365 days of blogging

Well the milestone has been reached and the year is complete. What started off as an idea that sounded like a good one but without any real experience of the web or an idea of the commitment involved quickly became a passion that has continued day in and day out since July 14 2006.

There are various lessons that have been learnt on the way and there have been some overwhelming positives that include reading more books, encountering like-minded bloggers and being challenged through reading other people’s thoughts to read different authors. The later has been particularly good because it has led to some interesting experiences and should lead to a lot more.

The downside has been the loneliness that you can feel when the traffic is low and there is a pressure; of course it is self-imposed to write everyday. The posting everyday is something that has caused quite some tension at home and made life difficult on holidays and weekends. Maybe now the year is up there will be a chance to reflect and take some days off but it is unlikely because my nature is to read everyday and view the blog as something that should be updated on a regular basis.

If I was asked what the past year had meant it would be on balance overwhelmingly positive. It has handed someone who is pigeon holed in a job the chance to show they have different interests. It has provided a chance to engage with the entire Web 2.0 phenomenon and understand why it is important to look as much outwards as inwards. Finally it has provided a structure and a place to help read more.

One thing that I am aware has been absent, particularly when you read other lit blogs, is some of the longer academic type posts that try to take on an author or an issue in their work. I am not afraid to do those and the next blogging year might well see more of those types of thoughts being shared.

Thanks for reading, commenting and making this all seem worthwhile. I have enjoyed it so far and hope you have as well. Here’s to the year ahead!

Now back to the birthday cake…