My 10 year blogiversary and why I think blogging is still important

Tallskinnykiwi is ten years old today!

This blog you are reading was born on June 3, 2001 and it replaced my earlier blog, Andrew’s Tea Salon (from 1997). My yearly blogiversaries have become a wonderful part of my life, almost as meaningful to me as my real birthdays.

Thanks for coming along all these years and making it an enjoyable ride.

A little history and some milestones.

In 2003, Tallskinnykiwi, then on the blogger platform, reached Number 3 blog in the world according to Blogger Forum. From that great and wonderful height, perhaps never achieved by a religious blog, either before or after, it has tumbled embarrassingly and violently to nestle itself among mortal blogs and the hoi polloi. But among Christian and religion blogs it still manages to find its place.

It enjoyed the status of the highest ranking Christian blog for some time but since then has been bumping up and down the ladder, depending on how much time I have to blog (less and less) and how much wifi access I can find in the countries I visit. And of course there are much better blogs and bloggers than me and I am glad to blog in their shadow.

There are 3251 posts on this blog with 19, 622 comments. If it was a book, it would take a really really ridiculously long time to read. Heres a graph of what my blog looks like with your blogs attached to it.

Blogiversary blog image

I did the same graph exercise 5 years ago on my 5 year blogiversary

2 thoughts on the future of blogging:

1. As blogging continually finds itself supplemented by micro-blogging platforms like facebook and twitter, it is even more important to hold your own space on the web. Your blog is your playground, not someone else’s. It collects the streams of your virtual life, organizes them, presents them, and its something that you get to control and add your own flavor to.

2. As blogging moves from the computer screen to mobile devices, having an online presence will be increasingly important to point people to your published work and to host the conversation and comment regarding it. In the new world of e-publishing, bloggers will have the edge. The web is shifting from sites to apps, from viewing/surfing to downloading/reading, and that means there will be greater opportunity to get your self-published posts and thoughts into billions of devices, and greater scope to make some money from your work if that is important to you.

Blogging has come a long way in the past decade, but it is still in its infancy and there is a lot more that will happen in the future. Its not as punk rock as the early days but its still a vital part of self-publishing and providing compelling and accurate information to the world.

So be part of that future.

Blog on.

If you are interested in starting a blog, and I totally recommend you do, I have some friends who can help. I recommend Darren Rowse’s book Your First Week of Blogging, as well as checking out Tentblogger John Saddington. Both these guys are Christians and both will help you be a better blogger.

Earlier Blogiversaries:

June 3, 2004 – some thoughts on the blogsophere

June 3, 2005 – remembering the birth of TallSkinnyKiwi blog

June 3, 2006 – 5 year blogiversary and some games

June 3, 2007 – 6th year and thanks a million.

June 3, 2008 – 8th year. Taking a break

Andrew

Andrew Jones launched his first internet space in 1997 and has been teaching on related issues for the past 20 years. He travels all the time but lives between Wellington, San Francisco and a hobbit home in Prague.

17 Comments

  • Rodney Olsen says:

    Congratulations on a wonderful milestone and thanks for all the great posts.

  • Grayson Rob says:

    Congrats, Andrew, and thanks for sticking at it!

  • Jim Martin says:

    Congratulations Andrew on this milestone. Your persistance in blogging has been an encouragement to me (and I suspect to others as well). I have been blogging for 7 years and so have a feel for the discipline and persistance this takes.
    I also appreciate your take on why this is important for the future. Very encouraging.

  • Phil Wood says:

    Huge congratulations Andrew. You still show us how it’s done. Live the life and blog the blog! Shalom, phil.

  • Jonny says:

    You are a legend!

  • Hamo says:

    The old man of blogging is still going! Well done mate. You have inspired many of us. You were the first blog I ever read and I’m still with you

  • Nick Watts says:

    Andrew,
    Happy blogging anniversary! I have been following your blog now for 5 years. Thank You! You have inspired me to start my own blog. You might be interested. It is only 3 months old: http://www.readingtheology.com
    It was nice to have met you at the Horse Brass!
    Thanks Again,
    Nick Watts
    Bend, Oregon

  • Peggy says:

    I’m with Jonny — you are legend! And I am so grateful to you for the amazing legend you are … and blogging is just one part of it.
    Thanks for keeping it all in perspective, brother. And for keeping us closer to the bleeding edge — where you and your family live. And for showing us all another vision for sharing your life and living your faith (apologies to Brother Maynard :^) )
    Blessings on you all from your wee purple abbess ;^)

  • Steve Martin says:

    I’m new here, but I want to congratulate you.
    Another 10!

  • steve says:

    you got me started. surely it wasn’t almost 10 years ago?
    steve

  • Tom Goetze says:

    Congrats. After I’ve left my blog wither for 2 years I’m thinking about starting a new one. But I’m also conscious that I need to have stuff to write about and I just don’t know if my day to day life is that exciting to be honest. 😉

  • Brian LePort says:

    Congrats on ten years!

  • Jon says:

    Happy Anniversary Andrew – and thanks for a decade of inspiration and perseverence in the blogsphere.
    Grace and peace,
    Jon

  • Zema Chambers says:

    I caught up with you almost 10 years ago, so I have watched from afar as well. I actually lost track of you because of other things I have been doing the past 3 years. Congrats on your amazing accomplishment. Thanks for your work for the Kingdom!

  • Tentblogger says:

    ah man, thanks so much for the love! to sit next to darren is pretty insane… 😉
    congrats! 10 years is a long time!

  • David Short says:

    Belated Congratulations, Andrew,
    Keep checking your blog from time to time and trust we can meet again along the way at some stage.
    Thanks for your inspiriation….
    David

  • I’ll add my voice of congratulations. 10 years may not be long in the greater scheme of things but it does seem a long time in the electronic multi-verse world of blogging.
    Keep it up and may you inspire us all for another 10 ((at least) see you at greenbelt I’ll buy you a skinny latte chai (or something else culturally appopriate) to celebrate

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