Happy One Year Anniversary to My WordPress Blog!

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The 1 year anniversary logo.

It has taken me all day to decide on what to write after WordPress told me of my one year anniversary this morning. I will admit a certain amount of astonishment. I thought I’d been with WordPress much longer than a year. But after looking at my old posts and remembering that a goodly number of them had been first posted with Blogspot.com my amazement diminished pretty rapidly.

I have written before about how much I like the WordPress set up and the fact that I have loads more views per post and followers here than I ever managed to get on the old Blogspot site. I’ve been accused of being a “view” junkie and I will admit that I am hooked on my view numbers and also pretty excitable about my follower figures. Aren’t we all, to some degree?

But the nicest thing about having been on WordPress for a year is the great folks I’ve met and interacted with. Folks (aka fellow bloggers) that I never would have met on my old blog site. These are people who I, rightly or wrongly, feel are friends; some more so than others, but friends nonetheless. My daily interaction with them has been a boon, especially since my heart attack last August.

Of course, view counts and followers aside, the very visibility of WordPress is what has made this such a great ride. I actually started blogging in 2010.  A short timid two sentence entry that laid dormant for an entire year. Then in 2011, I began in earnest and tried to pretty much write every day. This wasn’t possible at that time, but as my input (or output) became more frequent and I discovered Tumblr and then WordPress I kept leapfrogging to each site looking for a blogging home.

It did not take me long to discover that here was where I wanted to be. The support from the staff is phenomenal and the themes are fantastic. I guess that the reason that I thought I’d been here longer than a year was twofold. Firstly, I manage to upload two or more posts a day. I have also managed to get 254 followers on this blog alone. I guess in my mind the culmination of blog posts plus followers equals a long time, i.e. much longer than a year.

Still, I’ve had fun here and as I start to reach more people I feel like I’ve been blessed to find so many folks who feel like I do and not just about films and books, but life as well.

After being “ill-health” retired from my job at an obscenely early age I had a lot of time on my hands (I still do actually) where the days could have stretched into a depressingly long time period of too much inner reflection and fears about health. The people who I’ve met via my little blog have made my days interesting and (in some cases) challenging.

I am not much of a “joiner” preferring instead to be on the outside of the social circle instead of actually being part of it. For the first time that I can remember, I’ve enjoyed being part of a community. One that shares kudos and publicity and awards with one another.

The other great thing about WordPress’s visibility is the contact that I’ve had with people in the entertainment and literature business that I never had with my other blogs. I have directors, actors, producers and authors who comment on my reviews and I can honestly say that I’m “blown away” each and every time it happens.

As my blog continues to evolve and grow (I’ve just done my first ever interview!) I look at the fruits of my labour and the community that I’m a part of and I think how lucky I am to have discovered this world of blogging and the folks who inhabit it. It is the people who I’ve met and interacted with combined with those  who have paid me the ultimate compliment of following my blog who make this so worthwhile.

So I raise my glass high and I’ll make a toast to you all: “Thanks WordPress for making this a great first year and thanks to you all who stop by and read, like, comment and follow. You guys are great!”

Happy anniversary to me and my blog!

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Author: Michael Knox-Smith

Former Actor, Former Writer, Former Journalist, USAF Veteran, Former Member Nevada Film Critics Society (As Michael Smith)

52 thoughts on “Happy One Year Anniversary to My WordPress Blog!”

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  7. YESSIR!!

    One of my favorites: “Here’s to a fast dollar” GULP

  9. Boilermakers!! Man I haven’t had one of those in years!!! I think I might rectify that tonight when I have some people over for a basketball game watch!!!

    CHEERS!!

  11. You’re over in the UK, right?

    It’s the afternoon – yes?

    You can now get your one your old blog a beer and a shot!! : )

  27. My one year was about a month ago (I posted a week or so after joining). This is for me the best place I have reviewed. Outside of the stupid upload problem I also love it here.

    And hey I also check my views a lot lol. Actually after this that’s what I am gonna do lol

  32. We all seem to have started around the same time. It must have been sunspots or something.

  34. Congratulations on your special day. I agree we’re a part of a pretty special community. I’m half way to getting my logo! 🙂

  42. Congratulations! But wait a minute; I have been with WordPress for almost three years and I have never once gotten an anniversary logo. Who do you have to sleep with to get a logo, huh? Come on, Mike, tell us! Tell us! 😀

  48. Congrats Mike !

    Here’s to you and your blog. 🙂

    I’ll raise a pint of the Green Dragon Brew for you next time I’m in Bywater! 😛

  50. Happy Blogoversarrey Mike! (certain that word doesn’t exist yet, but it will) 😉
    Anyway, keep it up sir. Still to pop by on your recent True Grit vid but I will soon. Good on you mate!

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