The Pauser marked its one year anniversary just a few days ago, and I feel like celebrating! Here are the big lessons I’ve learned this year:
- Digital, schmidgital! People make social media interesting. I have enjoyed the personal connections I’ve made more than any other aspect of blogging. While my virtual relationships are not the same as those real-world, on-the-ground ones, the generosity, kindness, and encouragement you all have shown me has helped me grow, and to heal hurts that I hadn’t even been aware of. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
- Starting a blog was not that hard. I still don’t have the “bells and whistles,” skills my children have, but I can drive the boat. Blogging is a testament to life being doable. In year two, it’s time to learn at least one bell/whistle.
- Blogging is a measuring tool. When I look back at some of my early writing, I can envision ways to make the writing more effective than it was then. I also look back at some of the writing I did about my husband’s journey with prostate cancer and I think about the way the writing helped me to achieve some emotional closure. Because I flung my words out into the universe, they became a kind of commitment to my soul, something I had to go back to when the downs came calling. Those words, once spooled out, became a permanent record of all I have felt, all I have achieved, all I have hoped.
- I’ve been fairly consistent with my posting, but I have learned that sometimes I just can’t keep up. I’ve also learned not to worry about it. The earth won’t stop spinning on its axis if I go a couple of weeks without a post.
Year One STATISTICS
Blog Posts: 86
Blog Views: 3027
Total Comments: 293 (Half of these are mine, because I always reply to comments. I’m Southern.)
Followers: 117
Top Three Posts:
# 2 Daily Discomfort: Love and Time
# 1 Daily Discomfort: Getting A Pedicure
The post with the most comments:
DD: Mozart and the Beautiful Tears
Up Next:
For year 2, I’ve changed the editorial calendar a bit.
Each week I’ll write a feature article based on a monthly theme. I’ll also write once a week from a prompt I generate in a new way each month. Each month, I’ll write an article for the paus(ed) category based on how to use that prompt generation in the classroom.
In September, I’m writing about the New Guard. You know, my kids and their kids. I have just learned from NPR that I am of the Old Guard. I (and apparently many of you) am classified as the Old Guard because I am are still using Twitter.
I’ll also write from a series of prompts generated by my Personal Universal Desk. It’s a cool tool. I’ll write about how it works so you can use it too if you want. I’ll also write about how to use the PUD(makes me feel good just to put it into writing) in your classroom.
lifelessons said:
Congratulations on your first year! http://judydykstrabrown.com/2015/08/31/seer/
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koehlerjoni said:
Thank you so much for your support.
j
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Andrew Reynolds said:
Keep writing. You’re doing just fine.
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koehlerjoni said:
Thanks!
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Joyce Poggi Hager said:
Brava! You’re doing great and this one-year review is commendable. So are your plans and commitments to yourself for the following year. I did something similar. As you know, when you write down your goals, you’re more likely to achieve them. Eager to read about PUD. Write on!
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koehlerjoni said:
I am looking forward to another year.
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Jan said:
Hey, Joni, I’m so impressed you actually have a ‘plan’! At the same time, I’m glad I don’t have one. Too many years were spent living in a tight framework to ‘get it all done’ for me. I do salute you, though, for learning to manipulate the speed of light digital world. I’m looking forward to the next year’s posts.
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koehlerjoni said:
Thanks, Jan. I appreciate you.
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Charlotte Hoather said:
Congratulations and well done Joni, I like the sound of your plan its good to focus I’ve been writing out my initial plans for my last year, its always interesting to see at the end of the year how much I kept to.
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koehlerjoni said:
I already broke faith with the schedule, but I had a good reason. I know you can’t hit anything if you don’t at least take aim.
j
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Charlotte Hoather said:
I prefer to work with deadlines, targets and a bit of pressure to stretch me, you can’t hit the bulls eye without a target
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