Wait! What?! Why am I in your inbox again when I was here only 2 days ago. My readers know me as a weekly Blogger so why am I showing up again??!!
I admire those who make the time to blog daily, sometimes even several times a day, but I always thought I just don’t have the time or enough topics of interest to blog with such frequency. However, I have laid down the gauntlet and issued a personal challenge for myself. I have decided to end the year with a bang by completing 30 blog posts by December 31st, this is blog post # 24.
My first blog post was on July 14, 2018, and so far I have posted an average of once per week. Considering that I get bored with things easily I think there is something to be said about the fact that I have been able to maintain my Blog with some amount of consistency. I am rather proud of myself and I hope to continue the pace well into 2019.
WordPress has been a wonderful yet daunting place. I like to reciprocate so I read posts by other Bloggers who take the time to read my own. I follow those who follow me and I always “like” and “comment” on those posts I find fun and or interesting. All of this reciprocity does take time though and sometimes I find myself on WordPress for hours, which can be daunting when you have a ton of work to do, the type of work you get paid for, and let’s face it with only 24 hours in the day, and since I’m a girl who needs to get her beauty sleep, finding the time to search out new bloggers and read their well-written, interesting posts can be formidable when considering time constraints.
WordPress, however, has brought with it new “friends”. The anonymity on the site is real so half the people I don’t even know by their real names or what they look like, but what we do share is a desire to write and share our personal thoughts. We also like the validation of being “read” and for the most part the interaction with others, especially those who share our opinions, makes WordPress a fun place to escape to.
From the very beginning, there have been people I just clicked with and connected with, some even have differing views and opinions from mine but they are open to discussion and it is always good gaining another perspective, especially when it’s done in a non-confrontational manner.
I would never have thought when I created my Blog that I would have had this decent a connection with other WordPress users, when you think about it, I really didn’t even know what to expect. I mean there are people on here who actually look forward to my posts, that just blows my mind; and if I am late with posting I get an email inquiring about my whereabouts. Do you know how good that feels?! It’s awesome! Similarly, if a few of my “peeps” are off the grid for a couple of days, especially if they are daily bloggers I actually miss them and I wonder about them.
Recently I have had the privilege and pleasure of meeting in real life someone I connected with on WordPress. Yes, this actually happened. Heather and I first connected not on her Blog or even my own, but on someone else’s in the comment section when we both shared a similar opinion that one can, in fact, write a successful Blog about one own’s life, with general stories and anecdotes without a running theme. The writer of that particular Blog didn’t agree and Heather and I bonded over the fact that we “disagreed” with Mr. KnowItAll. Soon we had subscribed to each other’s Blogs and the rest as they say is history.
Heather has become an avid reader of mine and I don’t think she has missed even one of my posts. I try to do the same but I am pretty sure I have missed a couple of hers. Heather is a beauty blogger and self-proclaimed Avon Lady. Her posts are interesting and chock full of beauty tips that actually work. Like, who knew we were using hairpins incorrectly all along.π I have learned a lot from Heather and just last night I learned that eyelash curlers are not a thing of the past and that one can actually perm one’s eyelashes. Who knew?!
Heather and I took our communication off of WordPress only a couple of weeks after “meeting” and started doing regular email exchanges. She is funny and sweet, even though she doesn’t seem to think so. She is an excellent writer and can hold my interest even when writing about the most mundane subjects such as hairpins and what kind of rags to bring while traveling.π
Heather is also a technical whiz and I have often called on her to assist me with WordPress technical stuff. I am a writer, not a techie, even though I am quickly learning that these days both things go hand in hand, especially around here.
Heather lives in Oregon and recently visited New York City with her husband. We planned a double date (with our spouses) months in advance of her trip and by golly we actually made it happen. We dined at the trendy Tao restaurant and it was a fun, festive evening filled with good conversation and laughter. My husband, who is the complete opposite of me, and frowns upon social media and meeting strangers therefrom actually enjoyed meeting Heather and her husband.
WordPress has turned out to be a pretty interesting place. I never really considered it a social media platform, but I guess it is. I have discovered a whole new world of adventurous, mysterious, entertaining cohorts, which, in my opinion, is so very cool.
Heather and I.
How did I miss this? What a great story Raquel. There are quite a few people who disagree with the way we blog and say we should have a niche, but 20,000 views this year without any serious effort kinda kicks that theory into touch π Hope you and your Hubby have a terrific holiday π Love the photo by the way π
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Hahahaha….Thanks Charlie!!! Yeah, we are here to prove the entire “niche theory” wrong….Congrats on your 20,000 views man, that’s awesome!
All the best for the Season to you and yours! π
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Aww! That was so nice and very sweet. We never know where the world of Blogging will take us or WHO it will bring to us! – Connections are great!! Good Luck with making your #30! I know you’re going to do it in record time…
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Interesting. Blogging does take a lot of work. I have been at for a decade. Iβve lost interest three times. And, Iβm with you on spending hours just reading & commenting. But, I would rather be here than FB any day.
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True! True! It is very time consuming but it’s also fun.
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π I have noticed that a lot of people on WordPress tend to use pseudonyms (For the record, I have no problem with that).
In my case, I have chosen to use my real name.
And, WordPress is fantastic!
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As do I….I think we all know by now that Racquel is my real name. I just put a little sexy edge on the spelling. π
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That would be so nice to meet a fellow blogger in real life. And for your followers to check on you to see where you are at. π
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It was so nice meeting Heather. She’s a little more to me now than just fellow Blogger. I feel like she is fast becoming a friend.
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D’aw – only love to you! β€
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What does “D’aw” mean? This is the 2nd time you’ve used it with me….Meant to ask the first time but forgot.
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It’s slang for aww, so sweet/cute. π
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You and your slangs. π
“Spendy” now this. 1π
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You’ll know the entire west coast vernacular when I’m done with you! π
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π
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That’s good.
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I think you summed it up pretty well. I feel the same as you. Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas to you and yours.
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I am now realizing that most of us are having similar experiences, thankfully. Admittedly, before I started blogging I was worried about trolls. So glad that hasn’t been my experience.
Merry Christmas to you Jeanne! Make the most of your Holidays. π
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Thank you. Rakkelle. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you and your family as well.
Sadly, there are a few trolls out there. You just have to be careful. From my experiences though, and granted I am still a fairly new blogger, most people are really cool and all have interesting stories to tell through their blogs.
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Looking lovely there ladies, happy holidays!
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Thank you! β€β€β€β€ Happy Holidays to you and yours!
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@rivergirl1211 The hubs and I were Multiply-ers! We LOVED that platform and were brokenhearted when they changed the format and, ultimately, deleted the entire platform. We moved onto FB, but weren’t as keen about it’s lack of security options, so the “blogging” posts were pared down considerably.
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Aww, you have been such a light in my life since we bonded over our disagreement with Mr. Know It All’s blog post! (BTW, do you still read his posts?) We’re alike enough that we have many (often surprising) things in common, but also different enough to keep things interesting!
I never anticipated bonding so strongly with anyone when I started blogging (we both started in July). I figured I’d make a few virtual friends, but had little expectation beyond that. Imagine my surprise when you stormed into my world within the first month! It’s been a super fun ride and I’m looking forward to where our friendship leads us!
Dinner with the spouses in NYC was great! I only wish we could have hung out longer. Next time! And, yes, there will be a next time!
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Oh, of course! There will definitely be a next time, I mean after all we are developing a friendship. I still haven’t been on the West Coast, unless Vegas is considered the West Coast. π€
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It’s not on the coast, but it’s certainly west! π I l LOVE Vegas!
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So glad you met and liked a fellow blogger in person. Iβm always afraid Iβll love them online and hate them in real life. Of course that door swings both ways.. I can be annoying as hell!
Iβve been blogging so long and on so many different (now dead, did I kill them?) sites, I swear Iβd feel lost without it.
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I lucked out with Heather. We are a little different, but in a good way. Her differences if we lived in the same City I bet we’d be very cool with each other.
How long have you been blogging RiverGirl?
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Geesh, I donβt even know. I came here from Blogster, where I went from Multiply, where I went from Blogspot, where I went from Yahoo… so yeah. Quite a while!
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Oh wow!!!! You’ve been at it all your life, huh?! Sounds like easily over a decade and a half. π
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A good 12-13 years anyway…
π
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The hubs and I were Multiply-ers! We LOVED that platform and were brokenhearted when they changed the format and, ultimately, deleted the entire platform. We moved onto FB, but werenβt as keen about itβs lack of security options, so the βbloggingβ posts were pared down considerably.
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Multiply was my favorite blog home. Sad that it died… I lost touch with a lot of great people!
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Lots of my Multiply group came over as a group from Orkut, so they’d seen their social media platform of choice die once already. They saw the writing on the wall and suggested we all agree to jump ship and connect elsewhere. We chose FB. Our FB group was pretty active for a good bit, but has wound down over the years. While friends with all of them still, we’re not as “involved” in each others’ lives as we once were on Multiply. I attribute it to FB’s lack of a chronological news feed and their love of cherry picking posts they think we want/ought to see.
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I like FB for finding old friends, but it definitely isn’t a blog platform.
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Agreed π
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Man Rakkelle, you are the Belle of the Ball. People come to see you! Its pretty cool to actually be able to connect with your fellow blogger. Looks like you two had a great night on the town.
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Hahaha @ “the Belle of the Ball.”
Yes, it was very cool connecting IRL with a fellow blogger and it was a fun night indeed.
You’re up next – Me, you, your wife and my hubby at the shooting range. πππππ€£π€£π€£π
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Sounds like a plan!!!
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Great post! I had no idea that you were new to blogging! I’m sure you mentioned it somewhere but I missed it. Your writing is very good so I guess I thought you’d been around longer. Blogging has been much more than I expected as well. And how fun that you met Heather!
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Yes Paula I’m new to bragging. Still trying navigate the entire thing. Still wondering about what to post versus what not to post. Still trying not to overshare even though I value authenticity….Yeah, all of that…I’m having a good go at it though. π
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It is tricky! Not like Facebook where we can control , kinda, who reads what.
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You mean new to blogging, right? π
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Yep…Blogging not bragging. I am well versed in bragging. π
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LOL!
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OMG! I was contemplating writing something similar, but you beat me to it, lol.
So now Iβll have to write about how chocolate croissants have become my enemy! Itβs true that weβve all connected with a community of bloggers who have become not just fellow bloggers but friends as well. Awesome post! π
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Hahaha…You can still post about your WordPress experiences. I would love to read it…I’m sure it would be a fantastic read. π
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I just might because I never expected to meet/read about so many interesting and diverse people. And that we all have so much in common.
I just read your post on online dating and all I can say is OMFG! And that I can relate, totally! Lol
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It’s crazy, isn’t it?! How we all have such similar experiences, so much in common, and we don’t even realize it until we put it out there. I’m so thankful for this platform where I can share my stories without judgement. π
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This is a great post. Itβs wonderful how you connected with a wp blogger and met in real life too.
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I have connected with a bunch of people on here but have had only met one individual so far. π
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And that is a rare thing.
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What a heart warming story and an awesome experience! I felt the same way. I didn’t know what to expect when I first started either.
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It really has been a good one, one of the better experiences of 2018. So glad I started my Blog.
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π Glad that it’s been a positive experience for you!
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OMG ! I actually could have written that blog as it is exactly how I feel about the whole process ! Except I did not have the chance to meet Heather … yet π€
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Yet!!!! There is still time to meet Heather and so many others that you connect with. π
Sophie, I’m having a good time on here. The experience really has been good.
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I love this π
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Britchy, you know you’re next on my list to meet. π
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We definitely need to plan that one!
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Do you come down to NYC often?
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Not that often but once Iβve got all my neurological malarkey sorted, itβs on!
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Taking online relationships into the face to face world is a lot of fun. I’m glad you’re having fun with your blog. There’s too little fun in life.
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I am! Are you having fun with yours?
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Yes, indeedy
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Wonderful! As it should be. π
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Yay, meeting another Blogger!! That’s wonderful:D What you said is true, none of us really know or “knew” what to expect when we started. I had zero ideas. I didn’t expect to have the connections and encouragement you talked about.
Yeah, you summarized a blogger life so wellπππ
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Hahaha….Glad I was able to summarize it well. It seems most of us are having similar experiences, which is good.
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Wonderful! Itβs nice to connect with someone online and take it offline. Great pic.
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It’s different but it’s certainly nice. Thank you! π
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