Celebrating 2 Years of Blogging
Two years ago today I created a monster when I published my first blog post. A very, happy, big cuddly monster I hasten to add (just like the one above!), and little did I know where it was about to take me. Even though I set the blog up in August, I class the date of my first blog post as the anniversary of my blog. I knew nothing about the blogging world and it’s wonderful community.
The first blogging community I joined was Tots100, followed by BritMums and I have never looked back.
I have been extremely lucky with the opportunities that I have been presented with and am so very grateful for these. It has meant that Ross, Grace and I have been able to experience things that we never could have done on our own. It has brought me friends, reviews, holidays, opportunities and a great job.
So, what can I share with you? Well, after 914 posts (eeek! Nearly reached the 1,000 mark!) and over 12,000 comments later, I thought I would share my thoughts on the whole process and decided it would be easier to break it down into sections (I love making things easier to read!).
Table of Contents
What Do I Love About Blogging?
First and foremost, the people. The people who share things, who correspond with you, who link up with you, who support you, who laugh with you, who cry with you, who are kind and generous, offer tips….I could go on!
Then there is the chances to experience things you might never have done otherwise. A visit to Marco Pierre White’s restaurant, baking with Brioche Pasquier, a visit to the Houses of Parliament to support a political bill, the chance to support the work of Save the Children, a place to share the poetry I write as well as read others, holidays including Keycamp, Forest Holidays and the chance to stay with Cathie and her family and the absolutely amazing trip to Levante which I won along with 11 other bloggers through Mark Warner. I am never going to forget that and the wonderful friendships I have made as a result (more to come later in the week!).
What I Have Reviewed…
Wow, where do I start?! I have had the chance to review so many wonderful things and work with lots of great people. I am a regular supporter of Higgidy Pies, there has been some stunning jewellery from Lily Charmed and Martha Jackson, all those shoes from La Redoute, Bella Italia, Tristans Bistro, Harry Potter Studio Tour, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Musical, the Eating London Tour, working with Memory Box, Parragon Books, Chessington World Of Adventures….and that is just the tip of the iceberg!
What I Have Achieved…
I still don’t really understand why and how I have managed this, but not only did I make the finals of the BiB Awards in the Video category last year, but I have made it into the finals of the MAD Blog Awards this year for the second year running.
I am once again in the Most Innovative category and my fate will be decided this Friday at the Royal Garden Hotel in Kensington. If last year is anything to go by, the whole shebang will be an evening of glitz, glamour, laughing, drinking, dancing and surfing (!!). Ross will be there with me this time as he is videoing the affair. Win or otherwise, this is THE night of the year for me and I can’t ruddy wait! (Take a look at the poem I wrote for last year’s winners here). Sally and her team work so hard to put on such an amazing evening and they do such a wonderful job.
I also run two successful linky’s – Prose for Thought and Post Comment Love (with SoFoLo and the newbie showcase) which I truly love.
What I Have Learned…
Stay out of trouble. In a sentence. As far as I am concerned everyone has an opinion and each and every person is entitled to it. I can’t understand trouble, confrontation and upset. We are all in this community together and, yes, tempers will get frayed, situations will get out of hand and words will get misconstrued. The best thing to do if you feel you have had a part in that is apologise and move on.
None of us are here to invent the wheel and there will be times when people will have similar ideas or ideas that may compliment someone elses (see how I used the word ‘compliment’ here!). For example, Writing Bubble and Muddled Manuscript started a writing linky recently and I couldn’t be happier for them – I believe that Prose for Thought and the What I’m Writing linky will compliment each other perfectly and it means that people have two places to link up and not just one.
To attack other people, whine, moan or generally complain about the opportunities other people have been given or the ideas that they have come up with is mean and unsupportive. The most important thing you can do is concentrate on you and what you are doing and make it the best you can do. Don’t waste your time on things you don’t have! Be the best you can be. The blogging world is a big place and I firmly believe that there is something for everyone out there.
The other thing is try hard not to write a rambling post. Some that I read go round and round in circles. Some are a bit long-winded and, if that is the case, split it into two. That way you have two lots of contents and give people a reason to come back and read! I find that after about 800 words I get bored (although that said, I think that this blog post is going to end up being longer!!).
Cripes! I hope you don’t think I am being preachy!
Blogs Can Be Used for the Power of Good…
The Saatchi Medical Bill, Save the Children, helping with Women’s Aid at Christmas, joining Team Brioche Pasquier for the Race for Life in aid of Cancer Research, being part of Team Honk and highlighting the awareness of Unique, the rare chromosome charity. These are just some of the charities I have got involved in and I have enjoyed every second of helping these worthy causes.
What I Would Like to Improve On…
Definitely replying to comments on my own blog. I have got better recently and I am starting to do it more but I need to keep up with it regularly.
I would like to take part in more linky’s but I find that, because I run two of my own, it gets tricky but I guess that I need to remember that I don’t need to comment on every single other post that has linked up to the other linky!
The other thing I need to do is set a schedule and STICK TO IT!
What Next?
Well, first of all, I shall be setting up a Charity Raffle in the next couple of weeks in support of Unique and to celebrate my two years in blogging.
As you may have read, our family is affected by a chromsome imbalance and my nephew is disabled as a result. The money raised from the raffle will go to support them and the valuable work that they do.
There are some other exciting things happening that I can’t talk about at the moment (as much as I would like to!!) but there is another that I can.
I am starting another blog (yep, I know ANOTHER one!) but this one is a travel and review blog for things like holidays, hotels, restaurants and days out. It is going to be called ‘Victoria Visits’. So watch this space!
Finally, I would like to say a massive thank you. Firstly to Ross and Grace who have been so supportive and now accept the fact that I have to photograph meals and comment on how things will make a great post (Grace even stops to pose when we are making recipes now!). And also to every single person who has supported, read, commented and generally interacted with my blog and with me on social media. I really wouldn’t be here without you!
Wow Victoria what an inspirational post, I love it. I am not yet a year in but hope I am still around in two years like you. And love your work ethos, its exactly how I want to be as a blogger. There is enough room for everyone like you say xx
Oh my two years, what a wonderful achievement – congratulations Victoria x x
Congratulations! And what a wonderful way to celebrate your two year anniversary by being a finalist at the MAD Blog awards – hope you had a fabulous night. Great advice in what you’ve learned from blogging too. I agree with your sentiments, let’s all support each other! x
Wow, 2 years and you’ve achieved so much – and well deserved too! Thanks for the great advice above, for a newbie like me it’s very inspired. I totes agree with you there is plenty of space for everybody in the blogging world. The more the merrier! Good luck tonight and I LOVE your outfit. xxx
Happy blogging anniversary to you! Such a wonderful post to read 🙂 x x x
Congrats on 2 years that’s amazing and all that you have achieved! I look forward to following your second blog too as I am very keen myself to become more of a travel blogger since being an expat we tend to travel all the time with kids. lol You are always so creative and amazing and I love seeing what you will do next. So excited too as I will see you tomorrow at the MAD Blog Awards. Good luck hunny! Thanks for linking up to Share With Me #sharewithme
Lovely post. Congratulations on all your achievements and good luck with your new ventures x
Congrats and Happy Blog-day! I am coming up to my 1 year anniversary soon – so great to read what you have learnt along the way too! I love the pict of you with the cookie monster – ha x
Congratulations on your two-year mark! You sound like a very busy lady (how do you actually have time to write!?) 🙂 Sounds like you deserve that award and all the great opportunities you’ve gotten.
Congratulations hun! You have achieved a great deal and I hope you are really proud. Good luck with the new blog x #MagicMoments
Happy 2nd Birthday to the fabulous Verily Victoria Vocalises. I have no idea how you manage to cram quite so much in, but well done hun and good luck for the new blog x
Well happy 2 years blogging! Some wonderful tips here and many I nodded along to! Will see you on Friday at the MADS x
Happy blog birthday! Sounds like you’ve achieved an impressive amount in the last two years. You give some good advice: blogging can have great potential, and we should be kind to each other. Here’s to lots more success for you. #sharewithme xxx
Congratulations on getting to your 2nd blogger birthday!! That’s a fantastic achievement. Also, congratulations on all you’ve achieved in that time.
I share you thoughts and feelings on ‘staying out of trouble’, we all work hard on our blogs and so in my mind there is no time (or need) for negativity or confrontation.
All the best with your next two years! xx
#MagicMoments
#ShareWithMe
Wow! Congratulations…you’ve achieved so much in such a relatively short space of time. That’s awesome! (came via #MMWBH)
Thank you so much 🙂 x
Happy two years blogging! Wow! Big congratulations!
And this is the first ever blog post I have read of yours!
Very glad hat I have now found your blog through #MMWBH
x
Thank you SO much – and thank you for the visit and comment. Look forward to reading your blog too x
Happy blog anniversary and here’s to many more years of blogging! Love that Grace poses for photos. Mine all moan since i’ve discovered instagram as I don’t let them touch their meals when we are eating out until it’s been instagrammed. x
Thank you so much gorgeous lady 🙂 You have been such a fab supporter of my blog and I really do appreciate it. Instagram is brilliant but it does have a lot to answer for! xx
Happy Blogerversary. You have done so well in such a short space of time. I hope you have a wonderful time at the MADS, all the best, Mich x
Thank you so much Mich, I still carry on pinching myself! x
Happy Bloggy Birthday!! xxx
Actually rushed into the Happy Bday bit before I said what a brilliant post. Not preachy at all, just great advice put succinctly. I too wish I could stick to a schedule and keep up with replies and comments, in fact I wish I could keep up with anything. You’re doing fabulously and I look forward to reading ‘Victoria Visits’, I’m very tempted by a travel blog too 😉 xxx
Oh bless you, thank you so much Emily – I am really relieved to hear that! What a lovely compliment 🙂 xx
Congratulations! You really have achieved a lot in two years. Your success is well-deserved because I know how hard you work and how much support you give to other bloggers. Here’s to the next two years!
Oh, thank you so much Sarah, I really appreciate your lovely comment. Absolutely on the next two years! Exciting stuff xx
I have enjoyed reading your posts. They are witty and carefully worded which I appreciate.
I’ve not posted a comment before but wanted to congratulate you on your two years and wish you all the best for your ceremony.
Helen.
Helen, thank you SO very much for your lovely comment. It is great to hear from a person who just reads my blog and doesn’t comment. It helps to know that there really are other people out there reading! I have everything crossed and hope to continue to entertain you with my writing x
Congratulations on your 2 year anniversary – your linky was the first one I found and I really appreciate all the hard work you put into it, I don’t know how you find the time! PS I’m off to check my blog post word counts now 🙂
Thank you Christine. I am so pleased that you continue to join in with PoCoLo – I always love reading your reviews. I don’t know how I find the time either! We need more hours in the day 😉
Congratulations and thank you for continuing to share your success with us. I can’t wait to learn more from your adventures and see where the next year takes you.
Thank you so much Maria 🙂 x
Happy blog birthday!! You were so lovely to me when I first started out and I really appreciate it. Good luck at the Mads xx
Thank you Louisa, I always try and treat others how I would like to be treated 🙂 Thank you re the MADs – have everything crossed!! x
Absolutely fantastic post! Happy two year anniversary! I only started in May this year and feel so below par! You’ve really inspired me!! Thank you x x
Thank you Becci, it is quite surreal to hear how I am inspiring people when I felt the same way two years ago about other bloggers! Thank you for visiting and reading x
Not preachy at all – what a wonderful post! Congratulations to you, very good luck for the MADS, am rooting for you, and I just love that pic at the top of the piece with Sully!!
Thank you so much Sarah 🙂 That photo is from Disneyland about 4 years ago! I just thought the big cuddly monster went well with the post 😉
Congratulations on your 2 year anniversary, I thought you’d been going way longer than that, your blog seems so well established. Can’t wait to read your new one, it sounds like it’ll be right up mu street.
Thank you so much – it feels like I never had it in my life now! I hope it will be up your street – and look forward to welcoming you as a visitor there too! x
And what a lovely addition to the blogging world you are! Happy Anniversary! #PoCoLo has been brilliant, just what everyone needed, and you have put so much work into that and the rest of your blog, so well done you. Shall be keeping my fingers tightly crossed for you on Friday xx
Thank you SO much Steph, what a truly lovely thing to say. I have everything crossed as well!! x
Well done Victoria, you have achieved so much and what fantastic opportunities on the way, I hope my blog will be half as successful as yours when I have been writing it 2 years and boy hasn’t Grace grown up! x
Thank you so much 🙂 Yes, it is amazing to look back even over the two years and see how much bigger Grace has gotten x
Congratulations on two years of blogging…..I thought you had been blogging much longer as you do such a fantastic job!!
What a great compliment. Thank you Kim 🙂
Congratulations on your blog-versary – you have achieved so much in the last two years.
#MagicMoments
Thank you so much 🙂
Congratulations on reaching 2 years! You’ve achieved so much in that amount of time, the blog is a great testament to you! Look forward to seeing you on Friday at the MADS. Popping in from Magic Moments.
Thank you Fiona, I think it helps that I love it so much! And I feel like I am talking to my friends when I write it. Looking forward to seeing you too 🙂 x
Fabulous post my lovely, blogging has clearly brought you so much. I’m not in the least bit surprised though, you’re very good at it 🙂 best of luck with Victoria Visits, look forward to reading it. Here’s to the next two years xxx
Oh bless you gorgeous, thank you so much. Abso-bloomin-lutely! xx
Happy blogoversary, and congrats with everything you’ve achieved.
Thanks Emma 🙂
Wise words. The blogging community is a great thing to be part of, and like you I’m constantly amazed by how much I’ve gotten out of it.
Thanks Tim. I feel so much the same 🙂
Happy Blog anniversary.
A huge achievement in 2 years.
Looking forward to Friday lovely x see you there, and can’t wait to see the new blog
Thanks Clare 🙂 I am looking forward to meeting you x
Happy Happy Happy Bloggiversary and wow haven’t you achieved so much in those 2 years! Here’s looking forward to reading your new blog (I like the idea of that one!) and that “other exciting thing” whatever it may be. PoCoLo and SoFoLo have been great ways for me to link with lots of other blogs and bloggers so BIG thanks for running those. I even got my poetry cap on and penned a couple of poems that I have not done since I was at school. Merci 🙂
Thanks Rosie – I thought you might like the new one! I am so pleased that you have got so much out of my linkys, this is exactly why I run them. I love seeing other people doing well. I am also so pleased it got you back into the poetry 🙂 x
Happy Anniversary!
Great tips, the one thing I’ve always carried forward is be yourself and remember why you started (that’s me, not you!) and enjoy it.
Lovely to meet you in real life too! X
http://t.co/bWLCGQwF7A
I feel that way too! Thanks Jeanette, it was so lovely to meet you too 🙂 x
Happy 2 years of blogging, honey! I have loved reading this post. You are such a positive, creative, inspiring blogger… you really deserve to win on Friday! I will be thinking of you. xxx #MagicMoments
Thanks Mel 🙂 What a wonderful compliment. I would love to win but I have to say that I haven’t thought about it that much (trying not to!) – just looking forward to the fact that I will see so many lovely people 🙂 x
Happy Blogging birthday Vic! Love your tips and comments here – I totally agree about the ‘being supportive’ thing, most of it usually passes me by but every now and again I get wind of something and am astounded by people’s attitudes. Well done on everything you’ve achieved – amazing! Watching with interest at your charity auction – are you doing it online? I’m trying to get one up and running for our business this year and not sure how to! x x
Thank you so much Suzanne 🙂 I will never forget the fact that you were one of the first to comment on my blog. Yes, I will be but am trying to iron some things out with the charity first. Will give you some tips when I know how! Looking forward to seeing you Friday x
Love ready your posts Victoria. Happy 2 years blogging, and many more to come !! Can’t believe I went to school with such a talented individual, I feel honoured. Keep up the good work !! Tracey xx
Wow! What a compliment, thank you so much Tracey. It is fantastic to see that some of my school friends read my blog – as well as comment 🙂 xx
Congratulations on your 2 year blogoversay Vic- you were one of the first bloggers I met in real life and you made me feel very welcome and part of it all. #PoCoLo was my first linky and I still try to link up most weeks – a brilliant linky showcasing newbies and more experienced bloggers. Thankyou.
Thank you so much Afra. I feel really chuffed that you have said that, I never realised! It is great to hear how PoCoLo has helped so many people. You are so very welcome xx
Happy Bloggerversary!! It’s a really great blog and you definitely have done a brilliant job of jerking it fresh and current. I hope it stays around for a long long time to come. 🙂 best of luck in the MADs too xc
Thank you! What a really lovely thing to say (hahaha! I hope you meant ‘making’ and not ‘jerking’ – that is brilliant!). I don’t intend to go anywhere! 😉 I have everything crossed! x
Hahaaa what an awesome autocorrect – I definitely definitely did not mean jerking 😀
A lovely post celebrating your first two years of blogging. Here’s to the next two Victoria. Well done so far 🙂
Thank you so much Cathy 🙂 x