December 15, 2000. That’s when I started blogging. In seven years a lot has happened. The first two years of my blog have disappeared. They might be on a hard drive somewhere, I’m still trying to track them down. Dave Winer first linked to me on December 29th (sent me about 3,000 people, if I remember my stats right).
The term “weblog” is 10 years old on Monday. So lots of blogging birthdays. Jorn Barger, the guy who came up with the name, has some tips for new bloggers to celebrate. It’s good advice and advice I try to listen to. It’s amazing that I was three years behind Jorn but that when I started there was still only a very small community of bloggers (less than 200 that I could find — I did some research since Dori Smith asked me to do a session on blogging at the Internet conference I was helping Dan Shafer plan).
The Internet Archive has some of my posts backed up, but the earliest one they have is from February 2001 and the one they have from 9/11 is totally gone.
When I started I had absolutely no idea I’d have worked at two of the world’s biggest technology companies, at least in part because of my blog (NEC and Microsoft) and that I’d have so many fantastic experiences.
Truth is that this form of communication is still in its infancy. Imagine talking about newspapers just 10 years after they were developed and thinking “this is it, no more to do.” Yeah, right.
2008 is going to bring us live streaming video from our cell phones. What’s beyond that? Who knows, but I’m along for the ride!
Thanks to everyone who has sent me a link, called me an idiot, put up with my questions and laugh, read my posts without saying anything, or just joined me someplace for coffee. There are way too many people who’ve added something to my life to list. Dave Winer certainly is at the head of that list, so I’m glad we got to spend the afternoon together today.
In the past seven years I’ve survived:
1. The bubble bursting.
2. A car wreck.
3. A terrorist attack.
4. A divorce.
5. My grandma dying.
6. My mom dying.
7. A new marriage.
8. Five moves.
9. Five jobs (soon to be six).
10. Three URLS (1 http://scobleizer.manilasites.com 2. http://scoble.weblogs.com 3. http://robertscobleizer.com ).
11. I don’t know how many social networks I’ve been on (Twitter, Upcoming, Seesmic, Kyte, Flickr, Orkut, MySpace, Google Reader, Facebook, Yelp, Pownce, Jaiku are some of the ones I’m on currently).
12. Successfully getting Patrick into teenage years.
13. Birth of a new son, Milan.
14. Writing a book about corporate blogging with Shel Israel, “Naked Conversations.”
15. A new bubble?
Whew, and that doesn’t include the hundreds of interviews I’ve done (about 500 while at Microsoft and about 300 since then) or all the Google Reader shared items (about 8,000 — UPDATE: I just passed 8,000) or the posts I’ve done (I have no clue).
One regret? I’ve never gone back and read old items I’ve posted other then the few I’ve linked to here. I really should look back a bit more and see what life was like.
Anyway, I hope I’m here with you all seven years from now celebrating Milan’s seventh birthday. I wonder what’s going to happen in the next seven years?
Let’s take that ride together, shall we?
great read
including the comments
[...] Robert Scoble: Celebrating 7 years of blogging. [...]
Hi Scobble, Congratulations man. I really the value of experience and a mentor. Could you please take some time out to look at my blog and provide some feedback, how i can improve PR etc. Would really appreciate it.
HOT USA Trends Today TIA.
Hi Scobble, Congratulations man. I really the value of experience and a mentor. Could you please take some time out to look at my blog and provide some feedback, how i can improve PR etc. Would really appreciate it.
HOT USA Trends Today TIA.
Congratulations Robert! That is quite an accomplishment. I’m in my first year of blogging. Sharing all of those joyous/painful experiences with the world I’m sure has helped many people.
On a funny/coincidental note, I just started a series of posts on my entrepreneurial journey (mixing past and present) and the post title is called The Entrepreneurial 7 Year Itch. http://www.entrepremusings.com/index.php/2007/12/16/the-entrepreneurial-7-year-itch/
So how will you scratch your blogging 7 year itch?
Congratulations Robert! That is quite an accomplishment. I’m in my first year of blogging. Sharing all of those joyous/painful experiences with the world I’m sure has helped many people.
On a funny/coincidental note, I just started a series of posts on my entrepreneurial journey (mixing past and present) and the post title is called The Entrepreneurial 7 Year Itch. http://www.entrepremusings.com/index.php/2007/12/16/the-entrepreneurial-7-year-itch/
So how will you scratch your blogging 7 year itch?
[...] Scobleizer: Celebrating seven years of blogging [...]
[...] Scoble celebrated his seventh year as a blogger this weekend, and I’d like to light a virtual candle for the guy — not for his fame and reputation [...]
Congrats on 7 years of sharing your life and thoughts publicly. I am working with small business owners and professionals like lawyers and helping them use blogs, social media, and local search engines to narrowcast their expertise and build community locally. It will be interesting to see how video impacts social media and blogging in the next few years.
Congrats on 7 years of sharing your life and thoughts publicly. I am working with small business owners and professionals like lawyers and helping them use blogs, social media, and local search engines to narrowcast their expertise and build community locally. It will be interesting to see how video impacts social media and blogging in the next few years.
Every day there is something here to come back. Thank you for those seven years.
Jay, from Bangalore
Every day there is something here to come back. Thank you for those seven years.
Jay, from Bangalore
That was very insightful into your last seven years and going back to the early days of blogging. I think I was just getting an email address sven years ago!
That was very insightful into your last seven years and going back to the early days of blogging. I think I was just getting an email address sven years ago!
Hey Robert,
That was very interesting post.. Congratulations on a new milestone. Just sitting and looking at past really changes how we do things currently and adds a new perspective..
Thanks for the insight
Pooran
Hey Robert,
That was very interesting post.. Congratulations on a new milestone. Just sitting and looking at past really changes how we do things currently and adds a new perspective..
Thanks for the insight
Pooran
[...] Scoble celebrates entering his eighth year of blogging and says, “when I started I had absolutely no idea I’d have worked at two of the worlds [...]
You have really good experience in it. So tell me: aren’t you shy of telling the truth about your life to strange people around the web?
You have really good experience in it. So tell me: aren’t you shy of telling the truth about your life to strange people around the web?
[...] Scoble is a striking example - he lost his first 2 years of writing when UserLand’s Manilasites service was switched [...]
[...] can drive hundreds even thousands to click and try. Want proof? Here is an early example of a man made by a link: Dave Winer first linked to me on December 29th (sent me about 3,000 people, if I remember my [...]
[...] content throughout these six years, and about my own meandering personal journey as a blogger. Such reflection and reminiscence is my privilege as such an old-timer, I suppose — and more fa… (And, in any event, it is my privilege as a blogger answerable to no one — the very editorial [...]