Gratitude: The Joys of Blogging
Alert! Ego boost in effect! Please skip this post if you don’t wanna watch my head swell.
My web host, TopHostingCenter just wrote an awesome review for Nanyate?! and presented me with Speedy Tophostingcenter Blog Award! It’s one thing to have a little 200×200 trophy image to display on your site, but another to have an entire blog post overspilling with praise written about your site – by your web hosting company!
The relationship TopHostingCenter tries to establish with its clients is truly one of a kind. It’s a relationship that far exceeds the constraints of a business transaction. It’s almost a blogger-to-blogger, friend-to-friend kind of relationship, where both parties are put in a win-win situation – at all times. By noticing and acknowledging their clients, the company encourages them to put more effort on their sites. And thereby promoting themselves through their clients. It’s a wonderful strategy – but not without sincerity.
Sincerity here is the keyword. For me, I blog for the sake of writing and meeting new people. So, I try really hard to write about things most people can relate to, and try to encourage conversation. Blogging, to me, is not just a one-way expression by the author but a system facilitating the exchange of ideas. I try to find others like me and establish some sort of a relationship with them, in hopes that they will reciprocate and in hopes that they will find someone else they like on my site. But it’s not because I want comments or Technorati rank, it’s because I do actually enjoy exchanging ideas with people I can have a conversation with. I’m sure if I met anyone of my frequent visitors in real life, we would all by sitting at a cafe and chat for hours.
So, I would like to thank my wonderful host for dedicating an entry to me, Teddy for dedicating a paragraph to me, the Stumblers who have stumbled my site, my feed subscribers and most importantly, I’d like to thank my frequent visitors for the continuous conversation. You guys make it all worthwhile.
P.S. I’d also like to take this opportunity to thank all the design sites who have continued to write about my old blog design even after I’ve abandoned it. So, thank you Design Meltdown, Smashing Magazine, Dr. Web and Coliss.
So, what are your joys of blogging?
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Hiro • March 5th, 2008
Thanks for commenting on my entry!
And CONGRATULATIONS!
That’s so awsome~~!
cheekyricegirl • March 5th, 2008
oooh! way to go! the shout-out to you is really well-deserved!
Simply Precious • March 5th, 2008
Wow, that is awesome!! Congratulations, Ivy!!!! =)
LOL, the funny thing about this post is that my host wrote something about why she likes blogging recently also! =P
I like blogging because I can get my feelings out. And also, I can meet people who I can get along with because we have something in common, etc. Hmm… I believe that’s the only 2 reasons why I blog. =P
Id • March 5th, 2008
My main joy of blogging is creating relationships with various people as well. Of course, the ones who I manage to keep any type of correspondence with are people who don’t find my stuff boring. But with going as “id” I’m still in the process of re-establishing myself online. My last incarnation had to sadly leave behind some people. But that is what change does.
And I am sure that if I met any of my readers in real life, it’s definitely hours at a coffee shop well-spent.. both in coffee and in talking! Haha!
My other joy is being able to express myself through writing. Blogging allows that notion of a personal voice, after all.
Kiera • March 5th, 2008
Wow…congrats, that’s awesome!
I’d be neat is my hosting company did something like that.
k • March 5th, 2008
Congrats girl!!
yeah i agree THC is really quick in answering support emails and they’re really friendly too.
Michael • March 6th, 2008
My main goal for blogging is the same as yours. But ever since I found out I’d make some money by blogging, that’s been my second goal.
Hey, congrats!
teddy • March 6th, 2008
Hey Ivy congratulations for being featured on your host’s blog
anyway I think we started a blog for the same reasons – we’re not up to becoming really famous bloggers, I don’t really care about my technorati rank as well. What really matters in the end is WHO you’ve meet 
and I applaud the way you treat blogging – it’s all about meeting new people, interaction and opening yourself up. Cheers!
P.S. don’t thank me for the paragraph plug, hehe! You deserve it. And I think I did a really bad job at describing your blog, haha!
Sigg3 • March 6th, 2008
You almost make it sound like a chore that you have to do
If that is the case, I know exactly how you feel. Today.
Blogging can be a real burden sometimes. Especially when your RL homies start bugging you about updates. Or when your grandmother leaves a comment on your stripping-adventure entry..
On the other hand, it’s nice to get some recognition and approval when RL projects seem to get none.
Destiny • March 6th, 2008
You are definitely a creative blogger… I’ve still yet to get there, only because I can only blog about things that are crucial to my life for now… but hopefully I will be able to evolve from that! ^_^
Congrats!
Shannon • March 6th, 2008
Congratulations! It was a very well deserved award!
Bush Mackel • March 6th, 2008
Wow. My host never did anything like THAT for me! All THEY ever did was charge me an arm and a leg. (#):D
And for me, I love inciting great conversations on my posts. I love to talk, so being able to talk about the 360 degrees of a certain issue is the bees knees.
Lissy • March 6th, 2008
That’s exactly why I blog! That and the need to vent once in a while
Congrats on the award!
Katy • March 7th, 2008
Thanks for the wonderful comments you left on my post. =)
I blog now for the sake of networking too. Before, I use to just blog for myself and to keep track of what I do, especially in high school because my friends and I always do hilarious things. Now, I find a joy in writing and at least trying to make people laugh (sometimes)… it’s nice to get positive feedback on your blog.
Katy • March 7th, 2008
Oh and your host sounds awesome! I might just switch because I love companies that make an effort to connect with their clients.
Sigg3 • March 7th, 2008
Good going with the dedicated post.
My hosting company doesn’t have anything equivalent, but I’ve seen several of their employee’s private blogs/pages with links to me:)
Dun a riot, bin hacked and loved 4 a long, long time baby.
Sigg3 • March 7th, 2008
And sometimes I don’t make any sense.
Pat • March 7th, 2008
i haven’t heard about a host doing that on their client. that was really sweet of them. I love my current host now, though I don’t receive that kind of treatment. lol.
Eunice • March 8th, 2008
Ooh, it must have been awesome, getting an article from your host full of praises!
Daniel • March 8th, 2008
hey congrats! that’s so cool.
oh and I love your blog template.
Mig • March 10th, 2008
Wow, Ivy! We praise you, you praise us… I feel like riding the carousel. I see I was right about how much your readers love you. You blog for fun now, but someone with your skills has great chances of becoming an A-List blogger in no time. Keep up the good work.
Mig