10 Years of Blogging: Some Thoughts (Part 1 of 3)

10 Years of Blogging: Some Thoughts (Part 1 of 3)

  I hate birthdays, but...

Way back on February 11 was my ten year blogging anniversary. I started this damn thing back in 2005. I did it because I saw other people on Streaming Soundtracks create their own blogs, plus I was a writer writing fiction in a writing group. Pre-2005, I was a writing machine cranking out pages upon pages of a book I wanted to publish. The blog was another extension of that. Because I loved movies and video games, I wanted to write and share with others.

I started out writing, if very crudely, without a mindset of what impact it would have on the Internet world. And, keep in mind blogging was much more of a wild west than it is now. Blogging was new and fresh when I started. There were superstars in the blogging that were extreme;y popular. I was just this new blogger with very few readers and followers. I don't know, but it all felt like a different place than what it is today.

I remember that first year giving my blog address to everyone I knew in the real world. I wanted them to read what shitty things I had to say. Looking back, those first few years were shit, but I didn't know it at the time. It was probably more personal than what the blog is now. I was completely different person. And, writing personal stuff too long can bog your blog down. However, I remember refreshing my stat-counter over and over again looking at who would visit my site. I remember seeing someone from Iran checking my site out, and that put a smile on my face. I got a kick out some of the random comments from visiting people. I still get a little giddy like a little school girl when I get to see new comments, and being mad when they're spam bots or spammers.

That's ONE thing that hasn't changed in blogging, because I just had to delete two spam comments. The spam will never end with it?

While those early years were rough, I was becoming a better writer and more entertaining with each posts. I think the blog really took shape when I started to become more of a Review/Preview/Pop Culture/Nerd/Geek blog. And, that's where I can thank MC, another long time blogger, for showing me that you could deconstruct and review pop cultural things and make fun of them. I think his blogs helped me see that you didn't have to have a personal blog just talking about your life, but a mixture of EVERYTHING. I could write my thoughts in my own witty and silly way and people would be entertained by it.

That's where the blog became better place. I think I've become a good writer and blogger around the 5 year mark of 2008 and onwards.

I had no idea how much of an impact this blog would have on me and the blog on the Internet. I've actually touched a lot people (in a non-sexual manner) and on a personal level through my musings. Some were good and some where bad. However, like life, that's part of the journey. All these things are what make you a better writer.

I'll have more on this anniversary in another post.

Damn, ten years...