I have been doing this whole book blogging thing for three and a half years now. Sometimes it seems like a lot longer, sometimes it seems like I started yesterday. But either way, I know that my attitudes and reactions and knowledge has changed so much over those years. And I started to think about what that evolution looks like. Were the changes drastic? Or was I pretty much the same blogger as I was back then? The answer, it seems, is the former. So I broke it down, and figured why not share? I like to share. (Hence the whole blogging thing, right?)

Newbie Shannon: “What are those? How does one obtain those? Why do I care?” (This is called “blissful ignorance.)

2 Year Old Shannon: “STATS. Need all the stats. Are they good enough? They have to be better!” Checks stats obsessively; cries over slight decrease. Forbids self from checking stats more often than once a week because it is causing excessive panic.

Shannon Today: Doesn’t even have the app on her phone anymore. Still gives declining stats the side-eye, but has a modicum of control over how much it ruins her day.

Newbie Shannon: I shall type any and all thoughts into this large block of text. There is no rhyme or reason, so good luck, friends. Here, have a GIF! Or twenty.”

2 Year Old Shannon: Is this review professional enough, if it is going to a publisher? Let’s make sure I sound like I have a clue what I am talking about. Non-review book? Here, have some more GIFs!”

Shannon Today:

And clearly, you still get a GIF. Some things never change, I guess?

Newbie Shannon: Wait, don’t I just review books? Oh, I know, MEMES!”

2 Year Old Shannon: Has much to discuss from a couple years of experiencing new things. Writes like she’s running out of time.

Shannon Today: Already wrote about all the things. Is at a loss, because books haven’t exactly changed a whole lot. Spends endless amounts of time staring at bookshelves hoping for a lightbulb idea moment that never comes.

Newbie Shannon: This free Blogger design is fine, right? 

2 Year Old Shannon: Wait, is this font okay? Does the color match with that other heading? Here, someone take ALL my money and make this look “professional”. And then I will just go ahead and overhaul it anyway, just to be sure. Can’t be too sure. Let’s change that background color to a slightly lighter shade of gray. Crap, now that font is a little too light. Back to square one!

Shannon Today: A redesign would be fun! Also, too lazy. (But will continue to swear that a redesign is coming. And no, I still am not 100% happy with the damn fonts.)

Newbie Shannon: “Wow, look, those bloggers got books that aren’t even out yet! That is so cool! They must be famous!”

2 Year Old Shannon: “I will never be good enough for the ARCs. Why am I not good enough for the ARCs? Someone for the love of all that is holy, please tell me how to be good enough for the ARCs?!”

Shannon Today: Still doesn’t understand how to be good enough for the ARCs, tbh. While a case of the sads still happens from time to time, she realizes that she has zero percent control over it. (This does not absolve her from the occasional “why am I not good enough?” meltdown, but it’s less frequent.)

Newbie Shannon: Creates blog/writes a post introducing it. Does not post again for three weeks. (To be fair, has a human being ripped from her abdomen in that span, and it spends some time in the NICU so….)

2 Year Old Shannon: Must. Post. Every. Day. All posts up by midnight. Without fail. This is NOT a drill.

Shannon Today: Three or four times a week is cool. Sometimes more. Sometimes less. Doesn’t think anyone cares, and it is far less stressful.

Newbie Shannon: Commenting on someone else’s blog? That is SCARY. Cannot handle.

2 Year Old Shannon: Comment on all the blogs of ever. Reply to all comments every day. Comment back on every comment, no matter what. Never sleep.

Shannon Today: Tries to comment back as much as possible. Always tries to visit her faves. Replies when she can. Less cranky.

Newbie Shannon: Knows no one. Too scared to reach out to anyone. Stays hidden and types into the void.

2 Year Old Shannon: Other bloggers seem so fun! Hopes one day to have blogger friends that she can meet for realsies.

Shannon Today: Has literally had fellow bloggers play with her small humans. (Hi Val!) Met more than she can count. Considers them among her bestest friends. 

So, what is the bottom line here? I think I may have finally succeeded in calming down, actually! This was a successful and healthy little exercise! 

What about you? Have you evolved a lot throughout the course of your blogging time? I would love to hear all about your evolution!! 

Posted March 9, 2017 by Shannon @ It Starts at Midnight in Discussion, Discussion Challenge / 90 Comments

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90 responses to “Book Blogger Evolution

  1. I feel this soooooo much! I just hit three years and I definitely have hit most of the *stages* that you have (including the still-occasional existential crisis about being good enough for ARCs). However, I feel like I’m more laid back now yet getting the most interaction/joy out of blogging than I ever have before, so I’m happy with where I am! Like you, I really had to look at blogging as something I do for FUN and not something that was work or stressful, even if that meant taking the occasional hiatus or realizing it was OK if I didn’t reply to every single comment.Congrats on 3.5 years and I hope you find many more years of blogging in the future!

    • Aw thank you!! And I agree so much- it takes time to really realize that this is supposed to be FUN, you know? And yep, I still have my moments- even with the things I have calmed down with the most- I think because we DO take pride in what we do, which is a good thing! But it is also good to put it in perspective, which I am trying to do- and which I am glad you are doing too! 😀

  2. OMG so true. Although I guess I’d thought you had been blogging longer? And lol about memes- hey there’s one for every day if we look hard enough right??? I was so ridiculous my first whole year *snort*

    And commenting- that part about must comment everywhere at all times. Yup it takes over your life at some point. then you reach the stage now where it’s all more relaxed, no need to take a Valium. But I think a TON of bloggers can relate to this- I know I can. And reviews- man those old reviews are cringe worthy, I just want to delete!!

    “Whatever the hell we want” lol. Bellamy was BADASS in that first season- yeah a jerk but so what. :):)

    • Seriously, I used to LOVE a meme. I even tried to invent my own back at the start- just because I didn’t know what the hell to post, ever.

      I am still some days at Valium-level with commenting but…. I try to relax about it and MOST days it works. Emphasis on most 😉 And the old reviews… UGH. I would delete them, but I figure they make Today Shannon look better by comparison. Or something.

      “Whatever the hell we want” is my current blogging mantra. Even though it did NOT work out well for Bellamy in Season 1 ? Maybe they should go back to that and see what happens? Anarchy in the midst of radiation sounds like a plot twist I could get on board with!

  3. Sam

    This is such a fun post. Love reading about your evolution. WLABB is not new, but I am a new contributor. It’s a small blog, so we don’t get all those lovely free physical ARCs I see, but that is ok, because I just like to read and share my thoughts. I will say, it was fun seeing/meeting bloggers I follow when I was in Chicago for BEA and at a smaller event in NYC this past summer. There are a lot of wonderful people in the community, and when you are surrounded by non-readers, who just don’t get you, it’s nice to know there are so many other voracious readers out there.

    • Aw thank you! It really is the BEST meeting fellow bloggers- and I am pretty salty at BEA for denying us the chance this year. I hope that there will still be opportunities to meet people at other events, it is seriously such a great community!

  4. I love this post so much Shannon! Definitely when you past the 2 year mark, you realise that blogging isn’t the chore that we’ve all made it into and it’s much less stressful to fit it around your life, rather than make it your life. I’m so glad we’ve reached that point where we can stress a bit less about blogging, because it’s supposed to be fun!

    • Aw thanks love! And you are so right– you have to like, realize that it isn’t life or death, and no one is going to combust if your blog post isn’t perfect. I do still have moments where I struggle, where I wish I was more successful, but I think that is just because I am ridiculous 😉 At least it’s progress!

  5. I just hit two years and I am mostly at your two year stage on most things but heading toward your Shannon Today stage. The commenting kills me. I have guilt over it. But I am getting to the point I need to change something because I have NO TIME anymore. I have been thinking about a blog design change for months but man am I lazy (and broke) so yeah I will just keep thinking about it. Love this post ♥

    • Thank youuu! And GAH the commenting. It used to literally keep me from sleeping. Actually, right now it is too, so yours shall be the last 😉 But like- I was burning out SO BAD. Even just a few months ago, I was like… not okay. Just under too much pressure- self inflicted, of course. And something HAD to give. EIther I was going to have to quit or calm the fuck down. And while yes, I DO still have moments (pretty frequent ones at that), I am definitely MUCH better about it. I just have to keep telling myself “hey, this is supposed to be FUN, not anxiety-inducing!”

      Also, one of these days, we’ll get to those redesigns. Or not ?

  6. I love this so much! I can also relate a lot. A lot. I’ve had to calm down and stress less. You can’t have small humans and put a gazillion hours into blogging…and check your stats every few minutes. 🙂 I do need to stop stressing so much on commenting, but it’s hard!

    • Aww thanks! I agree- it is SO hard, it isn’t like I can just walk away from the small humans and be like “hey, need to schedule a post, good luck with dinner” or something ?

      The commenting thing is still my BIGGEST struggle. Because I think it is what I feel most guilty about, since I actually CARE about these people who are commenting, you know? But then I also have to realize that I simply and mathematically could not possibly respond to AND return each one so… something has to give eventually! I still try hard, of course, but I have to be reasonable too! I feel your struggle!

      • I got your comment on my Wing Jones review! For some reason it takes awhile for comments to show up on my blog. It’s like they get caught in a cache or something. I should probably see if it can be fixed because it’s super annoying.

  7. HAHAHA This is SO relatable! I do not miss the days of being obsessed with stats. And my ARC policy now is that unless it’s something I would read immediately, I say no to the publisher because otherwise I’ll just feel guilty. But it does seem like there’s no rhyme or reason to the distribution of them sometimes!

    • WOW that is awesome that you can just say no! I mean, I am not asked very often bwahah so that isn’t an issue for me 😉 But seriously, stressing about stats is SO counterproductive- it isn’t like we can force views, right? Thanks so much for stopping by!

  8. Aww this is such a great post!! I’ve only been blogging for under the year, yet I feel like I can relate to a lot of your observations! ?? at the start, I was stressed as hell, and because of that I fell into a blogging slump..Now, that it’s been about ten months, I’m kind of like…if I write a post I like, I’ll put it up. But if I write something and I absolutely hate it, then I suppose there’s no post that day.
    I’m still trying to get over that feeling like I’m writing into the void, and seeing you having gown over that hill and made friends with other bloggers is so encouraging!!
    Great post once again!! Keep up the good work!
    -Sam.

    • Aww thank you! I think it is SO awesome that you have kind of figured all this out so quickly! Seriously, I think you have saved yourself a LOT of trouble by realizing this stuff now. Because you are so right- why post if you are not feeling it?

      And yes, it will DEFINITELY come! The friends thing for me didn’t happen til probably a year and half into it- and even then, it was awhile before I really became close with people. But you will absolutely find that place! 😀

  9. I went through a lot of these stages, especially the commenting one. When I started blogging, I read a lot of blogs, but I was terrified to comment on them. What if I said something stupid and everybody hated me? That hasn’t happened yet. I’ve been pretty calm about stats. I’ve never even had an accurate way to track them. Post frequency is still something I’m working on. Logically, I know that no one will care if I miss a few days, but I DON’T WANT TO!

    • HAHHA SAME with the commenting! Oh, I was SO. BAD. I would get so scared. I would type up a comment, and then just close the page because I would be too scared! Luckily, I got past that too hahah. And GOOD that you don’t know how to track stats. I refuse to tell you 😉 (Kidding, I would, of course if you really wanted to know, but it IS better this way, just not worrying about it!)

      And I worried a LOT about the post schedule thing, but it ended up honestly not mattering- people would still seem to visit, and sometimes I’d end up with like, more comments on posts a few days later, you know? It ended up being less of a huge deal than I thought- BUT if you can do it and LIKE to do it, then by all means, post away, I love reading them! 😀

    • Aw thanks, love! And seriously, that is how I was! Legit NEVER SLEEPING because I could not stop. It was so bad, that eventually I had to be like “hey asshole, this is getting you nowhere, AND you may actually die from exhaustion, so STOP. IT.” and really, not much has changed since then, so apparently it wasn’t as life or death as I had assumed 😉

  10. I love this post so, SO MUCH and I can relate to it a lot. I think I’m a bit in between the 2 years and the now…which makes sense I guess since I’ve been blogging for a bit more than two years? Haha. It’s so important to remind ourselves that blogging needs to stay something we enjoy doing and love, and not a chore 🙂

  11. Whaaat?! There will come a time when I will relax more on the blogosphere? And it appears as if it is about a three year period…. goodness gracious me. I haven’t even been blogging for a year (of which I was absent for 4 months), so does that make me a serious newbie and I have over 2 years to get my act together and be as fabulous as you???? Stress stress stress……. no pressure here. Great post!! (You. Yours. This one. Not me. Me still sucks)

    • AW you are TOO SWEET. And you absolutely do NOT suck! I promise! In fact, you may be AHEAD of the curve here! I spent at LEAST the first 6 months not even like… functioning. So you are already a step ahead of me! But I swear, the comfort level WILL come- even if we do all still sometimes freak out a bit 😉

  12. I love this post! I have been blogging for over two years and I feel like I have evolved too, especially with the ARCs. When I first started blogging, I was a lot more envious of other bloggers and I also felt like I had to request ALL the ARCs just because I could. Big mistake. I am still jealous on occasion, but I have learned to deal and I also only request ARCs that I am really excited about. And I have cut myself some slack over how often I post and how often I reply back to comments. I do it when I can and that’s okay.

    • Aw thanks! I agree, I have definitely learned to reign it in! I do still get the jealousy from time to time, because hello, we are human after all hahah. And YEP I am the same way now with posting and commenting. You have to, otherwise I think we just drive ourselves batty!

  13. Haha, a lot of these must be true for pretty much everyone! On almost everything, I have the same exact progression by year of blogging-time. 🙂 In general, I was super cavelier/oblivious, then learned all the things you’re supposed to do and tried to do them OBSESSIVELY. And now am a lot more low-key about a lot of it 🙂

  14. Haha, this is so fun to read! ? I still consider myself a sort of newbie blogger since I’ve only been around for two months and a couple of weeks, but it’s been really fun so far! I feel like I’m not really making it stressful since I don’t force myself to like and comment on every post, I’m a month ahead in blog posts, and I have a schedule that works for me. ARC envy is my weakness and so are successful bloggers that seem to have it all! But it’s nice to see some “sage advice” from someone who’s been around for a while! ?

    • Aw thank you!! And good for you for being so calm about it! The fact that you are scheduled ahead is REALLY impressive! And I don’t think ARC envy ever *fully* goes away (unless I guess you are one of those bloggers who never has to worry about getting books, in which case, I am jealous 😉 ) but it becomes… more manageable. Most days 😉

  15. This is delightful! And the little bubbles over the O’s are adorable.

    I just have this weird thing where I feel guilty for not caring about ARCs. Like, I already have more to read than I can ever get through, why do I want to compete for an early look at a book that will still be there later? But then I feel like, well if I were a REAL blogger, I would take the time to figure out ARCs and support upcoming books. And I keep telling myself that the reason I have about two followers is because I don’t know how to structure my blog for easy following. This is based on something my sister told me about a week after I started blogging, and probably isn’t actually true, but it makes me feel better. Otherwise, I pretty much DGAF about the “rules” and expectations.

    • Aww thanks! And nooooo do NOT feel bad about not wanting ARCs- feel… HEALTHY. Seriously, not having that pressure, or the jealousy, or the feeling like you HAVE to read something? That must be GLORIOUS. And honestly, I think publishers and authors appreciate backlist reviews just as much- if not MORE- because it gets the word out after the buzz has died down- when it NEEDS help the most!

      And your sister is silly, ignore her. You are AWESOME and I love your blog! I say good for you for not worrying about the “rules”- I bet you are MUCH happier for iT!

  16. Kel

    I’ve been blogging for about three and a quarter years and, with fewer gifs and no paid/professional site design (because I’m a cheapskate), I’ve basically seen the same stages. My posting has gone WAY down with law school and…I just don’t have the energy to really worry about it much. I still don’t fully get the ARC thing either. I do a small amount of eARCs and I received a few finished copies recently, but no clue. I’m glad it’s become less stressful though. I mean, it’s supposed to be fun, right? 😉 Thanks for sharing!

    • Hahahha I only paid twice. Well- once and a half- I bought a Blogger design from Etsy, which worked out remarkably well! This one I paid for but then redid the whole damn thing myself because something happened to my site and it was all lost. So the basic gist I paid for, I guess 😉

      But seriously, law school of COURSE comes first- and that is okay! I think people will still be around, you know? I find that we end up liking the BLOGGER, not just the blog, so I am just happy to know everyone is doing well! And YES- it is definitely supposed to be fun!

  17. I love this so much!! And I relate to Now Shannon a LOT, especially with the posting schedule (omg I was so exhausted going every day when I started?) and with the comment replies. I mean, I literally went from “if I don’t reply toe very comment EVERYONE WILL HATE ME AND THINK I’M A SNOB” to now where I’m like “well occasionally I can skip like no one’s even going to notice”.??So much more chill. Although I went from coveting ARCs to preferring to read whatever I buy because then I don’t have to feel guilty if I hate them. Bahaha. I’m terrible.

    It’s actually awesome seeing how our blogging self’s change! I think sometimes it’s for the better! And sometimes, like I do feel SO much more cautious about what I post and I’m terrified of discussing anything too deep because of the backlash. ?? So there was comfort in being a small teeny tiny blogger back in the day. BUT YET I STILL LOVE BLOGGING AND WILL NEVER STOP BASICALLY. *flails from the rooftops*

    • Aw thanks! I skip a LOT now. Like, if it doesn’t require a response… it does not get one 😉 Because I just CAN’T. I want to! I do! But… alas. I mean, just responding to this ONE POST has taken me like a week so… yeah. And I am only like halfway done because I am a mess!

      I think it is awesome that you no longer care about ARCs. It is my goal one day I think. I don’t know if I will ever get there but… I want to! I do know what you mean about posting controversial stuff- I get that worry too. And I DEFINITELY get why you do, because EVERYONE and their mom knows who you are. So that has to be daunting for sure. And GOOD, you are not ALLOWED TO STOP EVER. Even after you become more famous 😉

  18. Yes yes yes yes the last point IS THE BEST AND WHAT YOU SHOULD TAKE FROM THIS POST SHANNNNNNNON. Because I am the best and I would play with your humans all day (but maybe not haha).

    Also to the rest of this. Yeah I don’t care about stats anymore as NO ONE cares. Also um yeah, I don’t post much anymore. LIFE PEOPLE LIFE

  19. I’m glad you’ve calmed down a lot over the years. It sounds like you’ve figured out what’s most important and gotten into a new groove. That’s awesome. I’ll be blogging for 10 years in August, and I’m still always learning. 🙂

    -Lauren

  20. Love this post. I am about two years in and see so much of myself in here. I think I have evolved and feel so less stressed now than I ever have before.

  21. I can relate to this SO HARD! When I first started blogging (5 years ago now, WHAT?!) I was so shy to speak to anyone, I didn’t even know arcs existed and when I did find out about them I thought it would be impossible for me to ever get sent any and I also just posted reviews and memes and the posts were such a mess. I cringe every time I look at my old posts. Bleh.

  22. You totally nailed these. I remember I used to stay up to read/comment/set up post until like 2am and now I’m like ehhh, It can wait until the morning. Last night I went to bed at 10:30 and it was great.
    And I just cannot keep up with the commenting. I just caved today and made a separate list on my Bloglovin on my favorite blogs that I know I definitely want to comment more on. It’s easier this way to go through a few instead of trying to go through so many posts.
    I think the only one I’m different on is the ARC’s as you know I’ve lost all interest in them. Give it another 2 years and you probably will too 🙂

    • HAHAH I hope you are right about losing interest! I know so many people have, and I am (impatiently) waiting my turn. I hate feeling shitty because of them!

      And wow, I don’t have any idea when the last time I went to bed before 4am was. Which is bad. It is partly insomnia, partly lack to time, but wow, it sounds amazing to like… SLEEP. I have definitely calmed down with the blog stuff though- like you, I used to stay up until at least 2, but now I give myself time limits. Like, if I have something I *HAVE* to get up, I will give myself some leeway, but I usually try to stick to a 12-12:30 cutoff. SO much better. Now if the insomnia would stop I’d be all set 😉

      I think I need to do that on Bloglovin too, tbh. It’s time, sadly.

  23. This is so perfect! I think you describe the stages pretty much perfectly. The only one I do at all differently is that I still really TRY to reply and comment back as much as I possibly can (but I sometimes fail at the commenting back, and I don’t stress about it like I used to).

    I’m glad I’m not the only one who’s been struggling with discussion ideas too. It makes me feel almost hypocritical since I’m so in love with the discussion challenge, but lately my discussion barrel has been bone dry. I still love reading them, but I haven’t been nearly as inspired to write them. 🙁

    • I DO try really hard- BUT I often have to just let things go at some point. I try to respond to every comment that NEEDS a response, and certainly discussions and such. But if a few reviews go unresponded to? Well, I can’t get TOO caught up on it because I will drive myself insane.

      And YES! SAME! Like we are supposed to be Discussion People! And I am over here like “nothing to sayyyy”. And I LOVE writing them- and reading them!- but I am just… out of thoughts altogether. It is a struggle. Hopefully the inspiration will come back soon for us both

  24. This post made me laugh because I used to be just the same. I had that period of time when I would be checking my statistics like crazy. Now I never really do it. When I remember to, I am always surprised like WHOA I’m not doing as badly/well as I thought. I also try to comment back when I can but you know, life. I usually spend like two days a month doing all the commenting, and then disappear for weeks. Whoops.

    • Hahahha I am glad it made you laugh! Mine is the opposite- I look at them sporadically and am like “YIKES what the hell happened here!?” ?

      And hey, I think however you can manage, you do! It is hard, there’s just a finite amount of time, and you have to LIVE too!

  25. This post basically feels like my progression in blogging except the middle stage lasted about a month and I realised it was way too stressful and made me hate blogging. I also haven’t met anyone from my blog in person because people terrify me and I am antisocial. I did come to realise that I really love the people I’ve met whilst blogging because it’s fun to make blog friends. I still stare enviously at ARCs but then I have a Netgalley problem so I never have a shortage of ARCs to read and I do still question how a lot of bloggers aren’t as horribly broke as I am with my book buying problem but I think that has more to do with my impulse control than anything else.

    • BWHAH I love that your middle stage was so short! Teach me your wayyyys! I think the middle stage was my longest- and I am only JUST now starting to grow out of it a bit. I am also horribly broke and have a book buying problem- so I feel you there completely! I mean, maybe we both just have impulse control problems, but still 😉

  26. hahah I love this! I can relate to a few of them. The post idea one. Yep. Things haven’t changed much since I started blogging and I frequently run out of ideas. Especially my “blog help” posts. There’s really only SO MUCH I can talk about with that. As for stats, I’ve actually never cared? I check every now and then to see how many people follow my blog but I never look at page views or things like that. IDK. People comment on my posts, that’s good enough >.<

    It is a lot less stressful when you just stop caring about some of these things. Blogging is supposed to be fun!

    • Aw thanks! YES! That is the thing! Nothing changes *that* significantly with books, so how many things can we really say!? So then ideas become… harder. And good for you for never caring about stats! I don’t even know why I cared! It didn’t get me anywhere so… why did I freak out? You are SO RIGHT about it being fun too. That is what I have to remind myself every now and then 😀

    • Aw thank you! It will pass, I promise 😉 It is really just like… I think it has to get out of your system. OR, maybe you just have to get so exhausted that you realize that if you don’t calm down you are either going to hate blogging or straight up collapse hahah.

  27. Getting over the “stats are the most important thing!” hump was my biggest, most satisfying moment in my own blogger revolution. I’m gonna join you in some serious side–eyeing of the declining stats, but really…not worth the angst I used to give it. Fonts are the worst and they should seriously consider giving us a break. Do they even REALIZE how difficult it is to select the right one? *wails*

    Other than my never ending font drama, I agree with you Shannon: I’ve definitely mellowed over the blogging years and it’s made the process a whole lot more fun.

    • YES, so much yes! Like- we can’t grab people’s heads and force them to look at our blogs, so why bother getting worked up over it? And the thing is- I am NOT the type to try super hard to promote myself, so what else would I even do? NOTHING, which is why I cannot look at them anymore. And SERIOUSLY with the fonts. You think it is nice, and in theory, it is, but ON the actual blog it ends up looking a mess! Can’t win!

      And I am SO glad that you have been able to mellow out too- I have just started the mellowing but already it has been SO much less stressful, and I am on board with that! 😀

  28. Fun post, Shannon. I can relate to much of this, and sadly notice that blogging seems more in decline than anything. It makes me sad because this community is fun and great to hang out with. Especially when it’s this book community – sometimes we need our book friends to rant over a character or gush over one.

    I’ve changed a great deal in my years of blogging. I began before I knew anything about book blogging, and wanted a “professional” outlet in the hopes of improving my writing. That has gone out the window, and I’ve “met” so many like-minded, creative and bookish people as a result.

    Congrats on three years! 🙂

    • Aw thanks! And yeah, I agree with you- I think it comes and goes in waves though, so I don’t know that it is a permanent decline, I just think that new shiny venues (like Instagram) come into play and people get distracted by that, but I think they come back around. I hope, anyway 😉

      I agree, it is such an evolution, trying to find the right “fit”, you know? I suppose we will keep changing as long as we do this- maybe in a few years, I’ll have a new step to add 😀

  29. LOVE THIS! I think I’m a mixture of Newbie and 2 Year Old. I’ve been blogging for 8 years but only just in the last 6 months really started blogging more and networking. I can totally relate to just about every one!

  30. Omg younger Bellamy. He looks so weird.. and well.. young. Haha. I think I prefer more worn Bellamy personally.

    My blogging ideals/thoughts/styles have changed throughout the years too. I used to be obsessed with stats and worried that no one found me because they weren’t “high” enough. Now I just brush them off. I blog because I love it and want to connect with other readers not because I want lots of numbers and lots of freebies.

    • Bwhahha RIGHT!? Young Bellamy always looked… smarmy to me. Which I guess makes sense, given that his character WAS kind of smarmy back then. Worn Bellamy is EVERYTHING. 😉

      And yes! That is exactly how I was/am sometimes haha. And it is true- we have to remember the reason that we blog, and it isn’t for some silly numbers!

  31. This was super cute. It’s a fun way to illustrate how you found your happy place with blogging. I’m new but I think I’m a mix of all three stages: States! Comments! Networking! Ahhhh! But also has family I kinda like AND they kinda like to eat, so no time to really obsess. But in the back of my mind – Ahhhh!

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