100th Blog Post: Are You a Part of This Blog’s History? The Year That Was, at Random Thoughts

I purposely wrote this article to coincide with my 100^th post and with the New Year. This is to bring good luck. I’m not a suspicious person, but there is no harm in thinking positively.I believe that being happy and successful is a matter of choice. You should have persistence and determination if you want to achieve your goals in life.

Since this is a special post, join me in going back in time to reminisce for a while. You might be one of the participants of this blog’s history.

Photo by hans s

I started this blog 9 months ago, in March 27, 2008. My first post was just a brief paragraph entitled: " The Value of Honesty". I had no previous experience, no knowledge at all about blogging, HTML codes, templates, widgets, etc, I was groping in the dark, so to speak , so I just wrote the article and posted it; not knowing what to expect next.

I was surfing the internet for some related material to a study I was conducting on “Web- Based Instructional Materials” and I chanced upon the blogger.com. As soon as I had clicked on it, I became hooked.

After my 8-5 daytime job - I blogged.

It became some sort of relaxation and release for me because I loved writing even when I was in grade school, and blogging had fulfilled that need to write. And what more, I wanted to be read and through blogging, there would be a chance that someone might read my posts.

Of course, that did not happen for several days. I can’t even find my blog through the search engines. I surfed and learned that I had to add my blogs to the search engines blog list, before I could expect them to appear in the search results.

Initially, I have created three (3) for my different areas of interests, writing, children, health. I added all my blogs to the search engines’ pool of blogs. Still, for a month, my blogs were not accessible through the internet, I was getting discouraged.

But I knew that if I stop - then I would fail, so I decided to keep at it. I still have not failed if I've not given up yet, right? So, I surfed again online, looking for ways to maximize my blogs’ exposure.

I had installed Google analytics, had verified my blogs and had signed up in almost all ranking sites. As a result of these, I got some visitors, and slowly, the search engines were showing a post or two.

That was the time that I came across Entrecard.

As usual, I learned through trial and error. Slowly, I became adept at card dropping. Sometimes I could drop a handful (more than a 100), sometimes less (50). Entrecarders whom I had visited, started to visit too, and I gained my Google page rank 1.

Thanks to Entrecard, I had come across blogs that I would never have known: "The Big Picture" and "Tasha's Take" of Tasha Bud, Ken Armstrong Writing Stuff " of Ken Armstrong, “Caught in the Stream“of Francis Scudellari, The Esoterical Journey of Ray Gratzner, "The Truth About Lies" of Jim Murdoch, "The Struggling Blogger" of Roy dela Cruz, "BaaBaa Blogging" of Fiendish,"HotMomma" of Mathe Baniaga, "Ruminations of the Small Town Country Boy" of Eric Schweer, "Purpled Sky" of a Wonderful Mom, "The Spitting Vessel" of Durano Lawayan, "Jean's Musings" of Jean Knill, "Seeking Things Above " by Tony, Hunting the Muse by Brady Frost, Pinoy Copywriter by a Pinoy Writer
" Pinay Mommy Online" by Mommy Ruby, "Father Blogger Dot Com" of Angel Cuala, and many more.

It was also in this blog that I started to solicit contributions from all over the blogosphere for my book entitled: “Inspirational Stories and Thoughts of Bloggers all Over the World.”

The first article was that of Nicholas Chase entitled “Inspiration” which was posted on July 26, followed by Roy dela Cruz’s “She Didn’t dance” on August 11 and by Jean Knill’s “It’s Not Too Late” on September 11.

The other contributors, Ken, Francis, Tasha, Ray, Jim, Durano and Roy (Part 2) are posted in Gewgaw Writings. Thank you guys, for the support.

It was only in my 3rd month that Google adsense had approved my blog for advertising. My blog was accepted also by paying post, blogvertise, review me, and sponsored reviews. I started to earn by posting reviews in my blogs. I had refused some of them though, so this made me falter in this venue. I gained my Google Page Rank 3 by then.

I joined writing sites like Helium.com, Triond.com and Associated Content.com and a forum- MyLot, where I got my first online earnings.

Thanks to my MyLot friends: Nilzerous, Jillhill, Sydney Hazelton ( who is a top-notch writer at Triond.com too), P1kef1sh, zeroflash2x, paid2write, my friends from the blogging world, Roy & Angel, and many more. They have made the discussions there lively and relaxing.

Thanks to my Associated Content friends, Patricia (who, incidentally is an Enctrecarder now) Jcorn and the rest of the group.

I would like to acknowledge my Helium friends too, Rachelle de Bretagne, Ruth Belena, Roy, Angel, Jean, Brady, Mathe, Eric, and Writer's Edge. I have been very busy with these writing sites that my blogging was somewhat relegated to the background.

But blogging still would be a vital part of my internet world; just like the several, generous and helpful friends I have gained, who are always there to encourage and say a kind word or two, Thanks to you guys!

This January 1, 2009, I would like to welcome the New Year with a gift (300 EC credits) to my Top Ten Droppers for the Month of December.
Thank you also to the previous months’ top droppers.

Dropper	# of drops
Windmill on the Hill	27
Technically Easy	25
Sassy Black Friend	25
Symphony of Love	24
Jean's Musings	24
The Half-Life of Linoleum	23
Toltec Insights with Dr. Susan Gregg	22
C'est La Vie	21
Angels on Your Shoulder	20
Random Chronicles	16

And to my friends, visitors, droppers and from all over the globe. Thank you and may God bless you with a successful, fun-filled, happy and peaceful 2009!