one of my favourite things to do when i discover a new blog is to read back a bit into the archives. what initially attracts me to a blog is usually the most current post, through a link or topic that might be of interest to me. but when i start digging back into the archives, the style and personality of the author comes through.
the thing i enjoy about reading blogs is that it is about perspective. it’s one person’s take on something and how they chose to present it. there are some amazing and inspiring ideas out there, and some of the best posts are hidden deep within the archives. it’s just the nature of blogging, a very chronological, linear thing. you write a new post, and your last one shifts down further into the past.
it’s staggering to think that about 175 000 new blogs are started. each day! there is absolutely no way i could read through all the archives of my favourite blogs, let alone all the potential blogs out there which i’m sure i’ll bump into in the future. but, i’m thinking, i can get to know the ones who pass through here a little better, one topic at a time…and you can too, by diving into the old archives here every friday.
blog authors hold great value in past writings, even though we are mostly focused on what we are writing now and what we might share in the future. how do i know? almost all blogs have a little “archives” tab somewhere. and we all have a slight panic when it seems that some glitch in the matrix may have caused our blog to disappear. worst nightmare, anyone? (back that thing up!)
it is, after all, a web log. a journal. a journey of sorts. we write about a topic because it means something to us at a given time. and it’s interesting to look back sometimes, and be reminded of where we’ve been.
so, where to begin? why not at the start. this week, dig up your very first post, and share it using the linky tool below. (if you’re not familiar with these, just click the blue frog button at the bottom and it should walk you through the steps. just remember to link to the actual blog post you wish to share, not just your blog url.) you can click through and read other posts on the same topic. then visit back each friday for a new topic. we’ll see how it goes.
that’s it!
that’s it ana?
that’s it.
what, no rules about content or about linking back here or leaving a comment before leaving?
must you suck the fun out of everything?
people want to know!
no rules unless they become needed. just share in the spirit of sharing, stay on topic, be nice, don’t spam, don’t beg others to follow you (ick), viagra guy you will be deleted. you get the idea.
share. read. enjoy. comment if you like. you can copy the code below if you want to help spread the word. jump in, the water is nice…
nice swimsuit.
thanks! it’s vintage.
ya don’t say.
This is as an awesome idea! I do something similar for #FF on the Red River Press blog, but I like your idea (and logo) even better. I wanted #FF to be something more important than just listing great tweeters in ELT. Our From the Archives series is going really well and it’s a log of fun to dig and see what I’ve missed! We feature an old post each week. Sometimes it feels like there are 175, 000 blogs in the teaching English industry alone. :) Teachers are generally good writers and thinkers, so their blogs are often fantastic. Anyway, enough blabbing. I must get digging for today’s #FF. PS-You know…maybe you should get into designing logos for profit!
i’d love to design logos! :)
the funny thing is, last week i got the idea for this (i had no idea you did something like this already!) and what pushed it forward more than anything was scribbling out the little logo. i guess you know where my interest lies with these sort of things. is the RRP blog visible to non-members?
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Brilliant idea Ms Ana
Love it and your logo swimming cap and all are super!
I so knew nothing when I started blogging … kind of just dove in ;) heehee
Very excited about Fridays
I was also most excited to get your logo to work on my sidebar that is a huge deal for me as well, altho when I clicked on it it linked to an error page with our blog header … just so happens I am celebrating 3 yrs of blogging with a giveaway starting today … I am over a month late doing so
Thanks for more fun in blogland!
oxo
thanks patty! it’s funny, i clicked through to your first post and realized i’d been there already… no surprise there :)
congrats on three years! and thanks for sharing the logo. the old swim trunks are showing up perfectly when i view it.
It’s official. We crack each other up! I shared mine. :) Cool idea.
oh good, i’m glad it isn’t just a one-sided relationship here. but you’re not laughing at me in my swimsuit are you? a little self conscious here ;)
Great idea, Ana! My first post though is one of those stupid, pointless – bare with me as I throw paint on the walls and get settled in sort of posts. The second post is much more “me” and less generic. Is that okay?
kristi, you can share whichever you feel best represents your first post (so yes, that’s fine!)
I love this idea! Your loose line work makes your logos and art so whimsical, I love your style!
I’ve been contemplating the same thing: it’s the “voice” of the author in the blog that makes us come back for more. I can’t tell since I wrote it, but it feels like my blog has a distinct lack of voice. I think I’ve been copywriting bland things I don’t like for too long, it’s stripped the creativity out of my life like kids drain pixie sticks (leaving behind a wet, stained, bland strip of paper as my “writing”). I’ll get my “voice” back one day!
The post I linked is one I poured a lot of heart into. I received two e-mails praising it but didn’t get much feedback. The lack of feedback propelled me to search for ways to promote my blog within the community. Now I’ve made lots of friends with simular interest in the blogging world, so it was an important turning-point for me :)
what you said about copywriting bland things rings a bell. i spent years in school studying, then onto a technical job, followed by a few years of babies and sleep deprivation… i feel like i’m only now tapping into that creative side again. i don’t think you ever really lose it, but it’s true, the more you nurture it, the more easily it seems to flow. inspiration has a lot to do with it, don’t you think? another reason i like visiting other blogs, so many ideas. one of the first posts i read of yours grabbed my attention because your voice was quite strong. i think it was the one where you wrote about writing. i’ll have to find it again. it’s interesting, how you attract like-minded people when you express yourself authentically.
and thanks for the comment about the artwork. i had fun making that.
My first post kinda sucks. Which is a good thing, it means I’ve gotten better : D
I look forward to next friday’s prompt! I had fun browsing around peoples’ first post : )
thanks estivalia. it’s been fun browsing around, glad you shared.
Soooo, I posted a link to the old My Girl Thursday blog. It’s the earliest post that is still published (there were earlier entries but I deleted them a while ago). Normally I wouldn’t share this post – it’s nothing terribly interesting, just a few stenciled shirts. However, the last shirt “Hello Potter” made me a touch internet famous a few years ago. I thought I’d bust it out here and relive the glory. You see, I invented Hello Potter by shamelessly stealing Hello Kitty images from a colouring book and slapping a lightening bolt on her head (or scar or whatever, I’ve never read/watched HP).
This was fun Ana! Thanks!
see, i love the stories that go with these posts as much as the posts themselves! fun. poor hello kitty! hehe
keep sharing!
What a fun idea, Ana!
I played along, adding a link to my personal blog (Days in Between – sorry about the awful formatting on the post, that happened when I imported to Typepad from Blogger a few years ago and I never bothered to go back and fix it!). Also, apologies for the horrific writing style. Blergh.
Canadian+Handmade is pretty young, but it was fun to go back and remember who our very first featured artist was – I happen to have 2 of her purses that I *love*. So gorgeous :)
Looking forward to next Friday’s prompt!
Cheers,
~Sarah
canadian+handmade is one of my favourite places. thanks for showcasing such talented artists.
that happened to me with an old blog as well, i transferred it and the new version got all kinds of strange characters thrown in. i still have to go through and fix all that!
thanks for playing along, see you next week!
GREAT IDEA!!! I also like to read old posts of new blogs!!!… My first post sucks though, I’m still learning, but the first one was very cold and kind of blah! I think. LOVE LOVE your idea… See you around! BTW this is my first time visiting your blog, I enjoy your writing, I’ll have to come back to start reading your archive. ^_^
thanks blue, and yes, lots of fun stuff in the archives.. dig in :)
This is a fun idea! Great name too! :)
of course i love this idea ms. ana. and i {heart} your logo design. although i, like krista i think, am not adding my *actual* first post….it’s all “hey, i think i’ll give this blogging thing a whirl”. i’ll go with what i consider my first real post.
can’t wait for next week!
Ana, this is a smashing (splashing?) idea! I’m linking up. Love your little hand-drawn logos. You’re a lovely artist! Now, I’m off to visit some of the others who’ve linked up.
angela, googie and alyssa, thanks for joining in!
it has been fun to visit and read (and it’s so neat to see those i know from here visiting each other’s blogs), let’s do it again next week. if you have ideas for topics, share them here or drop me a line.
really interesting idea ana! i love to go back and read older posts from new blogs i find (which is how i found this post). its kinda fun, to look back at where people started and to get a sense of who they are and what they write about. lovely (and love the fact that you are anti-follower-begging too!
becclebee, thank you for saying that. about the following thing, i sometimes feel like the blogging world has gone mad :) thanks for finding me and adding your link this week.
I remember one thing about my first post clearly: I had no idea what I was doing! It took months to get started and get up the nerve to make that first post. But I dove in head first (much like your awesome button, it’s really cool!) and never looked back. There is still have a long way to go before it is where I’d like it to be. For now though I am enjoying the ride. Thanks for this idea Ana and the trip down memory lane :)
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