I bought my first domain—stefgonzaga.com—back in 2010.
It looks clean and profesh now, but it went through so many identities and changes before this look. From freelancer website to personal blog to creative writing journal, you just couldn’t tell what it’s meant to be anymore.
Getting this domain was a HUGE thing for me though because it’s my piece of space on the internet.
This tiny thing became a growing excitement over building and designing basic WordPress sites. I bought domains and built sites for creative projects, an online shop, and new blogs.
They expired and were deleted eventually, but I made a quick audit of all my active sites before they returned to the digital oblivion.
I’ve been doing this audit since 2012 and I think it’s an interesting record of all my personal initiatives over the years.
I hate to admit that some of these websites didn’t last for more than 6 months, while others like The Freelance Pinoy I’ve taken care of for years.
None of these sites have earned any money. It’s only The Freelance Pinoy and my stefgonzaga.com site that have brought in paying clients and interesting collaborations.
It’s painful to think about all the time and money spent. I eventually stopped blogging to give myself a much needed break. I took the time to rethink the way I want to handle the blog format, what my priorities are and what made it fun and exciting all those years ago.
- Not caring about the number of comments
- Not caring about the number of shares
- Not caring about blog analytics too much
- Enjoying the act of writing and publishing
- Enjoying the freedom to talk about myself
I’ve read many blogs about blogging, and almost all have shunned the “I” and insisted that the writing should serve the reader. Even if the reader is the intended visitor, it’s a lot of pressure because it meant restraining yourself from talking about things that were irrelevant to the reader: what you had for breakfast, what the kids did that made you laugh, how your dog made a mess while you’re away.
I discarded so many blog topics and ideas because of this approach. I was a pretty unhappy blogger for the most part.
Ignoring this blogging trend is the reason why I started Diwa Daily. This is going to be a space where the “I” can roam wild and free. Comments and shares are more than welcome, but they won’t be the center of attention. Increasing stats and hits are great, but I’m not gonna think about them once I log in.
Five years later and I’m down to two websites: my CV and this place. I’ve already included Diwa Daily in the audit, so this officially marks the next chapter of my blogging journey. I can’t wait to see how this blog will grow knowing it’s going the other direction.
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