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Blogging: A Defining Moment

Posted by timethief • 4/15/08 • Subscribe to this Discussion [RSS] • Report This Topic
Tags: blogging, crossraods, defining moment

Main Entry: defining moment
Part of Speech: noun
Definition: very crucial moment
Synonyms: climax, critical moment, crunch, decisive moment, loaded moment, moment of truth, point of no return, turning point

Have you experienced a "defining moment" in your blogging or even more than one? If so have you blogged about it? (* Please provide a link to the post if you have blogged on this.)

My intention is to write a link post on Friday. It is not to have you post your story here - just the link to it. The cut-off date is Thursday at noon. (Pacific time)

User Comments

4/15/08

ekim941

Wow, it seems so Dr. Phil and Oprah-esque. I'm not sure what a defining moment is exactly. I think this may be as close as I have ever come in blog form: ekim-randomramblings.blogspot.com/2008/02/what-you-do-defines-you.html

[reply]
1. 4/15/08
  
  timethief
  
  @ekim941
  That's perfect. Thanks.
2. 4/15/08
  
  ekim941
  
  Oh you're welcome. I'm glad you like it
4/15/08

kevingoodman

I'll get back with you on that

[reply]
1. 4/15/08
  
  ekim941
  
  Yes, Kevin but when? Can you "Define the moment" that you will get back to us?
2. 4/15/08
  
  kevingoodman
  
  Now but we'll also do it again
3. 4/15/08
  
  timethief
  
  The day I decided to delete a successful blog was a defining moment in blogging for me. Getting my first domain was one too. I think we have all had defining moments but if not then why not make one up and blog it. We all appreciate reading entertaining stories so if you don't have a post to link to now you could write one. Then I could mesh them together into a post and spread the link love around.
4. 4/15/08
  
  kevingoodman
  
  executiveblog.blogspot.com/2008/04/professor-had-ninth-grade-education.html
  
  Spread the love -
4/15/08

MadameX

I'm not sure exactly what you mean by "defining moment", but this was my blogging moment of truth: catholicinside.blogspot.com/2007/06/radio-silence.html

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4/15/08

timethief

@MadameX
That's exactly what I meant. I previously acknowledged your beautiful mind and now I am smitten by your writing skills. Thank you so much.

BC has such an amazing number of excellent bloggers on board. I'm humbled and I'm so glad I committed to joining --- a defining moment.

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4/15/08

markstoneman

I'm not sure this counts, but it does try to ask how the heck I came to do military history:
clioandme.wordpress.com/2007/07/21/paradoxes/

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4/15/08

Donlewis

Yesterday. I had my first day with 100 + visitors.

[reply]
1. 4/15/08
  
  timethief
  
  @Don
  YAY! So have you written it up yet?
2. 4/15/08
  
  Donlewis
  
  still working on it. I've got a couple of commitments ahead of it. I know it's not a big deal to a lot of the power bloggers around here. But my wife and kids were glued to the site meter. We celebrated with bowls of ice cream
4/15/08

timethief

@markstoneman
"I think students need to know that human behavior in war is historically contingent. They need to know, for instance, that humanity and atrocities in warfare have a history."
Yes, that post does contain your historical defining moment. Thanks for participating.

[reply]
4/15/08

earthandeconomy

Sorry, this is not about a defining moment in blogging...

My defining moment was when I lost the Pacific Coast Rowing championships (PCRC) in college by one "seat" length. It really made me reassess how giving just a little more can impact a future outcome. Made me relive what would have happened had I trained just a little harder, pushed the team a little harder? Taught me to accept the importance of embracing simply how far you have come, regardless of the position. I find my perspective towards other challenges in life has changed as a result (e.g. climate) because I don't want to find myself wishing I had only given a little bit more. Losing by a close margin and learning to accept is a defining moment. You pick up and keep going...

[reply]
1. 4/15/08
  
  timethief
  
  earth&economy
  Once again we have another defining moment and it is connected with your blogging. It's connected with everything you do. May I please quote your comment above and link back to your blog?
4/15/08

robertstevenson

I felt a bond with the writers here when I wrote this. I guess it's why I come back every day. robertstevenson.wordpress.com/2008/04/05/writing-is-what-we-do/

I included part of it in my blog catalog blog post.

[reply]
1. 4/15/08
  
  timethief
  
  @robertstevenson
  YAY! Another defining moment that I can include.
4/15/08

cooper

Luckily for me, I think anyway, most of my defining moments come in real life, and have no real relationship to blogging.

When I first started blogging, (when there was none of this promote blogs nonsense, when there weren't ten million blogs a day started and 9 million abandoned or deleted) I was just out there writing, with no intent of having readers or reading others, I came upon the blog of a seventy something year old poet.

I was 18 or 19 at the time. To read this totally awesome work from a 77 year old man in Scotland was as close to a defining moment in blogging as I've had.

It made me realize that this blogging thing was unique because I, an 18 year old, could appreciate the unpublished poetry of a 77 year old stranger, post comments on his poetry even, the poetry of some man six times my age. A man I would never probably have even considered communicating with in daily life.

Yea, I posted my first comment ever on that blog, and I realized that blogging was going to be something special.

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4/15/08

timethief

@Cooper
Wow! Thanks for sharing your defining moment. May I please have permission to quote it and link to your blog?

[reply]
4/15/08

cooper

Yes, of course.

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4/16/08

timethief

@cooper
Thanks

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4/16/08

Shiley

I have had more than one defining moment. When I wrote for riverstyxxx I knew there was no going back. I felt it was worth it if it would help someone else. I ran a contest for my new logo provided by bsilvia graphics-illustrations.com/ in exchange for a link to all 3 of my sites. and then, without asking, someone left a message on my blog that they would like to redo my page for free! This person isn't a BC member I guess they just dropped into my site. I didn't write about it but the new set up is at proofpositivity.blogspot.com and this is the site in which the designer came from roarkdesignstudio.blogspot.com/

[reply]
1. 4/16/08
  
  timethief
  
  @Shirley,
  YAY! So are you going to write up a little blog post that I can link to? The whole idea here is for me to spread some link love around.
2. 4/16/08
  
  Shiley
  
  give me like 24 hrs I have mommy issues at the moment.
4/16/08

ThriftShopRomantic

I think one of the more defining moments for me was realizing a platform I was using was just never going to work properly, and I had better make the serious effort and move all of my 90-some posts to a new locale.

It ended up being a wonderful decision because it's a much better user-experience now, but it was a lot of work.

Of course, I realized that every bit of the effort I put into this is worth it. I wouldn't trade the sense of community and the ability to communicate that blogging has allowed me to enjoy.

[reply]
1. 4/16/08
  
  timethief
  
  @romantic
  May I quote you in my post or would you rather write up a little post that I can link to?
2. 4/16/08
  
  ThriftShopRomantic
  
  I don't have a blog where folks actually want to hear me talk about blogging. So you're welcome to quote me if you wish.
4/16/08

crkian

Someone telling me on my blog that I am a Legend on blogcatalog

[reply]
1. 4/16/08
  
  timethief
  
  @crkian
  Hell, I can one-up that one with ease. Do the words "tracking cookie" ring a bell? And, if so, have you forgiven me yet?
2. 4/16/08
  
  crkian
  
  I had forgotten about it, remind me
4/16/08

timethief

Yeah, as if?
Speaking to you at all makes me nervous and the fact that you are hiding behind that kid avatar makes it even worse. I'm also extremely persistent so if you do not choose to forgive me then I will have to go to that site again and again ...

[reply]
1. 4/16/08
  
  crkian
  
  now your pulling my leg
  
  I actually respect you and admire what you bring to this place.
4/16/08

timethief

@crkian
Ahhh ... right ... I was teasing you. Could it be that you are trying to disarm me by being especially charming? If so, it worked. I'm no longer nervous, I'm blushing.

Edit: Are you writing up a little post that I can link to regarding being labeled as a legend at BC?

[reply]
1. 4/16/08
  
  crkian
  
  Nah, I just cant blog anymore i get the heeby jeebys everytime i go to post anything
4/16/08

sulz

i'm not sure if i hit blogging nirvana or any real blogging achievement of sorts, but it was a pretty big deal to have gotten my free css upgrade from wp.com, since i love to dress my blog up. and i also feel very happy that i have regular readers and commenters who interact with me, because i like making friends despite my shyness. yeah, i think the little things count more to me - to have my readers like what i write and become friends in the process.

(oh, the times i got links from big blogs like engtech's internet duct tape were a nice blogging trip for me!)

[reply]
4/16/08

timethief

All of those are also defining moments in blogging. Thanks for sharing them sulz. You have a good energy about you and you have a talent for writing well.

[reply]
1. 4/16/08
  
  sulz
  
  thanks for the compliment! i think blogging has definitely helped me improve my writing skills, though there's always room for improvement.
4/16/08

RubyShooZ

Many many of mine have been on my original blog, rubyshooz.wordpress.com but lately I've felt like what crkian said:

"Nah, I just cant blog anymore i get the heeby jeebys everytime i go to post anything"

I'm just not sure if that's a joke or not.

I'd like to help you out timetheif and be included but at the present time, I'm trying to get myself to answer the comments that have been being left on the "rubyshooz" blog. I don't know why. Perhaps this is my defining moment.

I feel like I need to post there as well but I've felt like a deer in the headlights (I almost wrote deadlights!) and that feeling has been sticking with me for a while now.

What breaks this?

Peace to all today and every day.

[reply]
1. 4/16/08
  
  markstoneman
  
  If it's not fun, just take a break. I took too weeks away from blogging and the computer in January.
2. 4/16/08
  
  timethief
  
  @crkian and rubyshooz
  Thank you both for honouring me with your honesty. I believe I have visited the place you describe more than once. I have another blog that's just laying there waiting to be fed and I'm starving it. Come to think of it I've had many defining moments in blogging and just trying to get this together may be one of them.
  Love, Peace and Understanding
  
  @mark
  Good advice.
3. 4/17/08
  
  crkian
  
  Mine come from when half of my best posts decided to lose everything after the more tag. I just havent felt like really doing it since. But I have thrown everything into my book so perhaps that will spur me on to blog again
4/17/08

Neath

6 months ago or so my blog, which is pretty much in the off the mainstream niche kind of category, broke the Technorati top 100,000 and I thought that was great, that the little guy could go far on a level playing field. Technorati has since been dropping me like a hot potato, but it doesn't bother me. I know where I am.

[reply]
1. 4/17/08
  
  timethief
  
  Hi Neath,
  It was really good to see you pop up here at BC. A lot of bloggers don't understand how Technorati calculates links. Maybe this will be useful to you onecoolsite.wordpress.com/2008/03/16/technorati-the-six-month-link-window/
4/17/08

Shiley

Ok I got the link for you proofpositivity.blogspot.com/2008/04/defining-moments.html

[reply]
1. 4/17/08
  
  timethief
  
  Thanks Shirley for the link to your post.
4/17/08

timethief

@crkian
Sheesh, I'm sorry that you experienced the more tag problem. It's good to hear that you are writing a book though. Best wishes with it.

[reply]
4/17/08

daniel23

I had a huge, lengthy debate about federalism and sydicalism that envolved lengthy back n forth comments.

strength-freedom.blogspot.com/2008/04/syndicalism-and-federal-system-of.htm...

Check it out timethief. I don't spend all my time plotting how to sink global warming conversations.

[reply]
1. 4/17/08
  
  timethief
  
  @daniel23
  Thanks for submitting your defining moment in blogging link. I'm experiencing a bad vision day but I will check out your link when I can.
  
  Although I set today at noon as the cut-off date for submissions to this thread, I'm not up to writing at present. If any other bloggers would like to submit links to their defining moments in blogging posts please do so.
2. 4/17/08
  
  daniel23
  
  kewl.
5/04/08

timethief

This is just to let everyone who participated in this thread know that I have not forgotten my promise. I will be publishing a "defining moments" post on Tuesday or Wednesday. The domain the link will come to your post from has a page rank of 4. It is not registered with BC. Hopefully, all the upgrades and that backend work will be done tomorrow. Thanks for being patient.

Edit: If there are any bloggers who posted to this thread previously but who did not submit a link at that time and, who now have a defining moments post that they would like to post the link to here now --- then this is the time to do that.

[reply]
5/14/08

timethief

The backend blog clean-up took longer than expected. Then I had a huge spam attack but I did publish the link love post today here thistimethisspace.com/2008/05/13/blogging-defining-moments/
And now I'm going to ask thegoodknife or nine to close this thread so it isn't resurrected.
Thanks everyone

[reply]
1. 5/14/08
  
  markstoneman
  
  I noticed the ping and had a look. Thanks.
5/14/08

aningeniousname

I would have to say my defining moment was the moment I actually decided to stop annoying my friends with my crazy stories and decided to annoy a wider less suspecting audience.

[reply]
1. 5/14/08
  
  timethief
  
  @Mark
  You're welcome.
  
  Dear aardvark,
  This is a moribund thread that I have already asked thegoodknife to close. www.blogcatalog.com/discuss/entry/blogging-a-defining-moment#comment_357555
  
  So as you didn't participate when you had the chance to and with regard to your defining moment, in the style of Rhett Butler I say to you my friend:
  "Frankly my dear I don't give a damn." ... lol ...
2. 5/14/08
  
  aningeniousname
  
  Lovely! But I'm so self obsessed I'd like to take a while to examine why this thread is "moribund"...... on second thoughts....Nah, I'll just go look at my self in the mirror again.
5/14/08

timethief

Sheesh ... I went over on your profile page to leave you a shout because I know that you know I'm just ribbing you. Meanwhile you are here you are admitting you didn't read the darn thread before posting to it ... *rotflmao* ... gottcha

[reply]
5/14/08

acousticguitarist

Would have to be:

acousticguitarist.wordpress.com/2007/09/27/the-bardo-dedicated-to-joshua/

And when someone asked the question...What is..

drnerdy.wordpress.com/2007/12/23/christmas-post-what-is-love/

[reply]
5/14/08

timethief

@redpanda
I have read "what is love" and I loved it.
I shall download and listen to the bardo.
Tujechhe
Om Mani Padme Hung

[reply]
1. 5/14/08
  
  acousticguitarist
  
  cheers ...am off to town
5/14/08

OzScot

My Stephen Armstrong post - it made me realise that regardless of how 'busy' I am, regardless of what's going on in my life, I cannot ignore injustice. If unjust then I'm going to shout about it - till I die.

www.straightscotch.com/?p=12

Ben

[reply]
5/14/08

timethief

FWIW this is a moribund thread that I have already asked thegoodknife to close. www.blogcatalog.com/discuss/entry/blogging-a-defining-moment#comment_357555

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