Pen & Prosper Enjoys Nine Years in the Blogosphere!

Welcome back, readers!

It's a pleasure to have you join me here in June, as I celebrate nine wonderful years in the blogosphere! (In addition to my birthday month).

It's been a beautiful, enlightening, exhausting, interesting journey...with never a dull moment.
And I'd like to take this opportunity to thank each and every one of you for your role in Pen and Prosper's longevity and success.

From those who read and comment on my posts on a regular basis; to those who have provided periodic guest posts; to those who share my work within their social media circles; to those who have recognized my site with creative awards--you are truly appreciated!

There are so many "moving parts" to creating and maintaining a successful blog, and contrary to popular opinion, it's a lot of hard work, folks!

To celebrate my 9 years, and hopefully help those of you who may aspire to do the same, I'd like to share 9 important lessons I've learned along the way...

9 TIPS TO A SUCCESSFUL LONG-TERM  BLOG EXPERIENCE

1. CHOOSE A TOPIC THAT YOU LOVE
If you don't enjoy your subject matter, (trust me here) you'll bore yourself and your readers silly.
I love writing and helping others. This passion has fueled my efforts amid dark times, computer glitches, writer's block, doubt, uncertainty, and bad hair days.

2. BE CONSISTENT
Consistency helps to build your brand, establish credibility and form virtual bonds.
In fact, some of my blog buddies have become my long-distance friends.

3. STRIVE TO ADD VALUE TO THE BLOGGING COMMUNITY
By sharing quality information, resources, reviews, and solutions to your readership's common pain points. Give to receive.

4. PERSEVERE & PRAY
It's easy to give up. Many bloggers have. "When you want to give up, remember why you started."

5. DON'T BE AFRAID TO MAKE MISTAKES
It's all part of the learning process. I laugh when I look back at some of the things I published initially back in 2009.  Still, I'm proud.

6. FORGET ABOUT THE NUMBERS
True success is not in having a "huge" following, but in having a major impact on your readers.

7. INJECT HUMOR
The world needs it today. Humor is like seasoning to food; it makes everything a bit better.

8. TAKE BREAKS WHEN NEEDED
Better a break than a "break down." Remember, you can't give from an empty cup.

9. LATHER, RINSE, REPEAT...

Wrapping things up here, I'd like to give a shout-out to a few of my most loyal supporters:

KAREN L.
LINDA O.
SUSAN S.
BRYAN F.


You have made all the difference.

Thanks readers, for 9 wonderful years!


Warmly,

Jen

Image credits: Pixabay.com