Michael Braun's Blog

Three years ago, I made the decision, with much encouragement from Tony, to start my own website and blog. TheBriz.org was born, and this blog started. I don’t much fancy those early posts, lots of personal musings, generally poorly written, though still a good record of what was going on back in the summer of 2005. But since it is the three year anniversary, and as I am growing more nostalgic the older I get (and I’m still so young!!), I would like to look back on these three years to see where we’ve been, where we are now, and where we’re going.

Where We’ve Been:

My posting was quite sporadic in those early days. A look back at July 2005 reveals 20 posts total, but a 7 day gap from the end of June to July. This trend continues until 2007, when I started trying to write posts equalling [Days in Month] / 2. 11 of these 20 posts are about personal subject matter. The others are largely about Harry Potter book 6, or personal relationships and events.

Jumping forward to July 2006, we see similar trends in posting frequency. At this time, I’d been working post-graduation for 1 month. Arguably, I had a lot of free time, but I only found time to write 6 posts total. Half were on personal topics.

This expanse of time shows how much my blogging has changed. A lot of personal stories, good for keeping people updated on my life, and for cathartic release, but overall, not something that I could sustain interest in.

Where We Are Now:

My current blogging trends began November 2006, when a scare made me realize two things. 1. My blog was becoming more available via search. Google, and other search engines, were picking up my posts. Strangers were reading them. And I had become, to a degree, dangerous in the eye of my employer. 2. My blog is a central part of my life. Being able to express my opinion online was important to my sanity. That meant change. I needed to express myself, but not write such that my words could be used against me.

So while my posting did not pick up speed right away (7 posts in December 2006, 5 in January 2007), the content slowly changed. April 2007 saw 16 posts, only 5 of which dealt exclusively with personal subject matter. This trend has continued. In June 2007, I wrote my 300th post. Then, in less than a year, I had over 200 more.

Where We’re Going:

As most of you readers know, I am heading to graduate school to get an MA in Communication Arts. Classes start September 2008. All this blogging has taught me something about myself. I am not content to have my voice squashed (as lame as that sounds, it describes me in so many ways – for better or worse). And I am passionate about written communication. For these reasons, I will be focusing my graduate studies on blogging. I am not sure if this will bring changes to Michael Braun’s Blog, as I am quite happy with current trends. But you may see the content branch out. And if all goes according to plan, you will be able to read my voice on other blogs (whether under my name or not), as I am hoping to become a career blogger some day.

Finally, I want to say thank you to all readers. You’ve encouraged me through tough times, kept my readership (relatively) high, and made me feel like what I was writing mattered. We’re over 500 posts, three years and counting. Who knows how high we’ll be when we celebrate the 5 year anniversary? I can’t wait to find out.