Why I blog: 500th post celebration!

Oh yes you got that right, this post, this very post you are reading right now is my 500th post on this blog! And I think that calls for a celebration. Because 500 posts ago I’d never have thought that I’d keep going for this long. Let’s throw some confetti and celebrate with me!

So now we’ve got the proper celebration started, let’s reflect on how this all got started: the reason why I wanted to have a blog in the first place. I don’t know whether I’ve mentioned it before, but I thought this blog would last about 2 months. After that I’d just get bored with it just like I did with every other type of written thing I’ve ever tried to do. I was never able to keep a diary. And I have never been able to keep a journal unless I’m traveling or feeling blah. Yet, here we are 500 posts and almost 1.5 years later and I’m still going strong.

The main reason why I wanted to blog was because I wanted to vent my thoughts about things that interest me, but which no one I know in real life particularly cares about. I don’t know anyone who is into make up like me, or into fashion like me, or into the same music as me. Language is already part of my every day goings on, but I have yet to meet a colleague or fellow student who feels about language the way I do. So what better place to talk about the things I like, but which no one else seems to like than a blog?

That’s when the idea was born. I also missed writing. As a student I was writing non stop. Right now all I get to write is the occasional paper and a ton of emails but nothing too major. And I like to write, so that’s why keeping a blog rather than a vlog was the option I went with. Another thing I was missing was this online community feeling. Back in the day, when I still frequented forums, discussion boards and chat rooms, you met new people you could interact with. It’s how I met some genuinely cool people (you know who you are) and somewhere I was hoping that through this blog I could achieve something similar.

I didn’t go into this with an idea or a concept in mind. I just started. That’s why this isn’t a beauty blog in the strict sense of the word. Nor is it a fashion blog, a language blog or a music blog. I feel passionate about all of those things and that’s why I try to balance them as much as I can. Granted, some topics I find it easier to write about than others and some posts come more quickly then others, but I like keeping the versatility in the posts.

Here’s where the celebration part comes in: because I’ve hit 500 posts I will have a competition some time in the near future. I initially wanted to do it now, but since I’ll be leaving for London in a few weeks time I thought it would be fun to see what I can find there and THEN do a giveaway. So yes, in 3 – 4 weeks time I will be holding another giveaway.

In the mean time you can let me know in the comments below why it is that you blog and what you think would make a good giveaway price. Have a great Sunday!

14 responses to “Why I blog: 500th post celebration!”

  1. congratulations! You have a great reason to celebrate!
    I’ve only just started so I can’t really answer your question. So far so good and I love it.

    Great giveway price would be something that YOU like, for example a piece of your favorite make-up or music from a band that you love…something that matched you. That would be fun.

  2. That is a long time! I’ve had many blogs over the years. I would stop blogging because I couldn’t find the time but I always found myself coming back to it. I love sharing my opinions and I love the interaction with readers and reading what others have to say about subjects that I find interesting and/or important.

  3. Gefeiliciteerd! In 1,5 jaar 500 artikelen? Da’s veel! Ik ga ook richting de 500, maar ik heb er dan bijna 3 jaar over gedaan, haha. Ik ben met bloggen begonnen. omdat ik via forums steeds meer kwijt wilde over producten etc. en toen bedacht dat ik net zo goed zelf een beautyblog kon beginnen. En ik houd van schrijven en ‘in real life’ ken ik ook geen mensen die zo van make-upzooi 😉 houden als ik.

    • Ik post ook iedere dag wat he! Of dat probeer ik iig. Lukt niet altijd ivm werk/school gewoon druk, maar ik schrijf vrij vlot. Ik tik mijn meeste stukjes in een half uurtje of minder. 😉

  4. Congratulations! I have several blogs… I don’t do anywhere near as well with them as you do with this. As for a journal, I think I mentioned it in another random post, but I write (in a notebook, with a pen!) a daily journal in Dutch as part of my language learning experience. I then cross-post that to a private blog, where two Dutch-speaking friends read, comment, and offer edits and suggestions. It is without question the best learning tool I’ve found… I’ve stopped using my lesson book; I’m learning more, faster, with the journal. The only reason I mention it is that I am just about to reach my own milestone with that: 1 February will be four months of daily journaling. Like you, I’d tried keeping a journal before, and never managed to do it for more than a short time. I guess tying it to language learning was the key.

    Keep-up the great work. I may not relate completely to your fashion or make-up interests (OK, well, I do look my very best with a light application of Shiseido tinted moisturizer, but I don’t often admit that in public!), but I still get a kick out of reading your entries. It’s a good reminder that when people write about things they’re passionate about, it’s hard to not share in that positive energy somehow.

    • That’s such a sweet comment. Thank you! And wow 4 months? That’s great! And remember: just keep doing it. Doing it is what will have you make progess. Books will only get you so far.

  5. PriZe Maaike priZe! What are you teaching your students?! 😛

    I was going to suggest perhaps get a bunch of small things that represent your blog/you/what your passionate about? Maybe pick up some fashion jewelry, some music, make up /nail varnish and something to do with language?

    I blog because I love to write about what I’m passionate about – it also helps me focus sometimes, for example – if I’m going to do a post about my goals, it forces me to really think about it to write it down, and explain it to people who may have never met me before – this makes them clearer in my mind than they would be if I just thought to myself “I want to do x”.

    I’ve kept a few written journals in my time and an online journal – to be honest they weren’t really for others to see, they weren’t nice to read – I vented a lot of my depression, anxiety, frustrations and things into it when I didn’t understand these things, why I had them or anything. They naturally came to their end I think – not really because I felt better, but just they ran their course if that makes sense.

    Anyway, Congratulations! I’m very glad you decided to start writing this blog and you mentioned the forums – which I think is something I miss as well, but this way we get to have some indepth discussion again.

Leave a Reply

Powered by WordPress.com.

%d bloggers like this: