1 Year Blogiversary: Part 1 — A Bumbling Beginning
by Jenners • 11/03/2009 • Blogging, Lessons Learned • 32 Comments
Thursday, November 5th, marks the one year anniversary of this blog. A momentous occasion. I’m surprised President Obama (whose cabinet I “chose” in my second blog post) didn’t make it a national holiday.
To celebrate, I thought I would do two things. First, I’m writing a history of My Year In Blogging and, like any good blogger worth her salt, I’m going to do a giveaway. (Don’t get too excited. I don’t have corporate sponsorship—just some stuff I have that is kind of interesting and I’m willing to part with. Lame, I know, but what can I say—this blog is running in the red.)
To avoid an insanely long post, I’m breaking it up into several parts to be published this week, and it will end with a giveaway.
A Bumbling Beginning
AKA When I was a template-changing-widget-adding-daily-posting-clueless-newbie-blogger
I got into blogging via Facebook. I had posted a list of books I’d read in 2008 in my Notes section and my college buddy Colleen gave me a link to her blog, which had a review for a book she thought I might like. I wandered on over to this mysterious “blog” and was instantly entranced. “Hey!” I thought, “This looks kind of cool. Maybe I can do this too.” I joined Blogger immediately and willy-nilly gave my blog an address I would regret later. (I joined Blogger without doing any homework on blogging platforms. If I had, I would have probably gone with WordPress instead as they seem to have better features.)
Note To Newbie Bloggers: Think about your blogging platform and blog name before starting your blog.
Note To Newbie Bloggers: Less is more when it comes to your blog design. Don’t stuff it full of widgets. Trust me, I know!
My first post was entitled “Why Blog?” and I’m actually impressed with my foresight as to why I was doing this. I’ll admit, I spent the first few weeks as a blogger changing my template every few days and adding widgets like they were going out of style. I also posted almost every day—despite the fact that no one was reading my blog outside of a few friends who I kept bothering about it.
Believe it or not, at one point the name of my blog was Jenners Jabbers. How awful is that? I then changed it to Life With A Little One and More and that stuck. (Of course, my blog URL doesn’t match my blog title to my endless annoyance. I may or may not do something about that someday.)
Anyway, I had a blast those heady first weeks—I wrote my little heart out and was so jazzed about the whole blogging thing. Mr. Jenners—mindful of the fact that I tend to get excited about stuff and quit soon after—smiled patiently and waited for my enthusiasm to pass. (Haha … joke’s on you, Mr. Jenners.) Mr. Jenners never really gave me a hard time about blogging though. His only rule was that I couldn’t post photos of the Little One.
I started visiting other blogs and found these mysterious things called memes, which I started joining up willy nilly. This led to some of my first comments from people I didn’t already know and began Phase 2 of my blogging career.
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I think that we all have bumbling beginings! It is amazing how much there is to learn and how far you can come in a year.
I didn't realise that this blog existed. I have 2 boys (4 and 2) so I'm going to have a look around. I am amazed that you are able to keep 2 blogs going so well – one is enough for me!
My main memory of your humble beginings is that one day I was helpfully giving you a few veteran tips, just to assist you in finding your feet, and that about three days later you had about 600 times my number of readers. This caused me to hate you with the heat of a thousand blazing suns.
I'm loving hearing about your humble beginnings – I didn't realize we had started close to the same time!
I still want to change the name of my blog, but fear that if I do, I'll get lost.
Happy (almost) Blogoversary!
Yay! Happy blog anniversary! I'm sure my husband probably thought the same thing about my blogging (that it was a phase). I have started and stopped so many hobbies it's ridiculous (scrapbooking, sewing, and crocheting come to mind – I didn't stick with them long enough to get good at them – my crafts look like a child created them for the most part).
I'm off to read part two!
Happy almost 1 year blogiversary! I love reading your blog and can't wait to read more!!
Congratulations to you on your 1 Year Blogiversary!!! Yes, you are totally right. This achievement should be a national holiday : )
Wow, I can't believe you have only been blogging for a year….you seem much more seasoned than your typical one year old.
Congrats!
Yours was one of the first blogs I found…and I have faithfully continued to read! I love your style. And the fact that you come comment on my blog doesn't hurt anything either!!!
what a cool way to commemorate your blogerversary. Can't wait to read more.
Congrats on reaching one year! You've accomplished so much here. It's fun to read about how your blog has evolved. I'm so glad that I found you way back when
Happy Blogoversary! This is so fun to hear about your beginnings!
I had so much fun reading this and you've given me an idea when I reach my one year anniversary which isn't for another several months.
Happy 1 year Blog anniversary!
Ah, such sage words of advice. I definitely remember those early days of blogging. I seriously hope that no one ever goes digging through my archives to find them!
Happy Blogiversary!!!
happy blogerversary! Can't wait to read more about this…
Congrats!
I think we all bumble around for awhile before we get in the groove.
Congrats on one year!! I don't think Jenners Jabbers is too bad. It's kind of cute.
I love your blog. Jenners Jabbers… hmmm… thats interesting
Thanks for sticking it out. Happy blogiversary!
So glad you started blogging! And happy anniversary!
I feel like you did when you started!
Congrats on the first year! I wish I had a different name for my blog as well. Oh well. I think I will always be learning!
We must have started at about the same time. Blogging wouldnt be the same without you so stick to it k?
Wow, you made it a year…awesome!
I actually thought about my blog name before I started…that ended my preparation on this adventure.
Since then it's been seat of the pants.
I spent a lot of time lurking in other blogs to find things I liked. I viewed the source code to find out where they got the cool stuff.
Is there a Blogging for Dummies book?
My blogiversary is coming up next month! Your story made me chuckle–you could have been writing mine. I'm still playing the meme's. I find I love them and it's a great way to meet people. I'm looking forward to reading the rest of your installments this week.
Congrats on your 1 year! Can't wait to see your next post on phase 2.
I began in August of 08 and then quit in December. But I couldn't stay away and started a new blog in April.
Happy Anniversary!!!! I was going to sing the Happy anniversary song, but it's just not quite the same typed out. Just a bunch of endless happy anniversaries lol. ANYWAY….
I'm stealing this idea when my year comes around in April. I never even read a regular blog until I was already blogging for about a month. Only a screenwriters blog and a sit-com writers blog. Oh and I think a food blog. Ahhh, the many stages of a new blogger lol.
Congrats on the one year! November is my one year also, just in a couple of more weeks.
I had no idea about different layouts or any of that stuff either and would have done it differently too.
Excited to read the rest.
Congrats dear! I, too, have a "blogoversary" coming upon me… I think I will have to do some sort of giveaway….(and I missed doing a giveaway in October, egads!). But with the house, and now my home computer has fizzled, it might be tough, but I will persevere! I am so glad to "know" you through your blog. You've made me laugh. You've made me cry. You are a delight.
Enjoy the day!
Erin
I did give you your present early; thought I should mention that so you aren't looking for it all over the place today.
cheers.
Haha. I could have written this post, and probably will write my own version (just tweek yours a bit actually), but I have until February for the one year part. I won't really use your actual words, I promise.
I wonder about switching to wordpress; I technically have a blog over there which I never use-but I like their style.
I've seen your comments on blogs I like…consider me a gift for your 1 year anniversary; I am a new follower!
For $10 a year you can buy your own domain name and then it can be whatever you want it to be now
Blogger will redirect all traffic to your new address.
I love this! Sounds like my humble beginnings as a blogger. I love reading your BLOG and am so happy that you are celebrating 365 days of sharing yourself with the world!
PS- I SO agree about the Widgets!