The exact date is a bit hard to pin down because some of my earliest entries were culled some time ago. However, August 3, 2007 looks like the first public entry of any substance. So, without any further ado, I can say that I’ve been blogging for a year now.

It’s been a year of ups and downs. I’ve learned a lot about blogging, technology, and a whole universe of other important information. I’ve come into contact with a number of wonderful people who have been very welcoming and helpful.

Blogging has been a life-changing experience for me. It hasn’t been as big as, say, a near-death experience or winning the lottery, but I feel like I’m answering a calling of some kind. It does feel like I’ve discovered a missing part of my life and this is all going… somewhere.

The other ongoing revelation, of course, is that I’m continually learning how much I have to learn about blogging, technology, communication, and life in general. Every time that I think I have a firm grasp on what’s going on, I discover something new that makes me realize how much there is to learn.

If there is one piece of advice about blogging that I could impart, one that I haven’t seen repeated endlessly, I would strongly suggest that anyone who’s starting blogging should really take some time to learn about the history and people who have been involved in blogging. Cycles, patterns, and personalities emerge throughout the history of this ten year old medium (although the seeds that sowed blogging started closer to twenty-five years ago) and you can get a lot of insight from understanding all of this. The same is true for any current event: do your own research and get the facts about any current issue. That can help prevent many, many misunderstandings and hard feelings.

I’ve tried to treat everyone that I encounter with respect and, for the most part, I think I’ve succeeded. That’s been very helpful for me.

And so, onto year 2, where I’ll continue to work on creating big things from small places.

Thanks for your support!

Note: the title of this blog post is a lyric from Message In A Bottle by the Police.

EDIT:  for more perspective on blogging, Steven Hodson of WinExtra has a similar piece talking about his blogging experiences.  You should also check out the link to an earlier post that he wrote on this topic.

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