Ten years of blogging

Thursday, January 24, 2019 Permalink

It’s been a thing on Instagram and Facebook… the ten year comparison: sharing pics of ourselves from ‘then’ and ‘now’. I think the intent is to consider how much we’ve changed: aged – for better or worse; or perhaps (on a less cynical note) to consider how our lives have changed. Or something. And then of course there’s the theory that we’re all helping Facebook (and whoever) improve their facial recognition software….

However I’ve only just realised that ten years ago (this month) was a momentous occasion for me. Cos it was then I started blogging! Ta Da!

It’s kinda depressing that my blog hasn’t grown into a world-wide phenomenon but whatevs… people have no taste, what can I say?! 😉

ten years of blogging

However, Debbish has gone through its fair share of iterations since its birth in January 2009 and I thought I should celebrate them rather than wallow in my lack of fame, fortune, success ‘n’ stuff!

Write About Now 

I actually started a blog called Write About Now on another blogging platform. I think it still exists but I’m not sure. Then everyone raved about the platform I use now (WordPress for those in the know) so I switched and copied ‘most’ of my posts over (not all as some were angsty things about my attempts to become a mother!).

I didn’t promote them at the time as my main intent was to (just) be brave enough to share my writing with the world… I didn’t necessarily need to draw attention to it. (And I felt the same recently publishing some old excerpts from draft novels here.)

Debbish & Diet Schmiet

A year later I started a separate blog about my dieting adventures. Diet Schmiet actually outgrew Write About Now pretty quickly though it was more a brain dump. The original website involved the planning and drafting of posts (in Word documents) and endless editing before publishing, rather than spewing thoughts onto the screen. Interestingly people seemed to like the thought vomits of Diet Schmiet more…

In 2012 I paid for both blogs to be self-hosted – which doesn’t mean much to non-blogging people, but just means I stepped them up a level and it allowed me to do paid or sponsored stuff on my blogs if I wished. I took the opportunity to rename Write About Now to Debbish (and change the associated social media handles / names over) and had banners designed for both sites so they looked more professional. I’m still using a version of the Debbish banner now though it probably needs a redesign.

My foray into sponsored posts didn’t really eventuate as I contemplated whether I was prepared to sell my soul for 6 packets of crisps and the like. Don’t get me wrong, I was paid a decent amount for some posts but struggled with where to draw the line.

The death of Diet Schmiet

In early 2014 I decided to merge my blogs. It would have made sense to have Diet Schmiet subsume the much smaller Debbish, but – though Diet Schmiet was very much the authentic ‘me’ – Debbish felt more like the person I wanted to be. I was tired of my life being about dieting and exercise and it was around the same time I completely dropped off all of the networking I’d been doing with other health and fitness bloggers.

Book blogging and less diet stuff

So Diet Schmiet just became a ‘category’ or theme in Debbish.

It was also around this same time I started reviewing books – though I had written about some (as well as television and movies) earlier – as they’ve always been a passion.

I realise I could have been ‘better’ recognised for my book reviewing had I separated them into two sites but – quite frankly – couldn’t be arsed.

So here’s where I stand. Sadly I can’t offer up total visitor numbers because of the number of times I’ve killed off a blog and its followers, but still… there’s a lot of work that’s gone into those (almost) 1950 posts… not to mention the drafts!

Of course, I should also mention I’ve been having the ‘Are blogs dead?’ conversations with a group of book reviewers. The jury is still out on that one but it does make me wonder if there’s more interest in short book reviews on Instagram than in blogs; or a preference for Facebook conversations about the meaning of life; or podcasts that don’t need a response at all but can be easily listened-to when the time suits.

What would you like to see more or less of? From me and others online?

27 Comments
  • Rebecca Bowyer (Story Addict) (@RebeccaBowyerAU)
    January 24, 2019

    Oh wow, 10 years?! Congratulations. I’ll be celebrating 6 years in April. I don’t think blogging is dead, just evolving.

    • Debbish
      January 24, 2019

      True – it’s certainly changed since I first started!

  • Johanna
    January 24, 2019

    Congratulations Deb! 10 years is indeed a celebratory landmark in the blog world! I loved reading about how your blogs have grown, morphed, died and also undergone metamorphosis to survive. I think we have to be agile in our thinking and quick to pivot as bloggers if we are to survive online. I also often wonder if blogging is dead – but despite the numbers and ease of Instagram it is just so soulless – for me at least. I’m coming up to the 10 year blogging mark with my WA focussed blog ZigaZag at the end of this year (why did I ever call it ZigaZag? So useless for the search engines – oh wait! But I had big branding ideas – like Heinz and Haagen Dazs, which of course never came to fruition! ) Anyway, congratulations – I love your thoughtful take on the world and books. Keep on blogging! x

    • Debbish
      January 24, 2019

      My twitter handle for ‘Write about Now’ was @rockafellaskank which made little sense to anyone. I couldn’t get WriteAboutNow and so named my account after the actual title of the Fatboy Slim song (Rockafella Skank)… though I THOUGHT it was called ‘Right About Now’.

      I still have my @schmiet twitter account but haven’t posted to it for a loooong time.

  • Natalie
    January 24, 2019

    Congratulations, Deb! Ten years of blogging is super. I enjoyed reading the recap of how your blogs have evolved. Keep on blogging and co-hosting Lovin’ Life linky.

  • leannelc
    January 24, 2019

    I laughed at your comment about not finding fame or fortune – I’ve just finished writing the same thing somewhere else – I guess we were overlooked by Oprah and Ellen – but it’s been a fun ride and to have been doing it for 10 years is pretty darn amazing! So congrats on your big blogaversary and may there be many more. Sometimes I look at how the great bloggers have fallen or been cut down in their tall poppy glory and think that there’s a lot to be said for blogging for fun and friendship xx

    • Debbish
      January 24, 2019

      I was actually just thinking about my book blogging and not long after I started (in early 2014) I went to a national forum thingy and it occurred to me that some of the main book bloggers there no longer blog – those I knew in the early days.

  • Jo
    January 24, 2019

    Congratulations Deb! I still love your banner – it’s one of the best examples of personal branding. I love how it’s morphed and grown and changed and…whatever…As for whether blogging is dead? I hope not. I do, however, think it’s evolving – as, indeed, it should.

    • Debbish
      January 24, 2019

      Yes, I just wonder if people have less time to read the twaddle I write / would prefer short snappy reviews on Instagram or a Facebook video or something. I worry I’m not moving with the times I guess – though I did start blogging because I loved writing so guess that’s why I’m still here.

      • Jo
        January 24, 2019

        I’d say keep doing what you love until you don’t love it. I really like your stream of consciousness posts – and your reviews written in the same way.

  • Min Write of the Middle
    January 24, 2019

    Happy 10th Blogiversary Deb!! Quite an achievement and interesting to read the history. I didn’t know of ‘Write About Now’. I met you in your Diet Schmiet days when we were both 12WBT’ers. I’ve been blogging for about 6.4 years – hopefully I’ll still be doing it in September 2022 when it will be 10 years for me! 🙂 #TeamLovinLife

    • Debbish
      January 24, 2019

      Ha yes, I still have my @Schmiet twitter account and my Diet Schmiet FB page I think. In fact, my damned Pinterest account is under the Schmiet handle as I couldn’t change it over when I rebadged!

  • Sydney Shop Girl (@sydneyshopgirl)
    January 24, 2019

    Happy 10th year, Deb! Thanks for sharing about your blog life history today. 2020 is my 10 year anniversary. Hoping I will still be at it by then.

    SSG xxx

    • Debbish
      January 24, 2019

      When you mentioned 2020 it seemed like forever away and then I realised it’s next year, so I’m sure you will still be blogging then!

  • Denyse Whelan
    January 24, 2019

    Well I love your blog posts. Congratulations. I admit I read the reviews as a skim as mostly that is about me.
    So not into fiction.

    However, I first found you as Diet Schmiet. I

    think my blog will be 9 at the end of this year but it has changed a gazillion time and I also had to pay for help each time. Self-hosted and via wordpress I have it well in hand myself and only contact the kind person who set me up the current way in 2013-14 if I have something I cannot solve. I did, however have THREE blogs for a while – thanks over-complicate your life Denyse – and none did as well as I had hoped. So, it is now me and that is it and only 1-3 posts a week. I deleted my old blogs only saving some education posts in draft and in doing the deletion at the host end saved money on having so much in storage.

    Keep on going because your writing I am sure helps you see how you are going too. Well-done!

    Denyse x

    • Debbish
      January 25, 2019

      I actually saw you mention going to a Sydney blogging conference in 2011 (I think) the other day and remembered that I met you there then as well. You might not remember but we were actually at a Pie Face buying breakfast (next to hotel / venue) and I was struggling to find gluten-free options. I knew who you were and think we chatted for a bit (others were there as well).

  • nikkimorgan
    January 24, 2019

    Congratulations on 10 years of blogging! I am in year 8 and I am not famous yet either……oh well, who cares!

    • Debbish
      January 25, 2019

      Ha, yes… fame schmame! Eight years, so you’re not too far off the decade as well!

  • Patrick Weseman
    January 25, 2019

    Congrats on ten years of blogging that is so cool. I am in year seven of serious blogging. Keep it up. #lovinlifelinky

    • Debbish
      January 26, 2019

      Thanks Patrick. I’m sure you’d agree (having been at it so long yourself) that consistency is key isn’t it? My advice to beginners is always to start in a sustainable way so they don’t burn out – which I think happens to a lot of people.

  • Carly
    January 25, 2019

    Congratulations on 10 years of blogging. I enjoy your book reviews and love crime fiction, which you seem to review frequently which is great. I also love Instagram and podcasts, and would love to listen to your podcasts if that is something you pursue in the future. I find Instagram easier and quicker to navigate and can listen to podcasts while doing other things such as housework.

    • Debbish
      January 26, 2019

      Hi Carly and yes, I LOVE crime fiction, mysteries, thrillers etc… At the moment I mostly only use instagram to show what I’m reading (and other crap in my life). I like the idea of podcasts… I can’t imagine reviewing a book via one unless you were bouncing thoughts off someone else but don’t mind other podcasts of the navel-gazing / existential overthinking-of-life type!

  • Leanne @ Deep Fried Fruit
    January 27, 2019

    I’ve been with you for pretty much the whole ride!!! And as for a world wide phenomenon … you’re worldwide … and I think you’re phenomenal 🙂 xo

  • Janet Camilleri
    February 3, 2019

    I remember Diet Schmiet … wow 10 years. That blows my reasoning out of the water, I thought that I’d joined the blogging bandwagon too late to find fame and fortune lol (mine kicked off in 2012 though it was Redland City Living back then)!!!! I’ve come to the conclusion there is absolutely no reason some bloggers find fame and fortune and the rest of us just plod on …

    • Debbish
      February 3, 2019

      I remember your other blog Janet and yes…. I think some of it is luck / right post at the right time etc and others were probably smart in terms of their subject matter.

      I remember feeling like I’d missed a lot of opportunities because I wasn’t blogging about parenting. I’m not sure if that’s quite as problematic nowadays.

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