Three Years in the Blogosphere: Learning, Sharing, and Connecting

Three years ago, I embarked on an interesting journey after retiring from the military. I needed a way to keep my mind engaged after 26-plus years of doing just that on a daily basis. Blogging gave me that outlet. I have stayed very consistent with my blog’s purpose of offering my thoughts about leadership, history, and other subjects that interest me, such as politics, religion, and current events. I have expanded my horizons by reading and writing about poetry and philosophy, both of which were new to me.

The blogosphere is the best way to engage in meaningful discussions with a global audience. There is nothing quite like it, in my opinion. Social media can reach huge audiences, but I really doubt that there is much meaningful exchange of ideas and dialogue happening within those cycles.

So, as I reached my third year in the blogosphere, I find myself excited, happy, and energized, looking forward to more reading, writing, and engaging with my WordPress community, which continues to grow.

As the community grows, I have had to make some changes to the way I engage with it. I found that posting once a week creates the perfect balance between writing and engaging. I want to read, write, and share my thoughts about topics of interest that align with my purpose, but most importantly, I want to spend time reading what my WP community is publishing and engaging with them.

It is not an easy task, for sure, since my goal from the beginning has been to read the latest post from everyone I follow on a weekly basis, but that is now turning into almost a week and a half as my community continues to grow and I discover so many talented writers along the way.

I wish WordPress would change the way bloggers interact with each other by expanding beyond the typical “like” reaction to include icons such as “Insightful,” “Funny,” “Love,” etc. Of course, the comment section provides a great way to let the blogger know how impactful a post was or to provide input. But sometimes, when a blogger is going through a difficult time and you can’t find the right words to write, like it happens to me all the time, a reaction icon such as a “broken heart” or “support/solidarity” instead of a “like” would go a long way.

As I did last year, I found myself riding an Amtrak train to attend the Printers Row Lit Fest in Chicago and celebrating my third blogiversary among books. I also had the wonderful opportunity to talk with an amazing writer, person, and fellow blogger, Vicki Atkinson, author of Surviving Sue and Slivers. I also had the pleasure of meeting her husband, Paul, and other authors at the Chicago Writers Association table, including Rick Kaempfer from Eckhartz Press.

with my friend Vicki

As always, the Printers Row Lit Fest did not disappoint. Besides buying more books—like I needed more, but I couldn’t resist the pull. After all, it was a book fair, so you have to buy books—I also attended two talks.

I think I bought fewer books than last year. 😂

Those talks were very illuminating. Dr. Jeffrey Winters, a professor at Northwestern University, spoke on the subject of oligarchs, while Dr. Andrew Curran, a professor at Wesleyan University, talked about the history of race. It was interesting to learn that the use of the word “race” to identify human physical characteristics began in the 17th and 18th centuries as European colonization and the transatlantic slave trade expanded.

I’m really looking forward to reading The Blind Spot: How Oligarchs Dominate Our Democracy by Jeffrey Winters and Biography of a Dangerous Idea: A New History of Race from Louis XIV to Thomas Jefferson by Andrew Curran. 

Before I end this post, I want to thank all my WordPress friends for spending time with me and engaging in such good dialogue over this last year. Like I told Mike, a fellow blogger, the other day, my intent here is not to write extremely long posts like those you find on Substack. I just want to share what I’m learning along the way and hopefully start a good conversation.

I really appreciate all of you—your views, “likes,” and comments—and my hope for the next year is to continue to be faithful to my purpose of learning, sharing, and having meaningful dialogue.

14 thoughts on “Three Years in the Blogosphere: Learning, Sharing, and Connecting”

  1. I look forward to your always thoughtful and sometimes candid posts, Edward. You obviously carry a great deal of insight, knowledge, and wisdom into what you read and experience. I appreciate you as a person and a gifted blogger and congrats on your 3rd blogversary!

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    1. Thank you very much, Terry. I really appreciate your comments, and I truly enjoy your stories. I’ve mentioned your snowbirding experience to my wife on a few occasions. I’m learning from you, and we’ll probably do the same in a few years, once she retires.

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  2. I’m impressed with how many comments you have on each post. You must be writing about exactly what people are craving. I enjoy your blog because you’re so thoughtful. A lot of book bloggers out there are pretty shallow, writing about what they liked or didn’t like and that’s it, ignoring the larger conversation and the context in which a book sits. I also have feelings about the like button. I started my blog in 2013, and it was just a couple of years in when I decided to disable the like button. I found that I kept getting likes from people who had zero engagement with my blog, and I started to get the feeling that they were just clicking likes that I would also follow them. That’s not the kind of blogging relationship that I’m looking for, so I’m especially grateful for all the interactions that you and I have had. I know I’m new around here, but I appreciate you.

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    1. Thank you so much. When I write a book review or commentary, I do my best to think about what might interest others, with the hope of starting a conversation. I try to treat it as if I were having a conversation on the street, in a restaurant, or in some other public space. I’m an introvert, and I hate small talk, so blogging gives me the ability to express myself freely.

      I have a love-hate relationship with the “Like” button. I think I’ve mentioned on a couple of occasions that I decided to use “Like” as a way to tell bloggers that I’ve read their posts. Sometimes I read a post but don’t really have anything to say, so at least “Like” gives me a chance to let the person know that I was there. I really appreciate our interactions, and I hope to have many more with you in the future.

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  3. Thank you for this uplifting post, Edward! It was a bright spot in my day. I, too, much prefer WordPress to share my writing and engage with others. It fosters friendships and community in a way that social media, including Substack, just doesn’t. In addition, the blogging community has expanded my reading horizons and given me ideas and inspiration for my fiction and poetry (not prompts, just conversation.) It’s hard to believe that I’ve been blogging on WordPress for ten years now!

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    1. Thank you, Liz, for connecting with me and for all your great recommendations. It’s incredible how quickly time flies. Ten years of blogging is amazing. You make a great point about getting ideas and inspiration from other bloggers. I completely agree with you.

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  4. Your blog is truly one of my favorites, Edward. You consistently offer solid, insightful content. I need to meet you and Vicki! I wasn’t able to get to Printers Row this year, but we Chicago area bloggers must connect in person one of these days.

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  6. I like the way you think about blogging Ed. I think that WordPress has done a good job philosophically of allowing each blogger’s own charter to be set and allowing the blogosphere to group itself accordingly. it does strike a very delicate balance doing this but I can see that the tension is constructive and I wouldn’t mind if WordPress continues on this way. keep up the great work Ed, it’s great to see your journey as it unfolds. Mike

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