Sunday Salon: Seven Years a Blog!

This blog is seven years old today, and while that milestone hasn’t made me quite as reflective as some previous ones have, I can’t let it go by without a few remarks for the occasion.
There have been times when the very idea of a blog–let alone my blog–lasting this long seemed ludicrous, and times when the idea of not having it seemed equally ridiculous. There have been times when what I’ve done with this blog turned out to be…well, let’s not say “ridiculous” here, but just acknowledge that there have been missteps and mistakes and backtracking along the way. The course of true blogging never did run smooth. (If you’re going to steal, and paraphrase, quotes, steal from the best).
This blog’s full name is, as you know, The 3 R’s: Reading, ‘Riting, and Randomness, reinforced by the tagline “It’s not just a title, it’s a mission statement.” If there’s a philosophy underlining them both, I think “true blogging” would sum it up pretty well, and here’s how I’d define that:
  • blogging about what you care about
  • blogging with your own voice,
  • blogging when, and how, it works for you
“To thine own blog be true,” as the saying goes (well, not really). In seven years, over nearly 2100 posts, a few hundred pictures, and more words than I’d ever want to count, through meanderings and missteps and occasional good ideas, I’d like to think that “true blogging” is what I’ve been doing, and I know it’s what I mean to do going forward.
On this seventh blogiversary, I’d like to thank you for coming along on this blogging journey with me, and I hope you’ll stay around for whatever comes next.
(This week’s Gratuitous Photo was created using my newest photo-editing app acquisition, Handy Photo, available for both iOs and Android devices).

flower arrangement December 2013

(What comes next now are the weekly updates, since I tweaked the post format a bit today.)
What I’m reading
  • in print / on screen
I have three blog tours coming up during the first two weeks of April, and I suspect my print-reading time will be pretty well occupied with all of those. I’m still reading Fic: Why Fanfiction Is Taking Over the World on the iPad, and I don’t think I’ve highlighted so many sections of a book since college. I’m eager to talk about this one, although I’m still planning to tie it to when I post my thoughts on Fangirl.
  • on audio
After finishing the abridged, author-read audio of Bill Bryson’s A Short History of Nearly Everything, I immediately bought the unabridged version and started listening to that. It was a good call. The shorter version was almost like an abstract, but now I get the whole thing–and even if it’s not in Bryson’s actual voice, I’m getting much more of his writing this time, and liking it even more.
What I’m watching

I probably won’t be watching much at all this week. My husband’s going out of town for work, and I don’t really turn on the TV when he’s not around–I expect to spend my evenings with my books.
What I’m writing

I need to get a couple of reviews written this week–when I’m not reading during those three nights on my own, I’ll be working on those (if I don’t get them done today, which is probably a safe assumption.)
This week, I revisited a post from my archives for Throwback Thursday, and I’m planning to make that a regular occurrence. Everything old is new again.
What caught my eye this week

At Beth Fish Reads, the start of a series on her own “eMergence” as an eReader:

So after wasting my money on unused gadgets and being frustrated with my book choices, I lost interest. That is until last fall when I finally found the magic combination of devices, software, and sources that turned me into an eMerging eReader.

The World Wide Web (you know, “www.“) turned 25 this week, and you can still access the very first website. The Internet itself is older, but these days we tend to use the terms interchangeably. Among 25 reasons to celebrate the WebNet, via BlogHer:

Storytelling: Thanks for giving people a means to tell their story; one that doesn’t have a gatekeeper. There are reasons the internet needs to remain a free space and this is a HUGE one. 

Access: Thank you, internet, for making people accessible – whether they are company owners, organizations, actors, news rooms, etc. The barriers to conversation are knocked away by your powers (and everyone agreeing to take part). 

The Biggest Brain in the World: I mean, Mother Earth certainly trumps it, as do the secrets of the universe, but the internet is growing everyday as people have the opportunity to add their knowledge. That’s cool. So thanks for being cool. 

Hilarious Cat and Dog Photos: I needn’t say more. Thank you, internet!

What are you up to this weekend?

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12 comments

  1. Congrats on the seven years! I hit six years in February and forgot about it. I tend to always forget about it. February is not all that memorable for me!

  2. 7 years is really an accomplishment! Like Ti, I always forget my anniversary, especially lately since I've been slacking. Who knows, maybe I'll pick things back up again someday. I know I never thought I'd make it this far.

  3. Hmmm… I think my comment got eaten, sorry if this comes in twice!

    Belated happy seven years of blogging. That is such an accomplishment. Every time I see a blogger I love hit another year, it makes me happy — we're still here! I feel similar to you, sometimes I wonder why I still have the blog, and other times I can't imagine why I wouldn't still be doing it. We'll have to toast to long-lived blogs and (even better) blogging friends at the LATFOB in April!