Originally, I wanted to post on my Two Year Blog-a-versary (August 18th), but at that time, we were still getting things back to "normal" after Chas returned home from the hospital. So it kinda slipped by and I am just getting to posting the little "project" I wanted to propose that day. Time flies! LOL! So yes...today is officially my "Two Year, Six Months & A Week Blog-a-versary!" Happy day! Hard to believe that I have been blogging that long. AT that time, there were very few people I knew that had blogs, other than many of the other scrapbooking/paper craft designers that I associated with. Now blogging is "the thing." So many of my friends around me in my every day life now have blogs as well. It's a great "modern way" to keep a journal, get to know people and to stay in touch with friends. Blogging is fabulous!
In the past 2 1/2 years, I have finally been able to get back into something that I used to be so diligent about - keeping a journal. I am so happy to have so much that has happened the past 2 1/2 years well-documented with photos, etc. It's such a blessing already to be able to go back and read through some of my entries and relive those wonderful memories all over again. I can only imagine they will grow even more priceless and appreciated as time goes on - both by me and by my family.
My original purpose for starting my blog, was to get back into the habit of keeping a journal. I am so happy that I have been able to successfully fulfill that purpose. Writing about my life and expressing feelings about events, situations, etc. has also been very therapeutic for me. Sometimes just writing things out helps me answer questions I may have, see error in my actions, understand others' actions, know what to do about certain things, etc. But blogging has been a great blessing in my life the past few years for another BONUS reason! YOU!
When I started blogging, I never even really considered the idea that people would be reading it. LOL! Correction...I knew a few would read it, but I never thought it would really be many people. Like I said, other than an occasional scrapbooking product spotlight to get the word out about great new products, I really just used my blog for myself....to document my life. On an average, I would have 2-8 comments on each of my entries (30-80ish when I gave something away! LOL!) So I just assumed that there were probably about 20ish people that read my blog on a regular basis and then more when they were informed that I was doing a give-away. I didn't realize until I downloaded Site Tracker (tracks the traffic on my site), that that was not the case. As soon as I downloaded the tracker to my blog, I became aware that I had an average of 200-300 viewers a day. That is the number of individual hits-not page views. I was averaging about 500-600 page views a day. So what I learned at that time, was that although I only averaged 2-8 comments on each entry, I had a LOT of lurkers. Those numbers blew me away. And then came the stats of WHERE my readers were. On Site Tracker, I am able to see where each of my readers are from, how they found me (where they clicked to my site from), how long they are on my site, etc. It was crazy to see that I have readers all over the United States and Canada. And this was about 1 1/2 years ago that I downloaded Site Tracker to my blog.
And now to today. I now average between 700-1,000 individual hits per average day (300-500 on weekends) on my blog and anywhere between 1,000-2,000 page views per day. On the occasion that I am giving something away or post something that for some reason has particular interest to many, I will average 1,200-1,500 individual hits and almost double the page views. Since I uploaded Site Tracker 1 1/2 years ago, I have had 231,379 individual hits (as of 2 seconds ago. LOL!) and 404,179 page views. And now, not only do I still have readers in just about every state in the U.S. and throughout Canada, I have also seen hits from Germany, The Netherlands, UK, Ecuador, Venezuela, Australia, Iraq, Japan, South Africa, Spain, Malaysia, and more. Every single time I check my stats for the day, it is overwhelming to me. CRAZY!! (EDITED 2/26/08 to add: At the end of the day on 2/25, I had received 950 individual hits and over 1,700 page views.)
Many of you have commented that one thing that draws you to my blog is how open and honest I am...more so than the average blog. I really do put myself out there...it's just the way I am. I have had many people ask why with as many hits as I have, I don't sell advertising on my blog - both by companies INTERESTED in advertising and close friends. To me, that would defeat the purpose of my my blog. First and foremost, I did not start my blog as a "business" - I have already mentioned that. Second...as soon as you sell advertising, people never know if you are promoting something because they are PAYING you to, or if you really love the product. And to be, that goes against being "honest & unfront." So, I have had to decline many advertising offers because of this. If I really love something, I promote it on my blog and my readers KNOW that it is definitely worth checking out because I am only promoting it BECAUSE of how awesome it is...and not because I am getting paid in my back pocket for the advertising.
However, there is also a slight snag with being very open and honest about my views and feelings - it definitely makes me vulnerable and subject to the occasional "mean" e-mail, usually a very personal insensitive comment that is left by an "anonymous" reader. With as many readers as I have, it's not surprising to find a negative voice in the bunch. However, when I take maybe the 25 "mean" e-mails I have received and compare them to the thousands and thousands of very kind ones that I have received in the past 2 1/2 years, those negative ones completely fade away. I am blessed to have such a kind and thoughtful "audience" to my life.
I have received a particularly large amount of e-mails and comments regarding my openness about my faith. Apparently that is also something unique about my blog. However, my faith is such a HUGE part of my life, that my blog, which from beginning was MEANT to be a journal, would not even be close to complete without including my feelings about The Gospel. I know that my children and my grandchildren will someday read the hard copies of my blog entries and I don't want them to question for even a moment how I felt about my faith. I also think it would be a shame to HAVE so many visitors and not take the opportunity to share the Gospel - something that has brought SO MUCH JOY and COMFORT into my life - with such a large number of people. Crafts, ideas, scrapbooking, etc. aside, my faith is the greatest gift I could ever share with anyone who stops by here! That being said, with as much as I DO share, I do also leave out quite a bit of personal information, etc. so that there is that boundary and feeling of privacy as well. My sister Julie, when observing one particular entry that happened to draw a lot of comments (about 100ish), said, "Who the heck are all these people?" LOL! As you can imagine, she was even more floored when she found out that that 100 comments belonged to only a small fraction of the number of people that actually view my blog each day. So it got me thinking. Many people ask if it "freaks me out" that so many people read about my life. To be honest....not really. However, I would be lying if I said I wasn't CURIOUS about WHO was actually reading my blog. SO....I decided to come up with a little project that I need your help with.
You all know me....and now I want to learn about who YOU are!! Here's where I need your help! I would like all of you who read my blog on a regular basis and those who are willing, to send me a 4 x 6 card ALL ABOUT YOU!!!! Your card may include all or a few of the following: PHOTO (individual or family...it's up to you), Full Name, Nicknames, Birthday, Family Info (married, kids, etc.), Hobbies, Church Callings/Assignments (no matter what your faith), Occupation, Favorites (food, tv shows, etc.), and anything else you might like to share. I would also like to know HOW you found my blog...if you still remember. LOL! And finally, I would also love to have contact information (as much as you are comfortable with - but at least an e-mail address & YOUR blog address....if you have one). As I receive your cards, I will put them alphabetically in a lunch box file (that I will design soon and share with ya!) specifically for my blog readers. That way, when you e-mail me or leave comments, I will be able to pull out your card and put a face and background with the name. And then it will also help cure my curiosity for just WHO all of these "strangers" are that read my blog every day. LOL!
I am including a few samples of 4 x 6 cards that I made last night, to give you an example of some ideas for your cards. PLEASE NOTE....your card does NOT need to be fancy and scrapbooked. I know that a good majority of my readers ARE scrapbookers, but there is also a LARGE number that are not. Or maybe you DO scrapbook but just don't have time! And I also know that I have a handful of men readers that would not be inclined to participate if they had to scrapbook the card. LOL! (And I absolutely want the men to participate as well!) SO.....the ONLY criteria as far as design, is that it be 4 x 6. If you'd like to scrapbook it, that's fine. My first sample shown in the photos up to this point in this entry is pretty extreme. Yours does not have to be this way unless you want it to be. I just did a family photo on the front and embellished a chipboard file folder thing on the back and scribbled facts about me here and there over the entire surface and finished it off with a big flower. But again...THIS IS NOT NECESSARY! I really do want the majority of those willing to participate and this format would stress out the majority, I'm sure. LOL! Here is a sample of a more simple "scrapbooked" format.
But even THIS isn't necessary! The most important element of this entire project is the INFO!!!! I want to learn about you! So you can even take a 4x6 index card, slap a picture on it and just scribble some fun facts about you and call it good. You can even just take a piece of lined paper, cut it down to 4x6 and scribble away. On this next one, I just cut a plain piece of cardstock down to 4x6 and wrote a few things about myself on it next to a photo. ANYTHING is cool as long as it is 4x6.
Feel free to be creative. If you are into digital scrapbooking or digital anything, feel free to even do your 4x6 card digitally, print it out and throw it in the mail. If you like to draw, draw all over it. If you sew, sew on it. If you write poetry, write a poem on it. If you like glitter, glitter it! Do whatever you want that represents YOU, as long it stays 4x6. Feel free to use both sides like I did on my first example. It's up to you if you want to participate or not (but I hope you will), and to share as little or as much as you would like. A few of the cards may be shared here and there on my blog as I receive them....but ONLY WITH YOUR PERMISSION! And even then, if your contact information is visible, it will be edited out and proofed with you before it is posted. Otherwise, these are for my eyes only. Another difference in my blog now compared to when I started, is that many of my "real life friends" (for lack of better description) also read my blog. You guys are NOT exempt from this, even though I know you personally. LOL!
A fun little EXTRA for those who participate.......each week, I will take the cards I received that week and do a drawing IF I RECEIVE AT LEAST 20 CARDS THAT WEEK!!! So don't all wait until the end.....start now so that we have the minimum cards each week to do a drawing. I will have a give away ONCE A WEEK for the next 5 weeks starting next Monday, March 3rd (if I receive the minimum this week)!! WOOHOOO! Who doesn't love free stuff!?!?! Technically, if all of you participate, the 20 a week should be an easy target since there are 700-1000 of you that read my blog every day. I would be thrilled if I was pleasantly shocked with over 500 4x6 cards by the end of the 5 weeks! On MY BIRTHDAY, APRIL 9TH, which will be our "DEADLINE" for this project, I will take ALL OF THE CARDS that I have received and do a GRAND PRIZE DRAWING that I will make sure is worth winning! ;-)
So...are you up for this little project to help me GET TO KNOW YOU? There is a very large possibility that this could be a complete flop if the 700-1,000 of you decide to stay lurkers. LOL! In that case, we'll just forget I ever mentioned it and move on with life. LOL! However, if you all decide to participate, what a fun birthday gift it will be for me......to get to know all of you!!! The people I have met through my blog have been an unexpected and priceless blessing in my life and I would love to know more about who you ALL are! And you never know.....I may just continue to draw cards out of my file box throughout the year for giveaways every now and again! ;-)
SO..let's start TODAY and try to reach the goal of 20 cards this week. Let me know if you have any questions about your cards. Otherwise, once your cards are completed, you can throw them in a regular mailing envelope (please no larger than a 5x7 padded envie, since my P.O. Box isn't huge and I'm not sure what they do with them if they don't fit....LOL!) and send them to:
Heather D. White
P.O. Box 1526
Riverton, UT 84065
Oh happy day!!! This could be a lot of fun if it works! LOL! I can't wait to GET TO KNOW YOU!!! Thanks for helping me celebrate my "Two Year, Six Month & A Week" Blog-a-versary" today and also my 30th birthday on April 9th with all of these fun Get-To-Know-You cards!!!! Can't wait to "SEE" you!!!
Oh my gosh ... LOVE this idea! I'm a lurker, but I'll totally send you a card. I'm going to a retreat this weekend, so it should be postal next Monday. :)
Posted by: jen | February 25, 2008 at 02:03 PM
What a fun idea! I can't wait to make mine. You have the cutest ideas, Heather!
Posted by: Allison | February 25, 2008 at 02:54 PM
Fun idea! I'm a total lurker but I'm going to see what I can do...
Posted by: Laura | February 25, 2008 at 03:48 PM
You rock! Where do you come up with such great ideas your amazing!! I'm going to make mine right now!! Happy 2 year 6 month anniversary! Fun I wish I was as popular and talented as you. Have a great day!!
Posted by: Christal | February 25, 2008 at 04:36 PM
Okay, seriously? You are killing me! LOL! What a fun idea! I comment AND I lurk so I guess that means I'm in! Watch the PO Box...geeze, I may have to stay up past my bedtime! *sigh*
Posted by: Shelica | February 25, 2008 at 05:52 PM
Such a great idea Heather. You are going to get a TON cards, if people do this. Especially because I don't know ANYONE who isn't motivated by free stuff. lol. Your blog is a blast to look at. Hope all goes well. Once again... very creative
Shelley
Posted by: Shelley Smith | February 25, 2008 at 05:54 PM
This sounds so fun! I am totally going to send you a card. And, I have to tell you, my 2nd wedding anniversary was on August 18th. So, today is my two-year, six month and one week wedding anniversary! How cool is that! :)
Mandi
Posted by: Mandi | February 25, 2008 at 05:55 PM
what a totally awesome and fun idea, Heather! I can't wait to see what I can come up with! :)
Posted by: {Betsy} | February 25, 2008 at 05:59 PM
Happy Blog-a-versary! Wow...2yrs! Love keeping up with you through your blog...can't wait to go to dinner! :)
Posted by: juliemedeiros | February 25, 2008 at 06:49 PM
Whew! OK! I'm game.. I'll see when I can get something out to you (and cutesy as well). I do have to make some cards this weekend, so I'll be sure to get your card done too! :)
Posted by: Amy | February 25, 2008 at 07:18 PM
I LOVE this idea Heather! You have 6 months on me. I also have hundreds of daily "lurkers" so I totally understand wanting to know who they are as well as getting a face to a name of ones that do leave comments. So fun! I'm so grateful I was able to meet you in person. I will be sending you a card! :o)
Posted by: Jolene George | February 26, 2008 at 12:05 AM
What a Great Idea, I have got such a good idea for my card :)
I can't wait to send it to you! :)
I've de lurked and lurked and commmented and everything :)
I can't think of any reason why people wouldn't want to read your blog it's awesome!
Posted by: Jen Smith | February 26, 2008 at 07:18 AM
fun idea!!
Posted by: Chrys | February 26, 2008 at 07:51 AM
This is great idea - I'm so excited to participate!
Posted by: Bobbi-Jo | February 26, 2008 at 08:22 AM
What a great idea! I will make it one of my weekend projects.
Hugs
Sherry
Posted by: sherry | February 26, 2008 at 09:14 AM
This is awesome- today is my birthday- I wish I would have come up with something like this to do on my blog. I will definetly send a card. Thanks for all the inspiration- E
How is the cook book coming?
Posted by: Erin Koch | February 26, 2008 at 09:19 AM
Look how cute you are- what a fun idea! Happy blogaversary... I will get my card to you soon.
Posted by: Jenn | February 26, 2008 at 09:27 AM
You continue to amaze me Heather! This is such a great idea .... only you could come up with such fun! I'm mainly a lurker but your blog was one of the first ones I ever read. You helped me way back get started on the journal thing (when I read about your journal jars) and now I'm posting questions and answers on my own blog when my brain has a lapse on something else to blog about. Thank you so much for all the "giving" of yourself! I hope to get a card in the mail to you soon!
Posted by: Vicky | February 26, 2008 at 10:02 AM
so fun!! love reading your blog. i'll get a card one too you for sure! great idea. Kristyn
Posted by: Kristyn | February 26, 2008 at 10:59 AM
1 All About Me card coming your way....
Posted by: Andrea B | February 26, 2008 at 03:17 PM
Ooooo...this will be fun!!!
Posted by: Bonnieb | February 26, 2008 at 05:52 PM
I am going to do this...its just the jumpstart I need to get into something creative!
Posted by: Alisa | February 26, 2008 at 07:48 PM
SO fun! I'll definitely send you a card about me!!! Can't wait to see how many you get!!!
Posted by: Sandie McCarthy-Roberts | February 27, 2008 at 11:19 AM
How fun! I'll be sending you a card.
Posted by: Cherie | February 27, 2008 at 09:45 PM
Oooh! What fun. I'll have to get on my card. I can't believe you've been blogging for so long. I hope I still have the drive in another year and a half. I love it that you're honest and open with your time, talents, and feellings.
Posted by: Laurie | March 02, 2008 at 09:51 AM