Peace of Mind Organizing

My blog's 8th birthday

10 November 2014

On November 10, 2006 I posted my first blog post. Today, I’m posting my 992nd.

Eight years of blogging feels like something to be proud of. I started the blog at the advice of my web designer, Nora Brown. Originally, my purpose was to allow my clients to get to know me before hiring me. (Since I’m not born organized, I didn’t want them expecting a super-organized perfectionist to arrive at their door.)

This blog has paid huge dividends. I do think it has served its original purpose (and continues to do so), but it has been useful in so many other ways:

• It helps keep my website high in search rankings
• It establishes my expertise
• It allows me to view the world through the eyes of a blogger—I’m constantly looking at situations and wondering how I can turn them into something helpful for my blog readers.
• It’s made me more reflective
• It’s sparked relationships with companies, like Rubbermaid, SentrySafe and the dear departed Springpad.
• It’s helped potential clients understand that I’m a person who keeps commitments and is good at creating habits.

These are just some of the reasons I blog. In 2012, I added started a second blog, Organize Your Family History and now I try to blog twice a week at each of them. (I just switched up my schedule a little bit recently and will be planning to post here on Mondays and Thursdays and at OYFH Tuesdays and Fridays.)

The world of blogging is not what it was last eight years ago. Back then, social media had little impact. In 2006, Facebook was open only to college students, and Twitter was four months old. LinkedIn had just started including public profiles. Pinterest and Instagram were years from starting. Social media sites have since changed the fabric of the landscape immensely. People don’t get as much information from blogs as they did eight years ago. But I keep blogging and I keep benefitting. I can’t even imagine what it would take for me to give up my blogs.

It may sound weird, but my blogs feel like friends to me. I love giving them the attention they deserve and they give so much back to me in return.

I am so grateful to Nora for suggesting I start this blog back in 2006. I look forward to blog post #1000!

Tagged with: blogging, blogs, habits, social media

Comments