Ten Years of Blogging 2001-2011

Next week, this little blog of mine turns ten years old. In some ways, this seems hard for me to believe. It actually feels like I’ve been writing here forever – but, of course, that can’t be! Perhaps it’s the sheer number of blog posts I’ve done over the years – many more over on PaymentsNews.com than here – but plenty here, on my recipe blog ScottsKitchen.com, on InMenlo.com, PaymentsViews.com and a few others.

Adding them all up, I’m sure I’m in the 10,000 hour club that Malcolm Gladwell talked about in Outliers: The Story of Success when it comes to blogging!

The first presence for my personal website in the Wayback Machine is dated December 5, 1998 – and, from the text on that page, looks like it was originally posted on October 19, 1998 – over thirteen years ago. Ah, those were the days!.

So, as we think about things to be thankful at this time of year, I’m thankful for blogging and how it’s worked magic in my life. By writing, it helps me clarify my muddled thoughts. By sharing with others, I often hear from them – even from strangers. And I welcome the increase in serendipity in my life that blogging contributes to in a meaningful way. Maybe writing here isn’t the best thing I’ve ever done, but it’s plenty good! And many thanks to those who inspired me to write and taught me many new things along the way. Lots to be thankful for!