I started blogging back in 2009. I began what was basically an on-line journal, I was feeling lonely in a new city and was feeling very lost in my role as a Stay-at-Home-Mom. At the time, I didn't really expect anyone to come read it.I still remember my first comment from someone I didn't know. I cried.Over that year at 38 and Growing, others started coming and I learned that I wasn't alone in my experiences. They would leave a comment. I would then click on their name and go to their blog and leave them a comment. Simply through reading each other's blogs, we made a community. It was wonderful. I would spend hours reading and commenting. It felt like having friends over to my home everyday.I never went into blogging as a business. I didn't know about UMV (Unique Monthly Visitors) and Twitter was still pretty new. I had been on Facebook for a year but did not have a blog page. Pinterest? Not a thing. Instagram? Nope. It was just me, my keyboard and a publish button.Back then, the writing was everything. It was my release. It was my opportunity to talk with my friends. It was the artistic release that this side-lined actress needed.

Blogging Changed...

Over time, things changed. I changed to Star. I got on Twitter and eventually all the platforms that I am supposed to be on. Now I pin, I 'gram, I tweet. And I enjoy it, sometimes. Sometimes, it feels like work. Sometimes, I feel like I do more of that than I do this -- writing. The very thing that got me on this crazy thing called the internet.Back then, I didn't check my page views and had never heard of Alexa. I don't worry about creating a pin-nable image for my writing. I didn't judge myself on a number of likes or shares. I just wrote and if people commented, I felt heard and appreciated. I want that back.Now that I do this semi-professionally, I know that those scores and platform performances matter. I can't get away from that. I need, however, to find a balance. I need to find that place where I am writing what I want ( "for me", if you will) and being a savvy marketer. Because this isn't the day of hitting "Next" on Blogger (yes, my first blog was a BlogSpot). If no one can find me, no one can read me. And I still want that community.Most importantly, back then I knew why I blogged. I had a voice. I don't want to lose that voice in a desperate effort to raise my numbers. So today, I am recommitting to writing what matters. That may be a review because I feel like reviews are sharing things I like with my friends. It may be pics because I love posting pictures of my kids. But at the heart is my writing and nothing should compete with that.Do you blog? Do you remember when? If so, how do you keep your voice in a digital world of platforms and numbers?