Category: Blogging

Posted on

Blogging Thoughts: May 2016 Edition

The other day, my blog had a total of one view.

Now, this view–it wasn’t even from a recent post. It was from a really old post, back from when my blog was a baby. For some reason–probably because it shows up in web searches regarding the ever-popular topic of Myers-Briggs personality types–this post continues to get a lot of traffic, despite its age.

Anyways, that’s besides the point.

The point is, my blog got one view the other day and, more importantly, my reaction to this was:

— — — —

Every now and again, I like to revisit my reasons for blogging. While I did this a lot more at the beginning of my journey as a blogger–writing numerous posts in the first few months of this blog’s existence on that topic–it’s still something that crops up in the back of my mind now and then.

— — — —

So, about this blogging business–lately, my stats have been terrible. Let me say that again. In the past few months, my blog stats have slowly petered down to almost non-existent. While I was never garnering a huge amount of views on my blog, my stats have really been terrible of late. T-E-R-R-I-B-L-E.  The number of likes and comments I’ve been receiving have been dismal. My followers are growing steadily, but I also know that the majority of those followers don’t even read my blog.

While I would have found all this exceptionally aggravating in the past, though, I’m finding now that I really don’t care. Part of me does wish my stats would pick up. It’s always nice to see the numbers get a little higher on any particular Continue reading “Blogging Thoughts: May 2016 Edition”

Posted on

400

My blog has never been about the views or the likes or the follows.

(Well, except for the very early months of blogging on this site after I found the WordPress community. Then, it was. But only for a short time before I realized how unhappy trying to write for other people was making me.)

I created this site for myself. It is my way of expressing myself and quite honestly, it is the best form of therapy I’ve ever had. Writing is my release. It is how I  understand myself better and cope with my fears and anxieties and it is the best way that I’ve found for myself to learn and grow and push myself as a human being in this life that can be so damn hard sometimes.

My life has changed drastically since I started blogging….and I attribute much of that change to the blogging itself. I’ve written about everything. The good and the bad. I’ve learned so much in the process. I’ve met amazing people and their support is unending. I haven’t been the best at checking in with other people’s blogs of late (these things do happen when you decide to live an adventurous life abroad), but I have also loved exploring the work of others in the community and supporting them, as well.

So, the fact that this site just reached 400 followers doesn’t mean as much to me as it would have in those first few months of blogging. That said, it’s still pretty cool. When I first started this site in the waning months of 2014, I never imagined 400 people would find the incentive to click the “follow” button. Granted, not all 400 of those people follow along with me regularly–if at all–but still…it’s amazing to think about how far reaching my words are in this virtual space I’ve created.

With that, thank you to all who continue to read and support It’s a Britta Bottle! I’d still be here if it weren’t for all of you…but it wouldn’t be half as fun.

Posted on

It’s My (Blog’s) Birthday!

My birthday’s in March, folks…remember? (yeah, it’s okay if you don’t)

— — — —

I registered for WordPress in May of 2014.

May 27 to be exact.

That’s when I started the blog that would carry me through my summer as a Smithsonian intern in Washington D.C…

…but that internship only lasted eight weeks. And I hardly thought it was appropriate to carry on a blog entitled “2 Massachusetts Ave., N.E.” (a.k.a the street address of the National Postal Museum) past the summer of 2014.

With the end of my summer, and the blog that went along with it, I found myself asking what I should do next with this blogging business…

See, I had a blog on Blogger, already. I initially decided to try WordPress out for my internship blog because I was curious…some of my Facebook friends were using WordPress for their blogs and I really was just so curious. Admittedly, I toyed with using it for my first blog, but was for some reason a little intimidated by it, which is why I chose Blogger instead. In the weeks leading up to the beginning of my internship, I decided I wanted to make a blog specifically to document my experiences living in D.C. So, given that I was curious about WordPress, I put my intimidation past me and signed up. I soon discovered that this WordPress place seemed pretty Continue reading “It’s My (Blog’s) Birthday!”

Posted on

Guest Post: Britta of It’s a Britta Bottle, On Choosing to Let Life Happen

Back in late November, early December, I connected with this blogger whom I have next to nothing in common with, but who none-the-less welcomed me into the blogosphere and made me feel like I could actually succeed at this blogging thing.

Eli, from Coach Daddy, was one of the first bloggers I connected with here on WordPress. A father of three girls and a general sports guru, he writes about parenting and sports, among other things, on his own blog. As a young twenty-something who has no intention of becoming a parent anyy time soon and who generally doesn’t follow sports at all, we really don’t have anything in common on the surface. Yet, we still made this awesome connection based on our shared love of writing and words.

When he asked me to guest post for him, again, wayy back around six months ago, I was thrilled. The knowledge that someone else wanted to showcase my work on their blog was a huge confidence booster for me, back when I was a baby blogger, and I eagerly looked forward to this summer guest post with fervor.

“On Transition Periods and Why I’m Choosing to Let Life Happen” was published today, and I couldn’t be more thrilled with the way it turned out. I would love if you could all take a mosey on over to read it (the link is below). Seriously. I am so proud of this piece and Eli has formatted it beautifully. Writing this was such a pleasure for me. When it all comes down to it, this is what blogging is all about. These connections and the amazing collaborations that can come out of such connections. This is why I write and this is why I blog. This is why this community is such a beautiful thing.

Guest Post: Britta of It’s a Britta Bottle, On Choosing to Let Life Happen.

Posted on

Quotes! Quotes! and More Quotes!

Back in the day (as in, the early to mid-2000’s), I was a big fan of the book series, A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket (pseudonym for American author, Daniel Handler). I remember eagerly awaiting the release of each new book in the series, going to buy them (with my own allowance money, might I add, something I was very proud of) as soon as they were available.

The books were eccentric, but that’s why I liked them. They weren’t like every single other book out there on the market and to my young, pre-teen self, that was refreshing.

So, I read these books around a decade ago and I remember the gist of the plot (three orphaned siblings are schlepped around from one exceptionally strange foster home with some sort of evil villain to the next), but that’s about it. As I was searching through my Pinterest Board the other day, I came to realize that Continue reading “Quotes! Quotes! and More Quotes!”

Posted on

Quotes + Challenge = I’m Sold

A few days ago, I was nominated for the 3 Days, 3 Quotes Challenge by My Overflowing Thoughts. Now, I haven’t been accepting any nominations of late (life is already so busy, there’s so many other things I’d rather take the time to blog about, so many of the nominations are repeats as it is, etc.). That said, this one got me just because I LOVE QUOTES SO MUCH. Oh man, a really good quote makes me weak in the knees, near tears, gives my heart a little throb. I just couldn’t pass it up.

The rules are simple–post a quote a day for three days and nominate three people each day. I am choosing not to pass on nominations, though anyone who would like to participate is more than welcome to. Instead, I’m going to give a short description of why I chose each quote beneath the posted quote.

Of course, the moment I was nominated for this, I couldn’t think of any quotes, though there are many I love…so I resorted to the Pinterest account I never Continue reading “Quotes + Challenge = I’m Sold”

Posted on

An Ode to the Community

…some of you are like a best friend or very close sibling–always cheering me on and giving advice when needed.

…some of you are like a mother or grandmother–offering sage wisdom and sometimes (only sometimes) gently scolding me for not seeing the bigger, better picture when I’m down on myself or uncertain about the world.

…all of you together are like a large, slightly dysfunctional, but always supportive extended family.

And so are my thoughts about the WordPress Community.

— — — —

I have been reflecting lately on how much I know you all…really know you. Even though we’ve never met in person (besides you three from college and you know who you are), through your own writings and our frequent exchanges, I see your unique personalities, your passions, the things that make you shine so bright as well as, sometimes, your struggles. Blogging can be and very much is an extraordinarily personal endeavor. I know some Continue reading “An Ode to the Community”

Posted on

Free Stylin

I was nominated by Akanksha for the Free Style Writing Challenge. Here’s her post regarding the challenge.

This is an exciting challenge where you are given a topic to free write about…it is strictly free writing! NO EDITING ALLOWED! I’m always on the fence about accepting nominations of any sort (I have at least two posts that have been sitting in my draft folder for ages regarding awards), but this seemed really cool. Free writing is such a release and I think it’s a great exercise to share on the blog. Honestly, it makes me feel a bit vulnerable posting something that hasn’t been edited at all (oh my god, that sounds terrible; oh my god, their going to think I’m an idiot for writing that). But hey, we spend so much time trying to keep our guard up in this world that we forget vulnerability is a good thing sometimes. It is through vulnerability that we can allow ourselves space to grow.

Anywho, I was hesitant to nominate anyone for this…I didn’t for the last challenge I participated in.

However, I think I will this time. I’m curious to see what other people will do with Continue reading “Free Stylin”

Posted on

The Beauty of Blogging

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how blogging has changed my life.

That’s kind of a big declaration to make about something, I know.

But I’m serious. Blogging has changed my life for the better.

I have grown up a lot in this last year. I’ve matured and have become so much more comfortable in my own skin. Lately, I’ve been having little to no anxiety–of course, it still exists, it still sneaks up on me when I least expect it–but it is so much less severe than it was last year at this time and it Continue reading “The Beauty of Blogging”

Website Powered by WordPress.com.
%d bloggers like this: