It’s astounding to stop and think about it: I’ve been blogging at EMN for six months today. (There were one or two earlier posts at Claire’s aborted group blog.) I moved to this WordPress-powered site from Blogger at the end of July. (Lovely WordPress. You are my friend. Though an upgrade to 1.3 is on the cards before too long.)
That means about 370 posts including the original Blogger site and well over 600 comments on this one alone (there aren’t many at Blogger and besides it doesn’t seem possible to count them without scrolling through the entire blog, so I can’t be bothered).
(What exactly did I do to waste time before? Oh, I remember. Google. Trash fiction. Well, that hasn’t changed so much then.)
It’s astounding because on the one hand I don’t know where the last six months has gone, and on the other it feels as though I’ve been doing this forever. Six months is a long time in the blogosphere, isn’t it? And long enough to gather plenty of debts: I’m still pathetically grateful to Claire for sending me the email that got all this started back in about April or May; to Ralph Luker (Cliopatria) for always being so encouraging (even when teasing me for my ignorance of American historians’ scandals); to Harrison (All Day Permanent Red) for the techie WP advice; everybody who has ever left a comment here and helped to make it such fun (special mention, I think, to my fellow criminal justice nerds Jonathan Edelstein (Head Heeb) and Chris Williams (who still doesn’t have a blog)); and if that leaves any individuals who should have got a credit that I’ve forgotten, apologies.
I now have blogging privileges at two group blogs, The Dictionary of Received Ideas and Cliopatria (although I’m not exactly the most diligent of Cliopatriarchs; I keep expecting to be thrown out on my arse for my general idleness in that quarter).
And beyond the blogosphere? For a start, I couldn’t not mention the lovely lunch with Natalie (Philobiblon) back in ?October (here’s to more future bloggers’ lunches!). And it’s bringing some lovely new academic contacts and friends. Besides, there’s the whole sense of imagined community from feeling that you’re in on something that’s still new and fresh, experimental and dynamic. (Of course it’s not perfect; there are arguments and anxieties, it can be divisive and cliquey. What the hell do you expect? Academics are people with strong opinions and their own prejudices and blind spots, not bleedin’ angels.)
OK. I want to finish with some nods to my favourite bloggers of the past six months.
For making me laugh till I wet myself on a regular basis: One Good Thing; Manolo’s Shoe Blog (and, hey, shoes!).
For being so breath-takingly beautiful: Giornale Nuovo; Hoarded Ordinaries
For keeping me in touch with the world: Head Heeb
For simply being there: All Day Permanent Red; Bitch PhD; Frogs and Ravens; Playing School; scribblingwoman; Siris; wolfangel.
And for some damn fine history writing: Chapati Mystery; Mode for Caleb; Rhine River
Some people are doing lists of their (own) favourite posts of the year. Maybe I’ll do that later. Right now I feel the urge to post some pictures of food again. (Because it’s Friday! And it’s Frivolous! Enough of seriousness for this week!)
Early Modern Notes 
Congrats! I hadn’t stopped to realize that I’m approaching the same blogiversary, and six months does indeed feel like a long time in the blogosphere. Cheers!
Ah, so quickly time passes and so quickly Sharon Howard is one of my favorite bloggers.
You big ole sweetie. More blushing.
I think there’s a lot of it about, Caleb. So many people (in academia) have taken up blogging this year. Cheers to all of us, I think!
Happy blogiversary! I hadn’t realized (or perhaps I did, and forgot) that EMN has only been going about the same length of time as Siris. (I kept intending to do a post when it happened, December 1st, but kept forgetting.)
I should say, Sharon, that coming across your Blogger blog by accident because of the neighboring addresses was one of the things that has ended up most contributing to my blogging experience; it was through EMN that I came into contact with the great community of history bloggers; I’ve often used your blogroll to check in on blogs I only rarely visit, just to see what’s going on; and your experience in moving to WordPress was instrumental in my moving H.L. to WordPress (and a great experience it is, too). So, it’s been great interacting with you.
And that’s all I’ll say before I get teary-eyed! :)
Awww…
(I’d completely forgotten about the accident of the next door addresses!)
Congratulations, and many more months!
Happy blogoversary.
Thanks for your help as a ‘veteran’ in getting me going, and offering a guide through the maze of academia.
Natalie