Journeys

Chose one word to summarise your blog. I would go for “Journeys”

“Journeys” covers my travel stories of places I have been and people I have met.

“Journeys” covers my stories of Japan, how I came to be here and things I learn as I go.

“Journeys” covers my life posts about personal development and experiences

“Journeys” covers my trips down memory lane and my weekly challenge Travel Trinkets and Memories

“Journeys” covers the posts on my blogging journey and how this good friend of mine has come to develop.

Looking back on my stats for the year, I can see  how my blog has slowly gained followers and I can see how my posts have changed and widened in terms of content.

When I first started this blogging journey, I seemed to spend more time agonising over the number of hits and visitors and trying to figure out what it all meant than I did blogging. I spent hours researching on how to promote your blog and how to get it out there. To be honest it got a bit stressful!

I finally put the stats aside and concentrated on the blog and learning how to blog. My first leap and bound came from visiting other people blogs, leaving comments and making connections. They in turn would visit me. People were generous with advice and constructive and valid suggestions. I learnt not be afraid to ask for advice or to ask questions on how they achieved certain things or looks on their blog.  Some of the bloggers with bigger followings kindly mentioned me in their weekly summaries, Thank you Josh, Momma, Jennifer and Cee! I can see I still get referrals from these sites.

I participated in various challenges. Anytime I post in a challenge I make a point of trying to visit at least 10 other peoples posts. I have made some lovely contacts through this and found some great blogs to follow. It was through this that I met Trudy who put me on the Daily Post’s wonderful blogging courses and sorted me out on managing my media uploads!, Thank you Trudy.

I have done Blogging 101 and am in the process of Writing 101 at the moment. The connections made through these 2 courses are too numerous to mention. I want to mention you all but there are not enough hours in the day. I hope you know who you are! I have chatted to people from all over the world, gained insight into their various journeys and shared mine.  I have received so much constructive feed back that my blog has really changed, developed and blossomed so to all you people who are my classmates, followers, one off readers and those who have taken time to comment and encourage I would just like to say a big arigatou, Thank you!

I still visit my stat page now and then but I no longer feel angst. Blogging is not about the numbers for me, it is about the connections. The stats tell me that my posts with the biggest hits were the Godzilla posts. I put these up on a site to promote them and my blog, during my angst filled, stat obsessed days. In terms of hits it was successful but to be honest there was not a huge amount of meaningful connection or interaction with the large number of readers that came to those posts. Once I let the number crunching game go I really began to get a lot more enjoyment from my site.

The stat I do love to look at is the world map.

My Stat Vistor Map

Countries I have visited Widget

I love to see where you all come from. It is exciting to think that people from so far and wide have taken the time to look at my blog. I love to compare it the countries I have visited and it is one of the tools I use to plan future trips! I like looking at all the countries listed with their flags. My travel lust fires up and my list of places I want to visit increase. The potential for future posts on travel experiences is increased phenomenally.

So many more places to go!

Exciting destinations!

These are the stats that excite me and motivate me. When I see I have had visitors from countries I have been to memories come flooding back, I go through old photos. Ideas for new post come up. I am motivated to get in touch with people I met on my journeys. I love checking out your posts and learning about your journeys whatever they be.

While some connections made through blogging are brief and fleeting some people have become to feel like old friends. Some live in more unusual countries and when I see a hit from somewhere like that I can guess exactly who has visited!

Stats can be fun, but for me it is all about the journey what ever that may be!

In Response to the Writing 101 Day 16 Task – Search your stats for a post idea

Yoroshiku Onegai Shimasu

Leanne