Comments on: 501 Places is 1 year old today: a few reflections from the journey

By: Fida

Fida — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 19:57:51 +0000

Congratulations to your one year of blogging.Thank you for letting us be part of your journey. And much of what you said is true for me too. Traffic is sometimes a strange thing, even with great KWs.
Happy travel!

By: Laura

Laura — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 20:04:08 +0000

I agree with point 7. I’m terrible at predicting which posts will be more popular than others! I’m only about 4 months into my blog but I love the travel friends I’ve made because of it- now I just need to start meeting all of them

By: maria

maria — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 15:10:51 +0000

Hi Andy! Congrats!!! I love your blog! Keep doing

By: Leigh

Leigh — Sun, 30 May 2010 22:42:57 +0000

You’ve got a wonderful site and I visit often to see what you’re up to. Lucky you with a wife who does corrections on a regular basis too.

You’re absolutely right too about what you think might be worthwhile and what is popular – two very different concepts.Keep up the great work.

By: Carlo

Carlo — Sun, 30 May 2010 22:29:56 +0000

Congrats. And amen to the stats thing. I feel there are a lot of bloggers whose first priority is the numbers, which compromises the content. All the best.

By: Andy Jarosz

Andy Jarosz — Sun, 30 May 2010 16:39:34 +0000

Thanks Abi and Lara, and glad to hear others have the same inability to predict the popularity of their posts.

Abi, those spouse proofreaders are a godsend, aren’t they!
Lara, I enjoyed your analogy with filmmaking, and agree that for those starting off the best advice is to write about the things that you’ll enjoy reading. That way, when your audience does find you they’ll be more likely to share your tastes and interests. If you don’t enjoy writing your blog you’re probably not going to persist through those early months where noone seems to be reading your posts.

By: lara dunston

lara dunston — Sun, 30 May 2010 15:37:05 +0000

Congrats! Agree with Abi also on no 7) – often the posts I care about most get low hits and those spontaneous, hastily-written ones take on a life of their own. I used to make films and teach film and I’ll never forget learning (and teaching) that if you make the kind of films you want to watch then your film will find an audience – an audience like *you*. I think it’s the same thing with blogs – it’s not always easy for the blog to find its readers and for its readers to find *it*. The most important thing I think is to create a body of writing that you’re proud of, that *you* and people like you will enjoy re-reading in a few years.

By: Abi from Inside the Travel Lab

Abi from Inside the Travel Lab — Fri, 28 May 2010 07:09:19 +0000

Happy Birthday! I really enjoyed this post – point 7 catches me every time. It’s also good to know that there’s someone else out there with an unpaid spouse/proofreader…;)

By: Andy Jarosz

Andy Jarosz — Fri, 28 May 2010 06:42:32 +0000

Thank you to everyone here for your kind and supportive comments. One of the highlights of getting this blogging act together is also being introduced to the great blogs of others, including most of you guys. The friendly collaboration is a pleasure to be part of; maybe it stems from the fact that so many of us have left the corporate world in a move to find that better environment. Ack, it’s too early for deep thoughts. Thanks again guys!

By: Ted Nelson

Ted Nelson — Fri, 28 May 2010 01:14:12 +0000

Congratulations on the anniversary. I commend you on your editorial skills. I have a good eye for mistakes although I never nitpick anyone’s posts, but I don’t recall ever seeing an error on any of your entries. Everything is well written, and I think you can call yourself a travel writer because you do it well.