January 14th marks one year since I started blogging here. Yes, yes thank you. Happy Blogiversary to me indeed! Other emotions come to mind too though, besides happiness. The last year really served as an emotional cocktail. This cocktail contained both positive and negative sentiments. Join me while I reflect on said feelings in today’s post.
Excitement
Go back and revisit my first post “Predecessor’s Most Memorable Blog Posts.” My first three words read “Excitement consumes me.” Excitement simmered because I finally possessed a singular cyber home. No longer I blogged at www.offbalanced.wordpress.com and housed a separate site spotlighting my freelance writing. Everything came together under one domain.
Zacharyfenell.com’s blog’s predecessor I labeled a “cerebral palsy blog.” Now however I could expand my subject matter. Oh, the possibilities! The many possibilities! These many possibilities which supplied excitement soon provided another emotion.
Doubt
“$#*!” I recalled thinking reading different posts at Boost Blog Traffic. Almost everything the posts advised I accidentally undid transitioning my blog to zacharyfenell.com.
Use a domain name that speaks to your subject, opposed to using your name. Oops!
Focus on one niche topic. Oops!
Avoid Google Adsense ads. Oops!
You can begin to understand my doubt, right? To cope I turned defensive. I watched Amanda Abella raise her blogging profile using the domain amandaabella.com. I could make zacharyfenell.com work!
Self-talk ran through my head justifying my move beyond just writing cerebral palsy related posts. “I’m more than cerebral palsy!” Yet I struggled to grow my blog subscribers. Such a struggle undermined my justifications and kept me doubting. More on that later!
First let me address Google Adsense ads. You no longer see them here. Even after reading all Boost Blog Traffic’s valid reasons to remove them I hesitated. Adsense ads represented possible income and I foolishly grasped to that. Truthful feedback from my friend Jon ultimately persuaded me to remove the ads last May. Thanks Jon!
Confusion
Two weeks after launching zacharyfenell.com’s blog I resurrected the #CPChatNow recaps. Each recap captured highlights from the weekly cerebral palsy Twitter chat I co-host. Originally fellow #CPChatNow co-founder Tim Wambach and I alternated publishing the recaps. He posted them to the Handicap This website and I my old blog. Eventually other priorities emerged and the recaps ceased.
In 2015 I made bringing back the recaps a priority. Documenting our Twitter chats via weekly recaps added credibility to the #CPChatNow movement. Unforeseen consequences emerged though.
Mainly I created brand confusion. One day I published a personal blog post. Then later in the week I published a #CPChatNow recap. Suddenly my blog contained two separate identities. The identity crisis added to the previously mentioned doubt. Meanwhile also triggering one more emotion I wish to highlight.
Determination
Overall you could say I botched my blogging attempts the past year. Certainly I committed mistakes. Nevertheless I am slowly correcting my errors. Why? Because I am determined to supply you a better blog! A blog you will subscribe to because you will want to read every new post!
To complete my mission I am taking a hiatus from actively blogging. I need the time to plan and execute solutions to the aforementioned issues. Nonetheless I wanted to write today’s post to encourage you. I’m guessing you can relate to what I’m experiencing. Whether running a blog or a different life venture you face doubts and mistakes made. Stay determined, learn from your mistakes, and keep on keeping on.
