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Blogsiversary- Year One!

It has been a crazy year! Happy Blogiversary to WhyGiveOnline.com! My blog has been “real” for a year now, and everyday it grows, evolves, and changes a little more. I first started thinking about blogging in August of 2016. I wanted a forum to share my love of giving. At the time I had a very intense position, with very little time to work on a blog. Starting in January of 2017 I started praying about my job. I am not the type of person to quit a good job, so I let God know that if He wanted me to move forward with the blog, please let me be laid off from my job. Be careful what you pray for! In April of 2017 I received notice that I was going to be laid off. Flash forward two weeks, and whygiveonline.com was born!

Blogiversary

“We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.”

Why it all started.

My first post was about a book that I had read on an airplane called, Hillbilly Elegy; A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis, by J.D.Vance. It was a captivating read, the type that you just have to let someone know about. The book is filled with the challenges of some areas of rural life, and a culture that is in need of many types of support. Every time I read the post, or re-read the book, I am captivated by the autobiographical character and the family surrounding him. It always makes me wonder who in my neck of the woods is facing real need. And it causes me to pause and reflect on how I could give more to help those in need. You can read more in my first post here. 

My Favorite Post

My favorite post is from Mothers Day, Mothers Day Gifts Your Mother Will Love. In this post I shared about how much I love my Mom and how fortunate I am to have a Mom who is good friend. As I mentioned in that post, my Mom proof reads most of my posts. She is an amazing editor and I trust her opinions. After reading Mother Day Gifts Your Mother Will Love, she turned to me and said, “Is this post my Mother’s Day Gift”? It meant a lot to me that she read the post, and was able to hear from my heart because I love her. I also love that this post shared information on The Five Love Languages. This is such an important concept for learning to speak to someone in their love language. So, by far this was my favorite post.

Christmas 2018

Post that meant the most to me.

By far, the post that has meant the most to me is my post on the weeks surrounding the adoption of my first two children. It was so easy to write as the words poured from my heart. It is my longest post at over 2500 words. But, it was also the hardest to hit the publish button. Every week when I publish a new post, I pause before hitting the button. I look at my checklist, did I provide links and pictures? Did I remember to include tags and designate a featured image? Did I remember when to write too instead of to or two?

Manny & Viki at Foster Home

I want to do a good job with each post, improving one upon the other. So I look at the Publish button. Sometimes I do a little more work on it, sometimes I hit publish. But, when I went to click publish on the adoption blog, I really had to force myself to do it. It was not only that the post meant so much to me, it was my most transparent blog yet. Finally, I pushed the button and ran from my computer. I am not sure what I thought would happen. It was unlikely that the computer would explode, right? But, I ran away. Later I came back, read the post again, and again shed a few tears. Happy tears. You can read my adoption post here. 

Pictures that stir my heart

As a blogger, you need to post a lot of pictures. The pictures need to be of good composition, with an interesting subject, and good lighting. This is not my forte! My sister is a photographer and so I judge all of my photos against her amazing art! I often come up short. So, I try to post photos, whether old or new, that capture a feeling. I hope that my readers will also be able to see and understand that a feeling was captured. Does it always work…no! But, do I try, yes!

It has also made me work to record many more instances of my life, and general experiences. For years, I have relied on my photographer sister to capture our families “moments”. I have really grown in realizing which moments I want to capture and share.

One Year Blogiversary

Scattered throughout this post are the photos that I have posted which are my favorites. The picture below is one of 120 pictures of eggs that I took to get just the right feeling. I also edited the photo considerably. I wanted to express how much I love eggs for my post, I Really Love Eggs! In this post, I share my great love of eggs, as well as how Heifer.Org is working to ensure everyone around the world has sufficient eggs, protein and produce to live healthy lives and raise healthy families. And yes, my family had eggs for weeks!

Eggs!

Favorite Quotes

I have posted quite a few quotes over the last year. I appreciate the sentiment behind all of them, but the following are my 3 favorite quotes:

Quote- Anne Frank

We Make a Life!

One Person

Favorite Products

In January I became an Amazon affiliate and post quite a few products that I believe in, enjoy, or think are cool. As an affiliate, I post a lot of book links because I love to read and see such great value in books. Throughout this Post are products that are available through Amazon which I highly endorse and recommend.

The Program that Taught Me The Most

Between April 2017 and December 2017 I did not press in as much as I had planned on my blog. During that time I traveled through 17 states and completed 27 units toward my Bachelors Degree. In addition to regular life and spending my weekends with my granddaughter…who fills my life with joy… I did not spend the time I needed to see the progress I was working toward. Starting in January 2018, I focused in, and used every spare moment to work on my blog.

I am an affiliate with Blogging Fastrack Course/ Blogging Blastoff Course and do receive a commission on courses purchased. As always, my views are my own. 

With newfound enthusiasm, I worked evenings on my laptop while my family watched TV. I worked on social media or studied blogging websites while waiting for appointments. I talked about blogging a lot! And it worked! I started to see an improvement in my statistics but wanted more focus. Then I found the course by Heather and Pete Reese of It’s A Lovely Life. I started by taking their 10 Day Traffic Challenge in January and saw an immediate improvement in my focus, direction, and traffic. I wanted to see an even greater increase, and so I signed up for and completed the 30 Day Blogging Fastrack Course in February.

30 Day Blogging Fastrack

Thanks to the 30 Day Blogging Fastrack Course called Blogging Blastoff. I went from general focus to laser-focused on my blog. I was able to not only build traffic and relationships with other bloggers but to really understand the foundation of building a successful blog. The lessons were very well rounded and touched on everything from the technical side of blogging to finding your niche and growing your income as a blogger. If you are thinking of starting a blog, or are a new blogger who desires more focus in your business, I highly recommend this course. You can click on the link here to learn more.

Laughing at the Ice Rink.

Clearly my Mom and I have passed down laughing to my daughters.

Most fun!

I would definitely say that the blog post I had the most fun working on was the St. Patrick’s Day post. I wanted to talk about traditions and why they matter. It was fun to reminisce and write about some of the things my family did when I was young. The most fun part was making the Leprechaun crunch that is listed in the post. On the day that I was making the Leprechaun Crunch, I had a house full of teens. I made the Leprechaun Crunch and then we sat down and watched a movie together while munching on the Crunch. It was a really good time.

I should also share that as I was writing that post, I learned how to spell Leprechaun. Prior to that, I had never realized the need for a U close to the end of the word. Ahh, the things a blogging life teaches you!

Leprechaun Munch Close UP

Social Media

I have learned a lot about social media over the last year. Truly, I thought I knew quite a bit about algorithms, growth, and Facebook groups. Nope, I was a complete novice and am continuing to learn every day. I am a participant in quite a few blogger facebook groups, and truly, I enjoy the opportunity to read the hearts and minds of other bloggers on a daily basis. Some bloggers I feel like I know quite personally, although I have never met or had a conversation with them.

Back in April of 2017 when I first started I had no following at all. None. Flash forward to December 2017 and my lack of social media savvy had only brought me around 27 followers on each social media platform…and yes, I come from a large family so mostly the followers were family. Starting in January, I began to see growth both through the work of social threads and word of mouth. I remember seeing Instagram rise to 50 followers, then 100, 1k, and then suddenly 1.5k!!!! I was so incredibly excited!!!

Celebration Picture!

I truly enjoy getting to know my followers as well as other bloggers. If you would like to follow me on social media I would be excited to call you a follower! You can find me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest too!

What I have learned along the way

I have learned a lot over the last year, about Myself, People, and Blogging! The most important thing that I learned is that the blogging community is filled with an amazing group of people. Bloggers share what they know. Bloggers help each other out with technical questions, needed inspiration, and encouragement. I don’t believe that I had ever met a professional blogger prior to starting this journey, but I am so thankful that I now am part of a wonderful community of bloggers.

After Taste of the Nation

Where I am headed

Each month I write down my blogging goals. Some I achieve and celebrate, and some I miss by a huge measure. But I keep writing down my goals and striving to be more than I was the previous month. To enrich the lives of my readers by sharing information and stories on incorporating giving into your everyday life. Over the next few months, I plan to revamp my website, change my logo and overall aesthetic, and produce multiple posts a month.

I plan on learning more about the charities that matter most to me so that I can pass that information on to my readers, and to also learn about new charities. I plan on working on giving plans and sharing information on how to make giving easier and a part of everyday life. And, I plan on continuing to engage in the blogging community which I have now come to love and appreciate so dearly.

Glamour Shots of Girl Scout Cookies! What could be more fun!

Thank You for taking the time to read this post, and to spend time looking around my blog. It really matters to me. 🙂 If you are a blogger, I would love to know more about what you learned during your first year of blogging, and where you are headed as well! Please share your thoughts in the comment section below. And if you are not a blogger, but a faithful reader, know that I truly appreciate you! You are who I started this blog for, and I would love to know which charities you want to know more about, and what your giving goals are for the rest of the year.

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