A Milestone

This is officially my 500th post. Between images and my rambling, I’ve managed to get to 500 entries on this blog.

I’d be more proud of that, except that I’ve had this site for just over two years (July 20th was the launch date), so it’s less than a post a day. But still, it’s a good number as far as arbitrary milestones go.

So, what have I learned from those two years of posts?

Writing On A Schedule is A Lot Harder Than It Sounds

For those of you that don’t blog/write, it may not sound like much. One post a day? How hard could it be, right?

Try it.

First, it’s finding the time in the day to do it. As a single dad, who until very recently was holding down a full-time job, time is fairly scarce. Coming home at the end of the day, getting dinner done and the kid to bed, you’re fairly exhausted. And then you try to write. More often than not, you fall asleep in your chair or with the warmth of the laptop in your lap on the couch.

One post a day? How hard could it be, right?

Try it.

But even with some energy, try finding 365 days worth of material. Some days, like the last few, life hands you topics by the bushel. But most days, you stare at an empty screen wondering what the hell you’re going to write. And fall asleep.

You Can Blog To Make Money, Or You Can Blog To Write

They’re not mutually exclusive by any means, but unless you’ve got a million people who are waiting breathlessly for your next 140-character utterance on Twitter, chances are that you’re not going to make a lot of money just writing anytime soon. It takes time and a lot of effort to build an audience. I’ve been working on this site for two years, and it’s just starting to pick up steam. I may actually cross the 1000-visit/month threshold in the next 30 days.

There are ways to accelerate this. I could write specifically to attract search engine traffic. I could pick topics that are more “popular” and spend more time promoting those posts. But that’s not why I write. I write because I have something to say. I hope that others are interested in it. And slowly, folks are starting to pay attention. I don;t know if I will ever be able to support the kidlet and I doing this, but I know I don’t want to be a link -generation machine rather than a writer.

The Internet Can Help You Find Like-Minded Souls – And Your Diametric Opposites

I’ve been online for a LONG time. longer than most. I had to dig down through 22 pages of Google results to find one of my old ones – a link to a post from my first true Internet email address:

Yup – I had that email back in 1994. Actually had it about a year before that, but I’d already had enough of Googling myself. And yes, every link in those first 22 pages were really me. The 22nd page had the first link that wasn’t.

So, I’ve been online a long time. And I’ve had my share of folks who don’t like what I have to say, will generate faux outrage, insult or try to demean without knowing a damned thing about me, just because they disagree.

But I’ve also made lots of friends online, some of which have become IRL (In Real World) friends as well. And these folks have helped me think things through, given me food for thought, been a support, and provided me with lots of laughs. Hopefully, I’ve done the same for them.

I don’t know how long it’ll take to hit the next five hundred posts. Probably a lot less time. Hopefully, what has already been posted has made you laugh, think, or just let you escape awhile. I’ll be posting more and more pictures, more of my own thoughts (and continuing the 101 Questions).

If there is one thing I would wish for with all of this, it would be for more folks to participate. I enjoy the writing, but I love dialog. Maybe the next 500 will have more interaction.

Is there something you have particularly enjoyed on the site? Something that made you laugh or think? Let me know.