100th Post Extravaganza: You’re All Invited!
July 19th, 2008
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There’s a famous juggler, well known for his dazzling performances, who once said “Your first 100 shows don’t count.” Meaning that while 100 shows sounds like a lot, it really takes that many just to warm up and start to find your way.
I think that’s how I feel, reflecting on my blog as I write this 100th post. A lot has certainly happened, but in many ways I feel like I’m just getting started.
First, let’s look at some things that have happened along the way.
It didn’t feel like I was off to such a great start when I had only 3 subscribers after my first month, and only 13 subscribers after my second. Now I’m up to about 300 subscribers (Feedburner admits that it’s not perfect at counting subscribers, but it showed a peak of 303 recently). It’s not very many in the grand scheme of things, but it’s a lot more than the 0 we all have to start with!
Likewise, I’m not making much money from this blog, but it’s moving in the right direction. It costs a few dollars a month to pay for the domain and hosting, and I also paid for a custom banner. I also paid for (e)books that I’ve reviewed here, if you want to count those. And if you include the cost of my time (even assuming minimum wage), this is a ridiculously expensive endeavor. But some money is trickling in now, mainly from AdSense ads, and I’ve also started making some affiliate sales recently.
I’ve written two ebooks so far: The Zen of Blogging and Memoirs of a Gaijin. The first was an absolute breeze to write once the idea struck me, while the second took way, way too long. And both were free, which was kind of nice for getting started, but it doesn’t exactly pay the bills either. I do think ebooks will be an important thing for me to focus on going forward, and I’m currently doing research in preparation for my next one. It’s gonna be good!
As for publicity, I received links from the following blogs with thousands of subscribers:
- Anywired: I wrote the guest post 14 Defenses Against The Anti-Entrepreneurial for Skellie.
- ProBlogger: Darren Rowse linked to my ebook The Zen of Blogging.
- Remarkablogger: Michael Martine wrote a post to respond to my question about Jedi and Sith blogging.
- Skelliewag: Skellie linked to my trump card post (My Final Post: Top 9 Lessons In Awesomeness).
- Steve Pavlina . com: Erin Pavlina picked my post How to Be a Woman as her #3 favorite of 52 submissions (and her #1 favorite by a guy).
As a result of appearing in “The Last Lecture” by Randy Pausch, I’ve been getting searches on different variations of my tagline:
how to stop sucking and live a life of abundance
live a life of abundance
live sucking
show me live free sucking
stop scuking and live a life of abundance
stop suckin and live a life of abundance
stop sucking & abundance
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stop sucking and enjoy abundance randy
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stop sucking and start living a live of abundance
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stop sucking at life
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stop sucking life abundance
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stop sucking live life abundance
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stop sucking start living a life of abundance
stop sucking the last lecture
stop sucking up and live a life of abundance
stop sucking, randy pausch
stop suking and live a life of abundance
sucking abundance life
Apparently, a lot of people aren’t so good at typing what they read into a search engine. I’m sure there’s an SEO lesson in that.
Other amusing search terms that people used to find me:
10 reasons why indians should visit united states of america
I really think we’re open to people of all nationalities.
7 unique reasons why indians should visit japan
Hmmm, same guy, different country? And make sure the reasons are unique. No fair using any of them twice!
is japan a good place to live or is new york better
Or maybe Kansas, or Iceland, or North Korea? You know, these are very different places! Are you really that flexible about where to live?
i need a gaijin
I think you’ll get kicked out of Japan for saying that!
making money with hunter
Let’s do it!
how i won the lottery
Well, I did win $3, but I can’t really tell you how I did it.
what does amazon affiliate link look like
Are you on a scavenger hunt or something?
you can not make a living on adsense 2008
Yes, please give me the latest and greatest information on how to not make money with AdSense!
create residual income little effort
Well, I have an email from this guy in Saudi Arabia who wants to wire me $25 million and just needs $3,000 for a transfer processing fee…
reasons how people gain overnight success
#1: Work on having gooder grammar.
how to be a confident woman
Um, you’ve come to the wrong blog.
how to be the other woman
Do you really want to be the other woman?
a woman now
Yeah, I think you’re looking for a different kind of site.
pretending to be a woman for phone sex
Are you looking for a how-to guide?
men don’t like a woman to be wrong
Thank you for telling me that; I didn’t know.
how long does it take for a man to realize he wants to marry a woman
Stop googling and just ask him!
how to be a good housewife
Vered, do you want to have a talk with her?
how to be a gurl that guys like
Let’s start by working on your spelling.
how to refrain from being sexist
Is it really that difficult for you?
i’d prefer to be a woman
I really don’t think I’m the one you should be talking to.
borders backgrounds whips chains
What exactly are you looking for?
acceptable reasons for leaving a job
You really don’t need anyone’s permission.
got sick at work and need to go home
Please, be my guest.
automatic blog posts
Sad but true. There’s actually demand for my automatic blog post rehasher.
can hunter be dodged
Never!
can we really dodge bullets
Of course you can dodge bullets.
i dont dodge bullets
That’s OK too. Do you wear a bulletproof vest, or do you just not have people shooting at you?
can’t stop the awesomeness
No doubt!
dc26e349e19c21aec3bb896e0cc7d56d03b551b8415546e6
Wow, my efforts to dominate the Google rankings for “dc26e349e19c21aec3bb896e0cc7d56d03b551b8415546e6″ have finally paid off, thanks to SEO School!
definition of people skills
Well, if you have to ask, you probably don’t have them.
difference between dream world & real world
I’m not sure there is a difference between the dream world and the real world.
do other people shape us or do we shape ourselves?
I think it’s a little of both.
ebook hunter share
Well, my first two ebooks are freely available!
2008 critical comments about steve pavlina
What kind of person searches for hot off the press critical comments about someone?
erin pavlina psychic fraud
Awww…poor Erin!
how to be a mail order psychic
Gee, that sounds reputable!
juggling to improve martial arts
Why don’t you work on martial arts to improve your martial arts?
favourite interview question and answer
I guess that would be “Why?” and “Why not?”
why introversion
Why not?
introverts and claims examiners
They go together like a horse and carriage, don’t they?
are introverts disturbing?
No.
people think introverts are dumb
They do?
why are they trying to label introversion as a disease?
Because they’re dumb (the labelers).
poor introverts how are we suppose to live yahoo answers
Oh, come on! It’s great to be an introvert!
personal life sucking
That’s a pretty broad problem. Why don’t we take it one step at a time?
what is you dream for the world
That’s a nice thing to be searching on. I guess world peace would be a good start.
finding enjoyable blogs to read
You can start with this one!
Perhaps most importantly, I’ve met a lot of wonderful people online that I never would have met if I hadn’t become a blogger. Blogging in a vacuum isn’t much fun, so it’s great to have kindred spirits to share your thoughts with. Here are my top 10 commenters over the past 30 days, ranked by number of comments:
#1 (tie): Barbara Swafford, Blogging Without A Blog
Where, oh where, would I be without Barbara? True to her blog’s name, she was encouraging me even before I started blogging. A wonderfully loyal commenter, she would have held the #1 spot outright if she weren’t taking a break from blogging to attend her neighborhood garage sale (the great risks of garage sales are overlooked by bloggers all too often). In the time I’ve known her, her comments section has exploded, and yet she still takes the time to respond to every single one.
#1 (tie): Catherine Lawson, Bold Advice for Business Success
Catherine started following me early on, and I started following her at the same time. She uses her years of business experience and her uncommon sense to help people avoid costly mistakes. She recently said she’s moving away from bold advice for business success in favor of a better work/life balance, so we’ll have to see what happens. But whatever she blogs about, I don’t think Catherine knows how to not be bold, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
#3: Marelisa, Abundance Blog at Marelisa-Online
I came across Marelisa pretty recently, and became hooked on her eclectic mix of topics related to abundance. She backs up her ideas by stuffing her posts full of research data that comes from all the books she reads. I guess reading a lot is typical for an ex-lawyer (yes, she was a lawyer, but a nice one).
#4: Vered, MomGrind – a Mommyblogger Wannabe
Another nice former lawyer (yup, there are at least two of them in the world), the very thin but NOT medically underweight Vered runs a mommy blog that is not really a mommy blog. She also writes about finance, feminism, happiness, and blogging, among other things. She always has interesting ideas, and I always look forward to her Wordless Wednesdays.
#5: Evelyn Lim, Attraction Mind Map
Evelyn has all kinds of training and certifications in things I barely understand. She combines knowledge with inspiration to help people tune in to greater abundance in all areas of life. Very honest and sincere, she shares both her successes and her struggles in walking the path to peace and prosperity. (Hmmm, don’t there seem to be a lot of women in this list? Nothing wrong with that, I’m just saying…)
#6: Akemi, Yes to Me
Akemi has shown plenty of courage in leaving her native Japan for the U.S., getting married and divorced, moving across the country, and starting a coaching and Akashic record reading business. Through her business and her blog, she helps people live their life purpose and achieve spiritual growth.
This tiny woman can throw a man three times her size and keep him on the floor indefinitely. Cool, huh? She writes about martial arts, exercise, nutrition, meditation, and so forth, and she has a knack for having insight into lessons learned from cool cheesy movies. (Where are all these women coming from? As soon as I can, I’m writing a post about Scarface to restore a little balance.)
#8 (tie): Al – 7P Productions – Dedicated to Achieving Goals and Dreams
Al’s humble site is about making dreams come true. He has a bunch of interesting, creative, and entertaining stuff on his blog, and he leaves very thoughtful comments. I won’t give it away, but you can visit his about page to find out what the 7 Ps are. (Finally, we have a guy on the list!)
#8 (tie): Shilpan – Success Soul – Abundance and Simplicity for Mind, Body, and Soul
An ambitious, purpose-driven guy, Shilpan believes that success is the result of positive thinking followed by action. He also believes that every one of us can achieve abundance through belief and hard work. Although his blog is fairly new, it’s done incredibly well on Digg, with his latest post currently showing 1,887 diggs.
And now we get to the point where I would normally list #10 and be on my merry way, but as it turns out, we have a 7-way tie for the 10th spot. Seven? Anyway, I’ve got to run soon, so I’ll just list the seven bloggers, and you can feel free to write your own bio in the comments.
#10 (tie): Avani Mehta, Food For Mind
#10 (tie): Dave Navarro, Rock Your Day
#10 (tie): Hayden Tompkins, Persistent Illusion
#10 (tie): Jamie Harrop, Young Entrepreneur
#10 (tie): Mary Jaksch, Goodlife Zen
#10 (tie): Matt H., The Freewheeler
#10 (tie): XiongShui, Teehaus – Stammtisch
What does the future hold?
If we knew that, then life wouldn’t be much fun, would it? But I can say that plenty of new posts are on the way, including a new series that I should be starting soon. I’m also going to be having some contests, so be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss out on your chance to win a prize!
You may have noticed that I’ve been posting more often than usual lately. It’s mainly because I’ve had a lot of book/ebook/product reviews to write. And while I don’t want to hijack my blog with reviews, I still have six more to do (and I don’t review everything I read). I also have one ebook I bought almost a month ago that I haven’t even read yet. Ironically, it’s Dave Navarro’s “What’s Holding You Back?” Hmmm, time management, methinks?
I’m going to try to slow down a bit with my posting, because I don’t want subscribing to my blog to be too big a time commitment for you guys. I’ve also found it a bit too hard to keep up with my favorite blogs, gather fresh material for my posts, work on my ebook, and enjoy this supposed life that exists outside of work. It’s just hard to slow down because so much is happening, you know?
That’s all for now. Thanks to everyone for making it a fun journey. Now, on to the next 100 posts…
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July 20th, 2008 at 12:30 am
Congratulations, Hunter, on this blogging milestone.
I’ve only just discovered your blog so it’s great to read of your journey so far.
I look forward to the next chapter!
July 20th, 2008 at 12:48 am
Congrats!
Those search terms are SO funny.
Nice and thin, huh? I can live with that.
Thanks for the link. Looking forward to the next 100!
Vereds last blog post..Internet Safety: Did I Go Too Far?
July 20th, 2008 at 12:50 am
Congratulations Hunter, you made it to 100! I see you did use the word “extravaganza” (isn’t that a great word). It’s funny reading the search terms people use to end up in your blog. Thank you for the link, I enjoy reading and commenting on your blog– you have an interesting viewpoint. And I love the comment about Vered having a mommy blog that really isn’t a mommy blog
July 20th, 2008 at 12:52 am
Hello, Hunter,
congratulations to the first 100, go on, it is the right way. The main thing is, to have fun to keep blogging. All the others comes at themselves: readers, commentators or friends.
So, be hopeful with the future of your blogg. It’s a nice one and a interesting one – stay in line
: XiongShui
XiongShuis last blog post..Regulierungswut frisst Arbeitsplätze
July 20th, 2008 at 1:34 am
Btw. I added your Blog to my blogroll “US-Amerikanisches” at the “Wäscheannahme”.
XiongShuis last blog post..Regulierungswut frisst Arbeitsplätze Update 20.07.: Translation
July 20th, 2008 at 5:54 am
Congrats for making it to the 100th post in a short space of time! It shows your commitment and love for sharing, looking at what you’ve contributed so far to the net community.
Thanks for the nice stuff you’ve said about me. The admiration is mutual. I wouldn’t be visiting your blog and commenting on your posts so often if I don’t like your writings. Hey…you’re one of my favorite bloggers!! You’ve got no lack of authenicity and creativity in the things you write about. When I come onto your site, I can be assured of a refreshing take! Some of your posts are also really funny!
Alright…enough of compliments or you may find your head stuck in the cloud! I am sure looking forward to your next 100!
I also wish you plenty of online success….may you find much abundance (whether in money, friendships, love, etc) in your journey!
Evelyn
Evelyn Lim | Attraction Mind Maps last blog post..Practising Awareness Of The Mind
July 20th, 2008 at 6:13 am
Oh I LOVE:
“Yes, please give me the latest and greatest information on how to not make money with AdSense!”
Very funny indeed, I’ll have to consider such a post on my own blog (a few months ago, I wrote a post “How to kill your self-confidence” which generated tons of hits for “how to kill yourself”. Took a bit of thinking to see how that happened…
Happy Sunday, Barbara
Barbara Ling, Virtual Coachs last blog post..Blog SEO – breaking into the top 10 for your posts
July 20th, 2008 at 7:36 am
Hi – Hunter – that was a huge surprise. I hadn’t noticed the link come in and I was still LMAO at some of those search phrases. Thanks for tying me up with Barbara – it’s a great honor to be tied with such a fine woman and all the other great people you’ve tied up here.
100 posts is a brilliant achievement. They’re definitely not like most peoples “practise posts” though – especially mine. Your writing has been absolutely brilliant from the beginning.
Cath Lawsons last blog post..The Everlasting Gift That Costs Nothing
July 20th, 2008 at 9:37 am
Hunter, thank you.
Bio: Kick ass. Takes names. Do it on purpose and with an open heart.
Hayden Tompkinss last blog post..This is What A Goddess Looks Like
July 20th, 2008 at 9:54 am
Hi Hunter – great post, and congrats on the milestone! Not sure why your commenters are dominated by women. Maybe have “Fight Club Fridays?”
Al at 7Ps last blog post..How To Work On Something You Hate
July 20th, 2008 at 10:36 am
Hi Hunter,
Congrats, and thank you for including my blog, Yes to Me. I’m honored.
I just love your sense of humor. The list of search terms is hilarious!
I just noticed Al’s comment above me — why so many female readers here? I have no idea. My blog seems to have reasonable amount of male readers, and when I go around checking other blogs, I don’t think of the gender of the writer — unless the blog specifically emphasizes it. And I always wondered why so many people are so gender-spec . . . like some female life coaches take only female clients. Just why? Male clients never did any harm to me ^_^
Akemi – Yes to Mes last blog post..Gratitude Friday, Week 6, Gratitude And 10 Things That Make Me Happy
July 20th, 2008 at 10:50 am
Hi Hunter,
Congratulations on your first 100. That’s a feat to be very proud of. You’ve done a fabulous job thus far, and I have not doubt you’ll be surprising us with many more great reads in the future.
Thank you for your kind words (and the link). Being tied with my friend Catherine is a real honor. You’ve developed a great community of like minded bloggers and it’s always a joy to visit you and participate in the discussions.
In response to Al’s comment regarding all of your female followers, let’s face it, you’re a chick magnet.
Barbara Swaffords last blog post..Open Mic – Have Some Fun Today
July 20th, 2008 at 12:05 pm
I just tried some of the search terms in your list. You are actually on the first page of google for “i need a gaijin”. Do you want to go back to Japan for hookup? Thanks to this very post, you are also on the first page for “can Hunter be dodged” Haha. . . I’ve been laughing so hard . . . I will read your posts I’ve missed when I recover from laughing tears.
July 20th, 2008 at 7:29 pm
Hunter -
You’ve earned your place on the blogoshpere my friend. You should be proud of your accomplishments so far. They are worth mentioning.
Thanks for mentioning my name. I’m grateful to you for your continuous support and kindness.
Shilpan
Shilpan | successsoul.coms last blog post..Warren Buffett’s 7 Secrets for Living a Happy and Simple Life
July 20th, 2008 at 10:18 pm
OMG – that is so funny Akemi. I can see me wasting time today checking out what other weird keyphrases Hunter ranks highly on.
Hunter – I was just thinking last night – I wonder how many people find your article generator and actually use it? I bet some people would.
July 20th, 2008 at 10:27 pm
Cath,
I think that is what Hunter is doing all day today. That’s why he is not responding to our comments
I checked his article rehasher — how does this work? He sure wasting his technical skills . . .
July 20th, 2008 at 10:52 pm
@ Scott, thanks, and let me know when you have a blog of your own!
@ Vered, I’m sure you’ve been called worse than nice and thin before, huh?
@ Marelisa, Vered characterizes herself as a mommyblogger wannabe, so I just went with that! I love the word extravaganza…let’s see the next word that we both use in our titles.
@ XiongShui, I agree, if you’re having fun, it’s a lot easier for the rest to just work itself out. Thanks for adding me to your American blogroll!
@ Evelyn, thanks for the compliments…I’ll try to get my head out of the clouds!
@ Barbara, I think that no matter what you write, you’re bound to get some search traffic that’s clearly looking in the wrong place. Anyway, I hope you go ahead and write the “how to not make money with AdSense” post!
@ Cath, I decided early on to avoid doing “practice posts.” I just find it so sad to see this on someone’s blog:
Post #1: Hi, everyone! I’m starting a new blog! Isn’t it great! This is going to be so cool!
Post #2: Hi, guys. Is anyone there? Do you think I should write about blogging, making money online, or the law of attraction?
Post #3: You may have noticed that I haven’t been posting much lately. I’ve decided to relaunch this blog with a new focus. I can’t tell you what it is yet, but it’s going to be great!
@ Hayden, love the bio!
@ Al, Fight Club Fridays? I’ll have to think about that!
@ Akemi, I too don’t usually think about the gender of the writer, unless they make a point of bringing it up. In some cases it can make sense to focus on one gender, like with a fashion blog, or The Art of Manliness. But I agree that it doesn’t make sense to arbitrarily exclude any group.
As for the search results, it occurred to me that by listing the crazy search terms here, I would rank even higher for those terms in the future! Oh well, I guess it’s bound to happen. Hope you recover from laughing!
@ Barbara, I guess “chick magnet” is a good way to put it! Thanks for your support over the last 8 months or so–you’ve always been very encouraging.
@ Shilpan, thank you, and I’ve enjoyed your support as well. We can never have too much support in the blogosphere, can we?
@ Cath, oh boy, it sounds like you have a bit too much time on your hands! But at the same time, I’ll be very curious to know! I just checked my stats, and the rehasher is getting 1 or 2 hits a day. You know, I should put some links in it, in case someone actually uses it. Then every rehashed post can help with PageRank!
@ Akemi, OK, here I am, responding to comments! I’ll be sure to tell my boss that you think I’m wasting my technical skills, ha ha.
July 21st, 2008 at 3:46 am
Congratulations on your 100th post, Hunter. I am only new to your blog but I’m enjoying catching up on my reading here. Looks like you’ve achieved some amazing things in a relatively short period of time and should be very proud of yourself. Blogging is commitment enough, but 2 e-books too? I’m impressed.
Look forward to seeing where you take us next.
Kelly
Kelly@SHE-POWERs last blog post..SHE-POWER Women: Vered from MomGrind
July 21st, 2008 at 6:03 am
Congratulations Hunter! 100 is certainly a time to celebrate!
I’ve only recently discovered your blog and I’ve been enjoying it very much – you’re one of my favourites!
Looking forward to celebrating your 200th post (and 1000th…??)
Wishing you a ton of continued success,
Laurie
Laurie | Express Yourself to Successs last blog post..Social Skills: The problem may not be you…
July 21st, 2008 at 9:14 am
Hi Hunter, Congrats on hitting #100…. I am soon hitting that magic number. I have been really enjoying looking at some of your past posts and love your writing. The searches were hilarious…. Cheers and all the best for the next 100! I’ll be reading! Gratefully, Jenny
July 21st, 2008 at 11:44 am
Thanks for the mention!
Glad to see your blog is growing.
(BTW, loved the dodging bullets post.)
Dave Navarros last blog post..Pen To Paper: Getting Clear On What Work-Life Balance Means To You
July 21st, 2008 at 5:10 pm
Hi Hunter,
Hey! That’s great and congratulations to you! You have a great blog. I really liked the introvert post, but I already told you that. Best wishes for you continued success.
Ellen
Ellen Wilsons last blog post..Spontaneous Memoir Meme
July 21st, 2008 at 10:00 pm
@ Kelly, ebooks are fun, but yes, they can be a big commitment! Have fun catching up…fortunately, we have no set schedule here!
@ Laurie, 1000th? Well, hopefully, but I’ll focus on 200 first! Thank you so much for your comments.
@ Jennifer, oh good, you’re coming up on 100 too, huh? It’s a fun number. Arbitrary, of course, but it’s like New Year’s 2000–you can’t help thinking it’s cool! Thanks for reading.
@ Dave, I’m glad you like that post. It’s always been one of my favorites, although I didn’t have many readers back then. Fortunately, I see that more and more people are finding it.
@ Ellen, thanks for your support. Have you figured out for sure which way you “vert?”
July 31st, 2008 at 12:29 pm
Congrats on 100 posts and thanks for the mention
RL Davids last blog post..A very short hiatus…
July 31st, 2008 at 9:22 pm
@ RL, thank you for all the comments!