Lately I have been sort of feeling like I am going through a blogging identity crisis. I don’t even know how to explain it, but I told Rob the other night that I wanted a “grown up blog”. What does that even mean? I do feel like my blog has gotten a little more serious over the past couple of years, but in a good way. I am comfortable with the content right now and I feel like it’s grown up with me as I have gone from age 29 to 32.
I started envisioning a total revamp: changing my name, coming up with a new layout, and kind of starting over. However, I would want to bring my old posts with me. I have no idea what I would want to call this future blog, but it will come to me one day (if it’s meant to be). Who knows when I will have the time or energy to do such an overhaul, so don’t hold your breath.
After I had this conversation with Rob the other night, I logged into WordPress to see a notification that I signed up for an account exactly 3 years ago that day. Time really flies! I thought I would share some blogging highlights from the past 3 years, and maybe along the way I will start to figure out where I want to go with this blogging stuff….
Stats:
Posts: 577
Comments: 10,550 (not including my replies)
Most viewed posts:
Nutrition for Runners: Paleo and Whole30 Tips
Confessions of a Weak Glute Runner
What Does Turning 31 Mean to Me?
Holiday Gift Guide for Runners
Fun fact: my top viewed post was actually a guest post by Michele: Running and Paleo: How to Fuel for Increasing Miles. You have no idea how many search terms have led to that post!
Most Page Views: February 5, 2015 (I published How Counting Miles is Like Counting Calories)
Races Run Since Starting my Blog: 24 (listed here)
Some funny search terms that have led people to my blog:
“wine as a component of marathon training” (it’s obviously a very important component in my opinion…)
“i’m tired of winter fast forward to complaining about how hot it is” (yup this pretty much sums up my blog)
“love running/hate tight piraformis” (me too!)
After I started looking through I realized I should just do a whole post about these some day. There are so many random ones that just make me laugh!
In 2014 when my 1 year blogiversary passed I wrote about some of the lessons I had learned from blogging. It’s funny to think I learned so much in that first year, but since then my learning curve has definitely plateaued. I think the biggest lesson I have learned since then is to not take blogging too seriously. At one point I was posting every day, and then every weekday. Eventually it just became too much and I had to cut back. There has to be a balance between blogging and actually living life, and worrying/stressing about blogging kind of defeats the purpose I think.
I have also realized that you can totally stop reading blogs and writing posts and life will still go on. It’s a strange concept for some of us because it is such a part of our routine. We have become friends with other bloggers and it’s weird to go a few days without hearing from each other. However, it’s so important to take a step back once in a while and reset. I always come back more refreshed and with new ideas and motivation.
A few other random things I have learned along the way:
- Check your spam folder! After I switched to self-hosted I had tons of real comments going to spam. Now I check it every day to just clean out the stuff that is actually spam and approve any real comments that got lost in there.
- Reply to comments and comment on other blogs! This is the best way to actually form real connections with other bloggers.
- Try to edit your photos, at least a little. I kind of cringe when I look at my pictures from the first few months of blogging. I know I had a much older iPhone but I didnt’ know about editing sites like PicMonkey that could have helped me out.
(Not to say anyone else has to do those things…they are just what I have found works for me to make my blog the space that I want it to be.)
It’s been kind of fun looking back on the older stuff. I may have to repost a few of the ones from back before I had any readers!
[Tweet “It’s @runningoutowine ‘s 3 year blogiversary! #blogging #runningblog”]
How long have you been blogging?
Do you ever go back and read old posts?
What have you learned about blogging since you started?
If I renamed my blog what should I call it?!?!
aw, happy blog anniversary! I love the google search terms, they always make me laugh like when people wonder if they can have cake as a meal and then find me as their resource lol. blogging can be overwhelming at times so it’s definitely important to take a step back. I bet you will come up with a new blog gameplan when it’s time. it’s funny how the thought process started right at your blog anniversary! I like your blog the way it is if that counts for anything!
I always think about some of those funny search terms you have shared! I wish that it showed me all the search terms, most of them show up as “unknown”.
Happy Blogiversary!
It is funny. I have a good following, and a very engaged following, but not a huge following. I know that if I stopped running that the world would totally go on, but my world would be so different. And that is part of the reason I can’t stop. Allow yourself and the blog to continue to evolve–you don’t stick to the same thing year after year (at least I hope not) so why expect your blog to do the same!
Exactly- it cant be something that’s forced or it will lose its purpose. I always remind myself it doesn’t have to be all or nothing- I can skip a few days or even a few weeks and still pick up where I left off.
Happy blog anniversary! Like Susie and Meredith I agree that a blog needs to change with you! My blog was originally intended to be more of a food blog but I quickly evolved. I’m excited to see what you have in store for your blog! It’s been consistently one of my favorites to read since I first found it.
Thanks, Laura! I am so glad I found your blog too! Its good to hear others have strayed from there original plan. Its so much more natural when we just write about what we want rather than forcing something.
Happy 3 Years! Since I found you last fall, I’m glad you shared some of those old popular posts from before – I’m heading to read those now! Have a great weekend 🙂
Thanks! Hope you have a great weekend too!
I think you should go for it. You’re really well-written and your heart is pulling you toward something new. I think you should name is Schlongs ‘n Thongs.
LOL. Yep that’s totally what I should call it. Im sure it will take alot of wine to figure out what I want to do. (Not right now though, I mean it’s not even 6am so I will stick with coffee…)
I’ve already been through a renaming, and I like the second name better than the first. I needed to get away from a running name since I was injured and couldn’t really blog about running. Now I feel like I can write about a lot more and not stray from the name.
Thats an interesting point. Not sure if I will stick with a running name or not…I am sure I will continue to write about running though!
I’m coming up on 4 years of blogging which is just crazy to me. I’ve learned a lot but the biggest one for me has been to stay true to myself. For awhile I definitely tried to become a “big” blogger, but then I realized I couldn’t care less about monetizing a blog or making it a full time job. I just wanted to have fun with it and make friends. Since then, my blog has gone in waves and I’ve definitely backed way off as my real life picked up, but I think it’s one of those things that will be there when we need it. Happy 3 years of blogging!
I think you are a good example to all of us how you were truly able to step away from the blog when you needed a break but then came back when you were ready. It can be hard to do that but sometimes its for the best!
I have been blogging for almost two years, although it has not been continuous. I only had about a post a month for awhile there, so I’m not sure if it even counts as blogging. 🙂 I’m doing better now, but still struggle to get a post out a week. I’m impressed with those of you who get 3-4 every week. I like going back and reading old posts, although I get very annoyed if I find grammar mistakes. :-\
Honestly I do so much work for my blog like 1 day a week! I will draft my posts for the week on Sunday and then spend an hour or so each day during the week commenting on other blogs and replying to comments on mine, and fixing up my drafts. But when I have a busy weekend everything gets thrown off and I end up not really having anything to post!
I love the idea of writing blog posts based off of people’s wacky search terms! You could get very creative and hilarious!
Happy 3 years!!!
Thanks! Haha, yea I definitely think it would be fun! It was too hard to narrow it down to just a few.
Happy blogiversary!! I’m in one of those reading-but-not-posting modes (real life got busy, blogging had to take a back seat). But yours is still my favorite! I have really enjoyed reading this over the years and I’m excited to see where you take it – but I’ll admit I’d be a little sad if you changed the name… It’s such a great one! = )
Aw thank you! I’m glad you still stick around even though you haven’t had time to post. Looking forward to when you have time to get back to it!
Happy Blogiversary! You’ve covered a lot of ground in a relatively short time. I’m coming up on 8 years with the blog, which has changed names 3 times but, as much as I say it’s not going to be as much a running blog as it started off being, it always seems to end up there. My writing in the beginning was awful. Posts were super short. But then again that was the nature of the beast back then. Things have changed SO much since I started.
Wow, 8 years is amazing! I didn’t even know about blogs 8 years ago! I would be interested to hear how the process of changing your name went for you. There are alot of concerns that make me hesitant to do it!
Happy blog anniversary. We have been going for three yrs as well. It is always fun to go back and read some older blog posts and see how your blog has really evolved
Its definitely nice to be able to read some of the older stuff and see how things have changed!
Happy anniversary! I’m new to blogging, so I love that I stumbled to on this exact post. I like your blog’s name and wouldn’t change it, but then I get really nostalgic about things and don’t like to let them go 🙂 If you have great content and a great voice, especially if it’s grown with you over time, stick with it girl! Looking forward to reading more from you!
Thank you! I do think it would be difficult to let go of my name. I would have to think of a really good one to replace it with!
Isn’t it kind of funny and embarrassing to look back on your old blog posts? Yikes–I had no clue what I was doing and I’m super grateful to the readers who have stuck with me since the beginning!
I kind of like your name…I wouldn’t change it!
I think we all need some time to adjust to blogging and figure out what we are doing. There was so much to learn and it was definitely a bit overwhelming at first!
Happy Blogiversary, girl! I feel like I need to do a TOTAL revamp on my blog too but I just don’t know where to start – and I don’t want to break it hahaha!
I’ve been blogging for four years now and every time I go back to look at my old posts I cringe because the photos are HORRIBLE 😛
I don’t know how I posted some of those photos back then- they are so dark you can barely see whats in the picture!
Thanks to you I am doing a much better job at checking my spam folder. You’ll figure out the new look for you just when it’s supposed to happen! Congratulations on the 3 years Lisa, I’m very glad I’ve found you!
I cringe at my earlier posts, but it is a process we all have to go through, that is just the way we learn I think.
Thank you! I agree, those early posts are never great but its all part of the process.
Congrats to your anniversary! I think I’ve been blogging at TechChick Adventures for almost 2 years now. But I have had several other blogs about my kids, and photography. I switched from Blogger to WordPress and loved it! However for the first time ever I am having some weird PHP errors spewing out. I’m hoping those clear up because I really don’t have time to investigate it!!
It’s so easy to have blog envy on other people’s designs! I had such a hard time picking out the right theme, and I still wish mine had other design elements. But, for a blog I make no money on, I’m thinking I need to quit obsessing about it 🙂
I feel the same way- I don’t have a ton of time to put into my blog and I don’t make much money off of it so I couldn’t really pay for the design I would want. I hate technical issues- I have no idea what Im doing when it comes to that stuff!
Happy blogiversary. It’s such a hard thing to know how to change your blog or when to-people don’t realize how much work and time goes into it! Cheers and as my life motto is “you do you!”.
It really can be so much work! I know Im not at the point right now where Im ready to make any big changes but I’ll figure it out eventually:)