publish about it. Since I worth flexibility greater than the rest, I’m working not less than a month forward on seasonal / evergreen content material. After which I write extra time delicate posts the week of or the week after the occasion. I even have the world’s greatest digital assistant, Hillary, who helps me behind the scenes in so some ways, so I’m able to take day off to journey or if my children are sick. (I wrote this publish in 2018 once I was occupied with going again into extra real-time posting.)
Leaning On Weblog Associates
Conversations with different bloggers are all the time so inspiring. I admire Anne, Brittany, and Teri for his or her willingness to share concepts and assets all through the years. Within the earlier days, I used to be a part of a gaggle known as “KABU: Kick Ass Blogger Union” (haha) and we supported each other fairly than compete. The most effective colleagues are open books. All of us do issues a bit of bit otherwise, however all of us study from each other.
Keep True To You
^^ This tremendous corny phrase actually does sum up the whole lot about working a weblog for nearly twenty years. On the finish of the day, it’s a must to do you. Not everybody goes to love you – and that’s okay! You possibly can’t fear about what different individuals are doing or pressure their model onto you. You possibly can’t fear about what the trolls are going to say as a result of something you do is mistaken. It’s important to be genuinely you.
Thanks
Thanks for following together with our household’s story. Thanks for displaying as much as learn posts, click on hyperlinks, depart feedback, and write private emails and DMs. The occasions when you will have reached out have meant a lot to me. Thanks KERF household <3
