In preparation for my recent Best of 2010 post, I was reading through many older posts and some of the comments. It struck me that so many people that were commenting on my blog back then are no longer blogging. I noticed the majority of bloggers who I started out with have either taken a few breaks in between or have stopped blogging altogether. So it’s kind of like the tribe I started out with has drastically changed.
I have learned that blogging is an evolving process and it’s never static. It’s a very fast-paced, changing dynamic. And as important as it is for a blogger to find her tribe, you will notice that the longer you blog the more your tribe will change. I recently tweeted how blogging moves in waves and cycles. There is a constant influx of new faces, some who will remain for the entire duration and some who will decide to exit early. Wherever you are in the blogging process, remember that the tribe you have right now may not necessarily be the same tribe you have even six months from now. That’s partly what I think makes blogging such a changing environment.
2010 was another exciting year for Theta Mom when TMC launched in early March. New bloggers find this space to be an encouraging place to meet other bloggers who share many of the same ideals and of course, want nothing more than to support one another. So if your tribe is currently changing, this is a great place to meet new bloggers! In fact, a few weeks ago Theta Mom was noted as a top social media site in Entrepreneur.com. Now THAT is a wonderful way to end the year!
So what is my wish as we approach the New Year? Actually, it’s the same every year. Taken from one of the best films ever created It’s a Wonderful Life, allow me to share why I want some bread, salt and wine in the New Year…
Bread–so that this house may never know hunger.
Salt–that life may always have flavor.
Wine–that joy and prosperity may reign forever.
Along with good health, please pass me the bread, salt, and wine in 2011!
Thank you again for reading, sharing your voice, commenting and subscribing. I have HUGE new plans for Theta Mom that’s been in the works for months which will launch in early 2011 and I absolutely cannot wait to share it with you!
Here’s to a healthy and happy New Year! I look forward to spending 2011 with you!!!
I’ve seen a lot of bloggers come and go in the short time I’ve been blogging. It’s hard to keep going, especially when you’re new and you’re readership is low. It’s also something that you have to do for you, so once you lose you’re excitement about it then it’s time to move on. You’re right, it’s always changing and that’s part of the fun!
I love that movie. Hands down, my favorite during the holidays! Have a happy new year!
Thanks you for creating such a great supporting network. This year was enjoyable and encouraging thanks to you.
When I started blogging I fell in love with some bloggers and one is you, and I am glad I am still around to be able to thank you and wish you all the best in 2011.
As you wrote blogging moves in waves and circles. Sometimes the wave pulls you away but if you manage to come bacl with a vision that vision can survive.
I would like to toast and can’t wait to see what 2011 will bring both on my blog and in my private life.
Shower of blessing and great things in 2011!
That means so much, thank you!! Looking forward to a fabulous 2011!!
Happy New Year to you, too!
Blogging does have an ebb and flow to it, as I’m learning. I posted recently on Mom Bloggers Club about the fact that I’ve lost several followers recently, but I’m gaining more comments and a steady base of readers. I’m also finding that many bloggers I started out reading have quit. It is definitely an ever changing journey, and the experience is amazing!
I have often wondered what happened to people who suddenly stopped commenting…but then I remember I do the same thing. I don’t comment nearly as much as I should. I have such little time and even though I read my fav blogs regularly, I don’t always have a chance to comment.
Happy New Year:)
Yes, the commenting slows because we all don’t have the time to visit tons of blogs but it’s the bloggers that used to comment that don’t blog any longer…that’s the sad part when you don’t even see them on Twitter anymore either!
I’m fairly new to blogging. When I first started it didn’t occur to me how much time & work went into it. Yes, it does constantly change & evolve.
I’m looking forward to a great 2011. Cheers to that!
Yes mama, cheers to that!
People come and go and whether they are URL or IRL people, it is always sad to see them go.
I love that movie and that quote. Happy new year to you, too!
I love that URL or IRL! (I’ve used IRL as a term, but never URL!!)
Happy New Year!
I’m pretty new to blogging, having only started in May. But I’ve noticed a lot of new faces as well as missing some of the older ones. I often wonder why they stop.
I’m planning on hanging around for a while!
Hope that you and your family have a great New Year! Thank you for all your support!
Yay for a wonderful year! I don’t remember exactly when I discovered Theta Mom this year, but I have loved, loved, loved it! You’ve got a good thing going here!
I, too have noticed lots of women either taking breaks or giving up on blogging. I think they get burned out. When it becomes a burden, it is time to step away. For me, I knew blogging every day was not possible. So I came up with a M/W/F schedule, and it has worked very well for me.
I was looking through my old posts and comments too and noticed that my tribe has definitely changed throughout the year. It is crazy. I also feel bad because there were some blogs that I used to frequent and then I just stopped commenting for a while. Sometimes life gets in the way but I am hoping to get back full force in 2011!
I know exactly what you mean Jayme! Yes, just because a reader doesn’t comment doesn’t mean they stopped reading altogether, but it’s the bloggers who used to comment and then stopped blogging that remind us of this changing space. And when some of those peeps stop tweeting, I know they’re done.
Here’s to a fabulous 2011 chickie!
xo
I wish you a wonderful New Year. I love loved visiting you this year.
That means so much to me, thank you for being here!!
Happy 2011!
Blogging is a lot of work, so if you are not really enjoying it I can understand letting it go. So far for me it has been wonderful!
Happy New Year!
Hey I was your first follower and baby I’m still in the tribe. I’ll toast to 2010 and hope for wonderful things for you in 2011.
Also a few of my first peeps no longer blog but they friended me on facebook and regularly comment there. Some I really missed and I’m so happy to reconnect!
You will always be the first mama! 😉 Yes, you are SO in the tribe.
Here’s to a fabulous 2011!!
xoxo
Excellent post, Heather. I’ve seen so much turnover in my short time of blogging. My thought is that many people start as I did, as a means to keep faraway friends and family in the loop of our daily lives. After blogging for a while, we realize that blogging has so many more facets and potential than just recounting what we’ve done with our children that day/week/month. For many bloggers that other realm is just too overwhelming. It’s difficult to keep up. And factor in PR and advertising, and all of a sudden, you have an obligation to someone other than yourself to post regularly and to post appealling content.
I’ve considered throwing in the towel several times, asking myself what is this all worth and what will I get out of it longterm. But then I ask myself, what will I do if I stop?? There are compelling arguments on both sides.
At the end of the day, I’m glad I found Theta Mom and am grateful to have met you IRL and to call you a bloggy friend. Many wishes for a Happy New Year to you and your lovely family. May it be filled with copious amounts of bread, salt, and wine!!!!
Sheila,
Excellent points! I also don’t think peeps realize the amount of time and dedication that is required to maintain a successful blog when they intially begin blogging.
I am so glad to call you a bloggy friend, too! And happy to have met you in real life Jersey girl!!
Happy New Year!!
xo
It is funny how blogging changes. People who used to be in my tribe- some have stopped blogging, some have gone off in other directions(thankfully, none from any sort of drama)- it really does change.
And, um…I think I just realized that I never officially joined your community. No idea why. I will fix that soon.
Happy New Year!
Would love to have you be an official TMC girl!
Happy New Year!!
It’s true that the blogging community does change, and the blogs themselves change.
I love the idea of bread, salt, and wine. Happy New Year to you!
funny how we all think of the new year and what has happened or where we are going. I know for myself, if those who used to follow do not anymore then they are missing out, the new year will be more interesting than ever for me. Happy New Year to you and yours and looking forward to more good read
this will be my 3rd blogging new year, so you haven’t managed to get rid of me yet! Happy New Year Theta mom!
Wow! Congrats on the Entrepreneur.com mention! That’s awesome! Wait a minute…didn’t that happen immediately after my blog was the TMC?
Just saying ;P
Happy New Year!
Happy New Year to you too!! I linked back to you of course in my Look Back: 2010 post!
I’ve seen a lot of bloggers come and go which is why I cherish the few long-term readers all the more.
Also, interestingly enough, the vast majority of my readers who have been following me since the beginning, don’t blog themselves. I wonder if there’s a burn-out factor that effects bloggers. When they stop blogging, they stop reading….
Have a happy New Year and LOVE your wishes. Whenever someone moves into a new home, I bring them a basket with those three items, plus chocolate. No one EVER gets it. Ever. Obviously, I should also include a DVD of “It’s a Wonderful Life”.
I do the same thing when someone enters a new home! Love it!!
And I agree about the bloggers who burnout…they stop blogging and reading altogether.
Happy New Year!!
You’re so right, Heather. new faces are constantly emerging. Which is probably a really good thing if you think about it! I know I haven’t been around much, but I always love hearing from you and checking in when we can. Happy Holidays, and looking forward to your 2011 news!
Congratulations Mama, so completely well deserved! What a wonderful post, I simply can’t wait to see what the new year brings. You have been a wonderful friend and I wish you heaping amounts of continued success!
What a powerful analogy of bread, salt, and wine! You are so right about the changes within the community over time. It is so interesting to see the new opportunties that come up for people and the new directions that arise. It makes me realize how important it is to have a focus and to stick with that focus (unless of course your focus is to change your focus!)
Thank you for all that you have taught me this year! Wishing you a wonderful wonderful year of bread, salt, and wine! xo
It’s funny you write about this – I was just thinking the other day of bloggy friends who I missed. They don’t blog anymore, and I miss them a lot!
Enjoy your bread, salt, and wine, and Happy New Year!
Lots of bread, salt and wine for you too!!
Happy New Year!
Congratulations! That’s awesome news! Excited for your big reveal, too. Happy New Year!
Happy New Year to you and your family! May 2011 bring happiness, good health, and prosperity… oh, and lots of clever blog posts!
Congrats on being one of the blogs! Such an awesome accomplishment. I feel privileged for meeting such an awesome social media mama and Jersey girl.
I hope the new year brings you nothing but success!!!!
Keeping up a blog is hard work…that’s why I admire those who are committed to it. It’s also natural your tribes will change – especially as you find your voice in your writing. Blogging is also about providing useful content to your readers, content they can relate to, comment on, disagree with, build a community by. When a blog can no longer fulfill those objectives…it’s probably time to stop.
So keep on blogging Theta Mom! Your opinions are always sharp and on target – and that’s why we continue to follow you! Happy New Year!
Yes!! Bringing quality content is always at the forefront of this blog which I think keeps things moving forward.
Thanks for being an active reader – and have a Happy New Year!!
OMG! It’s a Wonderful Life is my favorite movie. We watch it every year on New Year’s Eve. And I always make sure to have bread, salt and wine in the house on New Year’s Eve.
Wishing you and your family a Happy New Year.
Congrats Heather! I have also noticed this- more so within the last few months. For me, blogging is definitely a balancing act that I continue to work on. Wishing you and your family a Happy New Year!
Your blog is so inspirational and you should be so proud of all of your achievements. I am still very new to blogging, and Theta Mom really helped me get started. Happy New Year!
Blogging is like friendships…evolving over time! I’m glad to be one of the new-ish members of your tribe!
Happy New Year!
What a wonderful post Heather! I remember when I was making the hard decision to leave my old blog that I ran with a partner to start a new one – you were one of the few people at the time and really helped give me that push. So Thank You! I always love visiting your blog, your words, stories and thoughts always touch me in some way.
Hope you have a wonderful New Year – and I am excited to see what 2011 has to bring!
Happy New Year’s Eve!!!!
I love the bread, salt and wine. All the best to you loves! Can’t wait to see you again in the New Year. HUGS
Hi there! So I’ve seen in even my short 6-7 weeks as a blogger how the audience ebbs and flows. I can only imagine how it changes over the course of a year or more. As a side note, congrats on your success! You are without a doubt one of the most generous mom bloggers out there. You reap what you sow! Your success is so deserved.
Hey Mama! Happy New Year to you! I’m pretty sure I have been following you forever, but now have realized I don’t think I ever “officially” joined your TMC tribe! Must change that:)
Happy New Year to your and yours!!
Stephanie
Hi Heather! I am probably one of the ones you were talking about in your post. I have been a follower of yours from day one, but I keep changing blogs and taking breaks. Life just gets in the way sometimes, then my idea for blogging keeps evolving….I used to have “Dear Blog” then “The Journey Starts Write Here” then “Jennifer Writes Here” and now my new (and final) one Cafe Jen.
I love that bread, salt, and wine thing. Of course, I mean, because of the wine. And the bread. Salt’s good too. Now I’m just rambling.
Happy New Year!
Happy New Year! I hope you have a wonderful 2011!
I think this is one of the many posts that I MEANT to comment on, but in the chaos of the new year, some travel, etc., I never did.
Just wanted to say that the concept of Bread, Wine & Salt is such a lovely thing to keep in our hearts and minds all year (even though I’m personally counting every ounce of the real stuff, the metaphorical stuff is 100% acceptable!).
This ole’ tribe mate is still here! I may not visit as often as I want to or used to, but I’m still hanging around. Still posting even after doing one a week for a few months there.
And what is really cool is that I was here and remember you passing the bread, wine and salt last year.