I am still on cloud nine from the Blogiversary celebration. Never have I celebrated the blog so out loud. I want to make next year’s celebration bigger. A big sorry to those I wasn’t able to invite and the few that I like to charge to my head not my heart for not extending the invitation. I want the celebration to be intimate to keep it genuine. So even if we go bigger next year the same level of intimacy will remain. It was good to celebrate the ups and downs of running a blog and being a team of one. Thank you again to those who ventured in through the rain and cold.
Moshulu and the Blogiversary Backdrop
Thank you to Fearless Restaurants, Moshulu, Jake, and the entire team that made last night happen. We had more than enough food. So many food varieties. Everyone loved the food options. Not one thing was bad. I loved how it was such a private event. The Moshulu was on of the first restaurants under the Fearless Restaurant brands that I had ever worked with. In addition to the food, my featured drink “Bloggers Gonna Blog” was amazing. A pink cosmo that definitely a highlight of the evening. If you have ever been on the Moshulu in the past you will be floored by the new renovations. It’s even more beautiful.
Theme for the Blogiversary: Bloggers Gonna Blog
This was the first hashtag I ever used for my blog. I stand by that. Bloggers gonna Blog is my stance. No matter what is going on in the world Bloggers are there to capture it onto an internet writing form. I have been fortunate to not allow the art of blogging to be tainted by relationships both personally or professionally. The lessons that I have learned have helped me to be able to sustain this for 8 years when no one was reading it and beyond. Trust me there have been plenty of times where I asked myself why I am even doing this anymore. One thing that has remained is that I love what I do. So when the nights are late from working on a campaign and more, I remind myself that I prayed for all of this.
Celebration on Explosion
We had so much fun. It was great to see my friends intermingle. So many new connections were made. I loved how everyone interacting with everyone. When I go to events I always see people who seem to be a little shyer than others. I was that person when I first started going to events. With that being said, I wanted this to be something for all of us to have a great time. I believe that definitely happened. The room was open enough for me to make my rounds but small enough for us to be together and connected.
Lessons Learned in this Year of Blogging
Since the article that was posted about PRs a lot of bloggers and Influencers have had conversations about what should happen. Nothing personal but the Philadelphia PR scene is one of the only scenes that doesn’t align with the industry norm. I stopped doing full blogs for events unless I want to. I used to go to events and put a blog out within hours of the event. It was a lot. After doing all of that I would find that it wasn’t helping or building my business. Others would get to do what I do and get paid for it while I was putting out all of this work for free. So I cut back. Focused on things that meant the world to me.
Lessons this Blogiversary
The no budget for companies are often times a way for them to again get content for free. I have set a number of free content for small businesses. Larger businesses have a budget and I will not prioritize them in the ways I have in the past. Also when it comes to interpersonal relationships I am going to be open and guarded. This year I have walked into spaces that should have been professional to see people not realize I am here. Once I get in the space they are saying everything but right on what they think I should have done and more. So no. I want those to keep the same energy at all times.
All in all this celebration was more than worth it. I am so glad that my husband pushed me to have it. I thought it was vain to celebrate so big but he was right. Celebrate your wins is important. I look forward to next year. Thank you to Jake, Moshulu, the staff, Jaimi, my blogging and influencing friends, my family, and those who couldn’t make it for supporting me. A special thank to every PR, company I have collaborated and the best network behind me, SheMedia and BlogHer. Thank you to the readers and those who subscribe to this work. I couldn’t have done it without you.
You can do Anything you Want to
The future is bright. So for those wanting to start a blog, do it. I started on a Blackberry, no laptop, and no knowledge. I had a free WordPress site and moved to a paid site. There may have been 25 readers for a long time. Learning how to keep myself motivated got easier. I have ups and downs like anyone else. I believe in this brand and I will nurture it always. More than anything learning to ask for help when I don’t know something has been a godsend. You got this and you can do this.
