Archive for What I Learned
It’s The Little Victories
Posted by: | CommentsI know that no one but me honestly cares about this, but I was excited to see that I broke into the top 50,000 at Technorati for this blog this week. Considering I was at 190,000 a few months ago, I’m happy.
So, thank you to all who have linked to me and here’s to my next goal – the top 10,000.
It’s the little victories like this one that keep us blogging. Whether it is a traffic spike, great commenters, a few Adsense dollars, or a mention at another blog, the pieces all add up to happy bloggers. And happy bloggers share good information – and that helps us all.
And while we are on the subject (kind of), don’t forget to join my community at MyBlogLog. I currently have 35 members and would love to get to 100 by the end of March.
Did you celebrate any little victories this week or this month? I give you permission to brag – do it here in a comment or on your own blog and I’ll give you a link.
Have a great weekend!
Road Map for the New Year
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My road map for the New Year is kind of like the one UPS followed during the holidays – maximize the right turns, except I may throw in a left turn here and there to keep from going in circles. I am predicting a year of change, continued growth and learning, as well as a year of challenges, but I am up for it.
I don’t do resolutions, but I do set goals. These goals are the destination points on my map, the journey may not follow the most direct route, however.
GOALS FOR MY BUSINESS
1. Determine the size of business I am comfortable handling. At this point, I have to do one or a combination of three things: stop taking new clients; start designing sites using Drupal or Mambo so my clients can maintain them on their own; or outsource some of my work. My guess is that a combination of options 2 and 3 will occur.
2. Streamline my administrative and financial processes. These aren’t my strengths and I waste too much time on them.
3. Continue to learn new technologies.This includes keeping up with the latest HTML, PHP, CSS and other techniques. It also includes learning how to use other web tools, add ons, and strategies for maximizing my web sites’ and client web sites’ value.
GOALS FOR THIS BLOG
1. Continue the Essential Tools series and develop a new series to highlight projects. I would like to highlight some of my projects and those of other designers in the form of case studies – explaining what tools were used and why.
2. Renovation of the site layout and features. I am feeling boxed in and have learned over the past 6 months that there are things you need in the sidebar and things you don’t. What works on my blog may not work on yours, so it is time to do some tweaking.
3. Continue the conversation. I have been so impressed by the quality of people I have encountered through blogging. So many of you have helped me grow professionally and many of you I even consider friends.
Happy New Year to all. I hope you have been able to use the past few weeks to recharge, spend time with family, and plan your course for the upcoming year.
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The Power Of The Blogging Community
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Ben at Instigator Blog has challenged us all to share what we have learned in 2006 with our community – after all, that is what makes the online community so powerful. And to make it even more powerful, Ben is making a charitable donation for each post in this group writing project.
I, personally, have learned so much in 2006 that I will need to make a series of posts this week, otherwise each of my readers would be sound asleep on the keyboard.
WHAT I LEARNED THIS YEAR – PART 1
THE POWER OF THE BLOGGING COMMUNITY
Before I began blogging, I knew that the Internet was a great tool for information gathering, research, shopping, and such, afterall, I have been designing web sites for clients for years. What I didn’t know, was that when I began blogging and participating in online conversations, I suddenly had my own support staff on call 24/7!
Working from home has its advantages (flexibility, being home for the kids, and no commute), but it also has disadvantages (limited opportunities for professional development, conversation with other adults, and socialization).
Through blogging, I have been thrust into the latest technology trends and have been challenged in ways I have not been in years. There is something very gratifying about slaying your own dragons and helping others slay theirs. There have been many individuals who through the tangled web have managed to find me and come to my rescue on more than one occasion.
Most of us would agree that Lorelle has one of the most extensive WordPress resources sites ever created, but I didn’t find her, she found me! I had a question about WordPress and was frustrated, so I posted my question on my blog and Lorelle found me, and answered my question. By answering my question, she also pointed me in the direction of more awesome resources so I could help myself in the future.
Last week I had a minor crisis when all my Permalinks disappeared (across 3 blogs simulataneously, hmmm) and again, I posted my distress call and was amazed at the response. Through the experience, knowledge, and willingness to share of others, I was able to fix my own problem and find the silver lining in my cloudy day.
I can’t even begin to count the number of interesting people I have been able to connect with thanks to blogging. My horizons have definitely been broadened but the world has become smaller at the same time. These bloggers have brought humor, knowledge, insight and moments of reflection to my little corner of the world. My office may appear to be a one-mom show, but the reality of it is, I have an enormous support staff at my fingertips.
Thank you to all the bloggers I have conversed with this year – you have made my world a better place.
