50th Blog Post!!!

50th blog post

50 Already?

Wow, time really does go by fast!  I can’t believe this is my 50th blog post.

I started this blog because I wanted to sort of keep a journal of my progress towards financial independence and also so I can show my family and friends that being debt free is not as hard as we think.  I really thought only my girlfriend, a few family members, and my closest friends would read what I had to say, and I was okay with that because I really just wanted to show them what I had learned and how I planned on becoming debt free.

But I am really surprised and grateful about all the different people, other than friends and family, that have stopped by this site and have been interested in what I have to say.  I really can’t thank you enough for taking the time to read one of my posts and for leaving a comment, giving me advice, or suggestions on how to improve.

I Knew Nothing

When I decided to start blogging I didn’t know anything about blogging or how to start or maintain a website.  I had never heard of hosting accounts, wordpress, SEO, or anything of the sort.  I just remember reading countless blogs telling me how I could also have my own blog.

I thought it would be cool to have my own blog, but didn’t think I was a good enough writer.  I still think that, but I figured I could improve along the way.

So I decided to give it a shot and got a hosting account with Bluehost, which I highly recommend if you’re thinking of starting a blog.

The Learning Process

I slowly started learning about websites and how they work, at least with wordpress.  I spent a lot of time choosing a theme, tweaking it until I was happy, and then hating it thus making me choose a different theme.  I don’t even remember how many different themes I tried until I settled on this one.  Not the best, but it will do for now.

I then had to learn the ins and outs of using WordPress.  I had to learn what plugins were and how to use them.  I had to learn about submitting my site to Google, I had to learn about Google Analytics, and about Adsense.

WordPress is surprisingly easy to use but there is a lot to learn, especially since I didn’t know anything about websites and coding.  I still don’t know how coding works, but at least now I know how to change a few things.

The Growth Period

One of the most exciting things about blogging is watching your blog grow.  It happens veeeeeeeeery slowly, but everyday it grows a little more.

I had to create a Facebook page so I don’t flood my personal page with blog stuff.  I also had to get a Twitter account and a Google+ account – two things I also knew nothing about.  Please follow me on those, by the way. 🙂  I used to make fun of people who use unnecessary hashtags, but now I’ve been hashtagging away. #noregrets

I noticed that people, other than my friends, started following me and coming to my site to leave comments.  I remember telling Kate, “Another blogger left a comment on my post!!!”  I was really excited about that.  I also got excited when people started following me on Facebook and Twitter.  I remember raising my arms in victory when I reached 500 visitors (total!).  Kate gave me a high five.

I don’t have a huge following, but I am very grateful to everyone that is following me and helping Million Dollar Ninja grow.

In 49 posts, I’ve been able to gain:

  • 181 Twitter Followers
  • 192 Facebook Page Likes
  • Alexa Rank of 93,781

Again, not huge numbers to other people, but to me these are huge!

Okay, I must admit that I might be a little obsessed with stats and traffic right now.  I know I shouldn’t check the number of visitors or my alexa ranking every single day, but I can’t stop.  Maybe there will come a point when I ignore it for a day or two, but I’m not there yet.

There’s Still a Lot to Learn

I have learned so much in these past few months, not just about blogging or personal finance, but about other people as well.  By reading other people’s blogs for months, I feel like I’m getting to know each and every one of them little by little.  And the thing is, I want to get to know them even more.

The personal finance blogging community is filled with great people who have struggled or are still struggling with debt and want to help others avoid the same mistakes we have made with money.  I read their blogs daily to keep me on track of reaching my goals and so I can learn something new.

I also need to learn how to be a better writer.  I don’t have to say it because you can tell that I’m not a writer.  Writing for this blog is the most writing I’ve done my entire life!  So if you see errors or have suggestions for me, please don’t hesitate to tell me.  I want to get better at this and I need you to tell me how.

Again, thank you for taking the time to visit my site and read my posts.  I really appreciate it.

And Kate, thank you for being my number one fan and for proofreading all my posts.  Couldn’t have done it without you.

Happy 50th Blog Post to me!

[Photo Credit]

Have you ever thought about starting your own blog?  If you already have a blog, are you as obsessed with traffic as I am?

23 Comments

  2. Woohoo congrats!

    Like anything else, blogging is a habit that you have to build. Tons of blogs never make it to 50 posts! You are a survivor.

    You have a good, unique voice. Nothing helps more than being able to quickly skim something and immediately tell “oh yeah, that’s MDN”

    I don’t tend to look at overall stats very much, maybe a once a week checkup if I remember. But I do have google analytics setup to email me when a new source of referrals appears. I always like to know when someone has mentioned us so I can thank them!

  5. Congratulations! Yes, growth can be very slow. I go in waves when it comes to checking my stats. I recently had a big boost in traffic for what reason I have no idea. I wish I could figure it out so I can add more of whatever that element is to my blog! 🙂 Keep up the good work!

    • The growth is slow but it has been steady so I’m not complaining. Try to figure out what you did to get that big boost and tell me so I can do the same thing. 🙂

  8. Hey Aldo,

    I think I am like you checking my stats too often (as in daily… sometimes more than once daily! It is just an easy look when you are already on wordpress).

    Congrats on 50 posts! I still have a ways to get to 50, it probably won’t be until sometime in October when I reach that. Which will be 3 months. Crazy how fast time flies!

    • I don’t know why I also have to check everyday, maybe is because we’re new and are so excited to see it grow. And time does go by very fast, I really can’t believe I’ve written 50 already, that’s crazy.

  9. Congrats on the 50 posts Aldo! That’s a fun milestone to reach! I have a ways to go yet but I’m sure it will be here before I know it. So, what is the biggest lesson you have learned in your first 50 posts?

    • Thank you Tennille. I think the biggest lesson I’ve learned is that it is a lot of work. Rewarding work, but it does take a lot of work. I thought I just had to “build it and they will come” but that’s not the case.

  13. Congrats on the 50th post! It feels good, doesn’t it? It’s amazing how much we can learn by just doing it. I still do not have a clue what I’m doing, but I’m ok with that. Again, congrats and here’s to 50 more!

  14. Awesome, congrats! I love blogging and this entire community. It’s a great place to be. I have made so many friends that I have yet to meet in person. As far as traffic, I am obsessed, but I think I spend more time reading about it than implementing. In my opinion, the number one thing you can do is guest blog. That seems to bring the best results.

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