Tag: blogging

Today marks the 10th anniversary of blogging for yours truly.

I’ve enjoyed the journey and hope that you have too.

Celebrate with me by reading a few posts from those years…

1. Here’s a post from that first month: The bouquet that can never be.

2. Here’s a post from my second blog: Fun watching.

3. Here’s a post from my toothpaste blog: Bamboo Charcoal Mouthguard Toothpaste.

4. And here’s a post from this blog, a few years back: People are different.

And I’d urge you to create your own blog, to join in the fun. My recommendation of the best free way to do that is WordPress.

Yes, I really do believe blogs are dying.

One major reason for this change is the many faster and easier ways to put personal content up on the web, such as Instagram and Facebook. And I think a lot of people are getting burned out on posting to and reading blogs.

But I still love blogging, similar to how I love my 1972 Gitane road bike. Some old things are still worth hanging on to.

I am sorry to say that I have to pause this blog for a while. I’m not sure how long. At the moment, there are too many irons in my fire, and something had to go.

Stay tuned. I promise I’ll be back.

Update: This point in my blogging simply turned into my giving myself the freedom to post less often. Again. Thanks for your patience with me as I keep changing my personal blogging experience.

A friend and I had a discussion about inspiration and blogging. Sometimes the spark of creativity has left. Sometimes I wait for the inspiration fairy to touch me, and sometimes that just doesn’t happen.

My friend asked if my move from 5 posts a week to 2-3 had been good for my traffic and engagement. I replied that Shiny Bits is my personal sharing with interested people – and I don’t mind that much if traffic and engagement result.

Sure, I’d love for thousands to enjoy what I put up here. But I won’t water down my posts to try to bring those thousands to my fold. Instead, it’s gratifying when a real connection is made and lasts. That makes it all worthwhile.

Thanks for enjoying what Shiny Bits offers. And thanks for sometimes being my inspiration fairy.

By the way, this great fairy painting is from Dover Publications. They have lots of copyright-free images for your blogging pleasure. And they didn’t share who the painter was.

I started blogging on August 24, 2005. My first personal blog was My Part of Nairobi. My second was My Part of Colorado. My third? It’s what you are holding in your hands now.

Blogging, it has been good to me. And hopefully to you too. If you’ve been with me since Nairobi, you deserve a loyalty card! If you’ve arrived since then, Check out some of that old stuff. You will enjoy the ride, I promise.

I changed themes for my website again. This time I went with a real pro theme (though I am not a WordPress pro!): Genesis.

So pardon the dust, while I get everything worked out. (At the moment, it’s pretty boring. That’s one of the things I hope to fix!)

If you notice anything that is broken, send me a message via a comment on this post. Thanks!

Plinky is a service WordPress just bought. Go there to get a question that will give you ideas for your next blog post.

(And my answer to that question? A way for all of the villages in Africa to have clean water within a year.)

When I visit a rockstar’s blog, in the back of my head is the thought, “Is it worth blogging for the small audience who read my blog?”

The big names have their ideas broadcast to maybe millions. They actually get some revenue from their ads. Some of them even maintain authenticity in the process.

Since I know that a few of my readers really enjoy my blog, I continue. I picture being in the same room with them and hearing their chuckle at one of my observations. And I know that hearing a room of 5,000 laugh at the same observation would not bring me any more pleasure than that single friend enjoying my thought.