200. Wow never thought I'd still be here ...

Monday, October 24, 2005

Yes, you can see the number of this entry, and I can honestly say I never imagined this blog still to be in use or written in on a daily base in any case. This is my third attempt at blogging in the last year. My first was just a bit under a year ago on tripod, and then in January I tried to start again on Blogger. That blog didn't catch on for me either. I had been writing in an online journal on one or another of the journaling sites since July 2001, but blogging just wasn't clicking for me.

So sometime back in March, I tried yet again. This time I did things a bit differently. I found Blogcritics, and I began writing reviews there. If I didn't have anything to write about I would write up a review to post on here and there. I also submitted my blog over at RTB and a few other blog directories. I don't write for Blogcritics as much now. I write more than I did when I wrote for them, but I think I decided I wanted my reviews to be a bit exclusive to my review site. I wanted people to come to me. A bit risky, but it seems that risk is paying off for me.

Then I started reading other blogs and making friends. I kept finding other authors with blogs. I'd find one, and that would lead me to others, and then I began commenting and getting involved. Then people started coming here and commenting me. Yes, I was shocked at first because I never really thought anyone would be interested. Hell, most of my daily ramblings over on my personal journal probably caused many of the people that are my friends yawn on a daily basis.

Soon I started updating more, and I'm not even sure when it became a daily exercise. Blogging used to be one of the first things I did when I came online everyday. Blogging here has led me to maintain two other blogs that also have daily updates, my review site and my news and gossip blog over at Media Village, which I will be paid to maintain. Never imagined I'd turn into a little blogging machine, but I have. Now if only I can find a way to balance all my blogging with my fiction writing. I'm still trying to find that balance. However, that is a discussion for another time.

Since I've begun blogging here, I've met so many other writers, and in my blog hopping each day I meet more and more. One thing this blog has helped me with is writing something every day. I maintained this blog daily up until recently. Now I give myself Sundays off because by the time the weekend rolls around I'm burnt a bit. I want to thank everyone that stops by on a daily basis at this blog and leaves comments. I enjoy reading many of your blogs as well. I don't see myself giving up this blog any time soon.

Later on this week, I plan to talk more about blogging and take a look at some of the blog traffic exchanges I use to bring more readers to my site. One such traffic exchange is Blogexplosion. They are a bit more than just a traffic exchange, and they offer a lot of services for the blogger. I'll talk more about later this week, but one new service they have implemented in the last week is called Rent my blog. For a small fee, paid in credits (no cash involved), a blogger can rent ad space on another blogger's blog. Two blogs have rented space on my blogs for the week. One on here and the other on my review site. Both blogs this week are blogs belonging to fellow writers so hop on over to the sidebar and check their blogs out! The blog on my review site will only be up til tomorrow night, and then I'll open that space for another blog.

For those looking for my review of last night's Grey's Anatomy, check over on One Couch Critic for that here. Have a great night everyone!