May 13 2008
Blogging: Defining Moments
I’m a member of Blog Catalog and awhile ago I came up with a notion that I shared with other members.
The day I decided to delete a successful blog was a defining moment in blogging for me. Getting my first domain was one too. I think we have all had defining moments but if not then why not make one up and blog it. We all appreciate reading entertaining stories so if you don’t have a post to link to now you could write one. Then I could mesh them together into a post and spread the link love around.
Main Entry: defining moment
Part of Speech: noun
Definition: very crucial moment
Synonyms: climax, critical moment, crunch, decisive moment, loaded moment, moment of truth, point of no return, turning point
Have you experienced a “defining moment” in your blogging or even more than one? If so have you blogged about it? (* Please provide a link to the post if you have blogged on this.)
Here are the results:
Sulz : “i’m not sure if i hit blogging nirvana or any real blogging achievement of sorts, but it was a pretty big deal to have gotten my free css upgrade from wp.com, since i love to dress my blog up. 
and i also feel very happy that i have regular readers and commenters who interact with me, because i like making friends despite my shyness. yeah, i think the little things count more to me - to have my readers like what i write and become friends in the process. (oh, the times i got links from big blogs like engtech’s internet duct tape were a nice blogging trip for me!)
Shirley: I have had more than one defining moment. When I wrote for riverstyxxx I knew there was no going back. I felt it was worth it if it would help someone else. I ran a contest for my new logo provided by bsilvia graphics-illustrations.com/ in exchange for a link to all 3 of my sites. and then, without asking, someone left a message on my blog that they would like to redo my page for free! This person isn’t a BC member I guess they just dropped into my site. I didn’t write about it but the new set up is at proofpositivity.blogspot.com and this is the site in which the designer came from roarkdesignstudio.blogspot.com/
Jenn : I think one of the more defining moments for me was realizing a platform I was using was just never going to work properly, and I had better make the serious effort and move all of my 90-some posts to a new locale.
It ended up being a wonderful decision because it’s a much better user-experience now, but it was a lot of work.
Of course, I realized that every bit of the effort I put into this is worth it. I wouldn’t trade the sense of community and the ability to communicate that blogging has allowed me to enjoy.
Kevin: Spread the love.
Ekim: Wow, it seems so Dr. Phil and Oprah-esque. I’m not sure what a defining moment is exactly. I think this may be as close as I have ever come in blog form.
Tiffany: I’m not sure exactly what you mean by “defining moment”, but this was my blogging moment of truth.
Earth and Economy: Sorry, this is not about a defining moment in blogging…
My defining moment was when I lost the Pacific Coast Rowing championships (PCRC) in college by one “seat” length. It really made me reassess how giving just a little more can impact a future outcome. Made me relive what would have happened had I trained just a little harder, pushed the team a little harder? Taught me to accept the importance of embracing simply how far you have come, regardless of the position. I find my perspective towards other challenges in life has changed as a result (e.g. climate) because I don’t want to find myself wishing I had only given a little bit more. Losing by a close margin and learning to accept is a defining moment. You pick up and keep going…
Mark Stoneman: I’m not sure this counts, but it does try to ask how the heck I came to do military history clioandme.wordpress.com/2007/07/21/paradoxes/
Daniel: I had a huge, lengthy debate about federalism and sydicalism that involved lengthy back n forth comments.
Robert Stevenson: I felt a bond with the writers here when I wrote this. I guess it’s why I come back every day.
Chris: Mine come from when half of my best posts decided to lose everything after the more tag. I just haven’t felt like really doing it since. But I have thrown everything into my book so perhaps that will spur me on to blog again.
Cooper: Luckily for me, I think anyway, most of my defining moments come in real life, and have no real relationship to blogging.
When I first started blogging, (when there was none of this promote blogs nonsense, when there weren’t ten million blogs a day started and 9 million abandoned or deleted) I was just out there writing, with no intent of having readers or reading others, I came upon the blog of a seventy something year old poet.
I was 18 or 19 at the time. To read this totally awesome work from a 77 year old man in Scotland was as close to a defining moment in blogging as I’ve had.
It made me realize that this blogging thing was unique because I, an 18 year old, could appreciate the unpublished poetry of a 77 year old stranger, post comments on his poetry even, the poetry of some man six times my age. A man I would never probably have even considered communicating with in daily life.
Yea, I posted my first comment ever on that blog, and I realized that blogging was going to be something special.
Brightfeather.
Thank you for the shout out. I love the post. I am subscribing to your feed now.
Peace.
Yes, I have experienced a defining moment. Rather than deleting my blog, I rebooted it, and started over. I laughed when you mentioned that I’m a relatively new blogger (I rebooted 3 months ago - and my blog only shows entries from that point forward). I’ve actually been blogging for several years! But drama necessitated the change, and I needed to take a few steps back from the personal side. Getting too personal were the troll’s delight! It was the best thing I’d ever done in regards to my blog. I feel liberated, and the excitement and creative juices have started flowing, again.
http://anythingbutsad.wordpress.com/2008/03/03/steve-rebooted/
thanks for the link love.
many interesting blogging stories… could start a chicken soup for the blogging soul. 
I’ve had a lot of defining moments in life, though not so many while blogging. I started out with no web design knowledge at all and I’m pretty excited how much I’ve learned in just a few short months. Very interesting question & great answers!
nice post. my moment was when i made my first dollar via my blog.
My thanks to everyone for commenting on this link love post. My apology to Steve who I incorrectly identified as a relatively new blogger when in fact, he’s an old hand at this. (blush)
LOL I thought it was funny, and everyone thinks that, who wasn’t in my circle; previously
Okay so go ahead and laugh at me — what do I care [sob] … just joshing.
I think I’m in the middle of one long defining moment — when will it end?
As somebody who is very new to blogging and who has also been accustomed to hanging back and reading without participating in various online chat-rooms (yes, I am a long-time lurker), the openness and conversational quality of the blogging world is something entirely new. And good.
No entirely relevant link to add, though I did just write something about liminal moments — being on the precipice of a big change, which is what my blogging is all about in some way right now, even under the surface.
http://writetosurvive.blogspot.com/2008/05/liminality.html
Thanks for an interesting topic.
Wow! Thanks! All this stuff with Blogger’s Unite I completely forgot. This is an awesome post.
I experienced my first defining moment very recently. I have started a group blogging venture and until recently was not sure if that was the right thing to do as i happen to be busy all the time. I gained confidence thereafter, thanks to my readers who have supported me all along!The group blogging venture will be kick started in a few days.
@Jennifer
I read the post you left the link to above and I know where you are coming from. Keep writing to survive girl. Here’s a [HUGE HUG].
@Shirley
Thanks for the kind words. All I did was compile the submissions in the way that I chose to present them. It’s the contents of the submissions that are valuable and I had no part in their creation.
P.S. Your 2 posts for the Bloggers Unite campaign were awesome.
@Rampantheart
Wow that sounds interesting. Please make sure you let me know when the launch is.
This post will tell you about it:
http://idontwant2retire.blogspot.com/2008/03/blogging.html
Thanks for this opportunity.
Cooper’s experience of blogging is what it’s all about for me. Sharing with people with whom, in “real” life, you probably wouldn’t! Blogging is without race, color, sexual preferences… and that’s what is cool about it!
@lubel
Thanks for the comment.
@stickypaw
Indeed I chose to rearrange the submissions and place Cooper’s at the end because it resonated for me too.
I had a defining moment around the end of the 20th century. I had lost just about everything and said a prayer one day. The next thing I knew I was dancing around an empty room and feeling wonderful. Life has been the best thing I have ever known since then. I like your blog and think we are making comparable efforts. If you have time please read this.
http://davidnotes.com/quality-links/
Here is a moment when I put into words some things I had been thinking about for awhile in terms of blogging goals and motivation. I addressed it to my readers but I was really challenging myself to be more focused in my blogging effort.
http://davidnotes.com/2008/02/09/what-makes-you-happy-when-you-blog/
I’ve been having some trouble both when it comes to creating time to blog in and being productive within the time frame that I do create. I needed to read your post Dave and I want to thank you for sharing it.