Dec 30 2009

Blogoversary

This week marks my the end of my third year as a blogger. This is my 687th blog post on Neurologica, plus additional posts on SkepticBlog, Science-Based Medicine (I have a new post on SBM today about Gingko biloba), and the Rogues Gallery. NeuroLogica now has 14,303 comments.

According to Technorati, by mid 2008 184 million people had started blogs. Estimates vary, and this is a moving target, but there is something like 3-5 million active blogs in the US alone. Most new bloggers last about a month, and most blogs are left fallow.

So surviving for three years is something of an accomplishment, and I get a decent amount of traffic and links to my humble blog. All things considered, I think it has been worth the effort.

I actually started podcasting before I started blogging – with the SGU. I think podcasting is a powerful medium, but it is not the same as writing, and so I felt I needed to start a blog to complement my skeptical podcasting, and it has worked out exactly as I had hoped.

In writing I can delve into topics more deeply than on the SGU, with more specific details and references. I can also compose what I want to say more carefully and precisely. I have therefore used the blog to extend the discussion on the SGU, but also to prep for the podcast. I often blog about a topic and incorporate the excellent feedback I get from readers to give a more tight and accurate presentation of the topic on the SGU. The two play off of each other very nicely.

I am often asked how I find the time for regular blogging. It is a challenge, but it is also a simple matter of time management. If you build blogging time into your regular schedule, it just becomes part of your routine – like showering, exercising, or work.

I think many people blog as an experiment, and then probably give up because they don’t perceive what they are getting out of it. I had a specific goal in mind when I started blogging. Perhaps that is part of the key to longevity in blogging (if three years can be considered longevity) – know what your goals are. What do you want to accomplish with your blog? That also helps keep you going when you are having one of those “time to make the donuts” moments.

Finally I would like to thank all of my regular readers and especially commenters  – the conversation adds a tremendous amount of value to the whole blogging experience. I’m looking forward to more blogging in 2010.

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