The first article I read in 2023 was this one: Bring back personal blogging. And it's interesting to me because every new year I debate whether or not I'm going to keep doing =waves arms= all this. The question has been especially wearing on me during the pandemic when I'm just not doing anything worth blogging about.
The article itself has some very good points though.
Social media, for all its popularity, simply doesn't have the community building that blogging did back in the day. I've made a lot of friends via blogging, and a handful of them are closer than many of my in-person friends. My guess is that this is because in-person friendships rely mostly on how often you see them, where blogging friendships rely mostly on how often you keep in contact with them. Even if you meet up with them in-person from time to time, your relationship goes beyond presence.
On April 18th, Blogography turns 20 years old.
Back in the day, I'd hold a week-long Blogiversary celebration with contests, new merchandise, and everything. Just look at this video from 2008 when the Grand Prize was me flying to wherever in the world the winner was so I could deliver prizes and have a party...
And so I did. I flew to St. Louis and had a great time!
I can't imagine doing anything like this now.
I mean, sure I still meet up with old-school bloggers from those early years. I met with one back in 2021, another in 2022, and will meet with another in March (proof positive that the article is right about the communities we built). But that's a far cry from all the "Dave Events" that used to happen... or even the larger gatherings like TequilaCon.
But it's this past community that still exists which makes blogging something I'm not quite ready to give up on yet.
So... here's to twenty years of blogging... and counting, I guess?
Wishing you and yours all the best in this New Year.
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Dave! Happy New Year to you and your kids. Over the years I have enjoyed your toons, trips pics, and general take on things. Thank you for the many, many, laughs. Believe it or not I still have two t-shirt survivors and a hat from your 2008 merch. They are my special travel attire. Can’t think of anything better to wear while boarding a plane! If you are ever in the northeast Pennsylvania area let me know. I’ll have a good strong drink ready for ya. Best wishes!
It’s funny how that merch is still kinda holding on. I have a half-dozen shirts that I wear on special occasions. Still have a couple hats. And even some playing cards! It was from so long ago!
Good for you blogging all those years – what an amazing achievement! I have a request for you. Please may I email you as I would like to request copyright permission/licence to use one of your great little cartoons, which I found through wiki commons via PowerPoint.
I am a co-director of a headache education provider & would very much like to use this cartoon as part of a new headache education course for allied health professionals. It is in my chronic tension-type headache, which causes people a lot of bother and is currently poorly understood. This 20-module e-learning course, the culmination of over 3 years’ work by between 5 and 8 people at any one time, is being rolled out in the UK on a university e-learning platform very soon. It has taken me some time to track the source down, so apologies for the late notice! It is the little “Sick and tired” guy from Thursday Dec 8th 2008. Thank you for considering this.
Many thanks in advance for your kind reply…
Happy new year to you!
Kind regards
Helena
All of my Davetoons are free to use for all non-profit use per my Creative Commons License. Good luck with your project!
Happy soon-to-be 20th.
I know I had a brief slowdown, but I don’t see myself giving it up. It’s too much a part of me even if my shit is boring AF. Oh well. Deal with it.
One thing I’m sure of is that everybody’s life is interesting to somebody… even if it’s just ourselves. 🙂
Hey Dave, congratulations on 20 years! I’ve been with you for 80-90% of that ride and I appreciate you hanging in there all these years.
Thanks! It’s strange how time flies!
That was a very good article with the call to return to blogging. I know several of us are still blogging, some more frequent than others, but still have our spaces.
20 years in April… that is awesome. I have so many great life memories of meeting up at various blog events. Dave Lake City when we still had a Hard Rock Cafe here was a good one.
And while I have taken unplanned blogging breaks over the last 7 years or so, I do not have plans to call it a day. More like that articles intent with social media being broken and fragile, putting a re-focus on blogging is where I feel the direction should go for many, including myself.
Happy new year!!
My blog will be twenty years old in literally a week’s time.
TWENTY YEARS!!
Holy crap
And yet I really wish blogging was a thing a lot earlier. My 20s are like the dark ages of my life because I have so little a record of what I did then.. I’ll likely be blogging in some way or another forever..
That’s the proper context for blogging. Even if nobody else cares, it’s the ultimate journal of what was going on in your life at the time!
Happy anniversary. I’m glad your blog is still here. I’m still keeping on keeping on. Possibly blogging will become cool again now that Twitter is heading down the toilet, and decentralized social media is gaining favour.
Congratulations!! How awesome is that? I’ve said before here that while my commenting is erratic, I do still read everything you write. Long may it continue!
After finding out today that a blogger from “back in the day” died in July, I made it a thing to go and find out whether any still existed. It’s wonderful to see that you’re still in business. And for the record, my wife still wears a hat that I bought at TequilaCon 2010. I miss the community. Those were, indeed, the days.
Sir! It’s you!