SPECIAL EDITION: THANK YOU FOR ALL THE SUPPORT!

A grateful dedication to you all!

Photo by George Dolgikh from Pexels

I never imagined it would go this far. I launched my Turtle(s)Pace blog site on March 17, 2023. Today is April 17, 2023. Yes, it has been a month since!

I would like to dedicate this post to all those who subscribed, viewed, and commented on the blogs I have posted. I still remember it was at the end of the two-week period when I crossed the 1,000 viewership. Today, in its first full month, it has more than doubled.

The magic number is 18! These are the countries where I am receiving subscription responses, viewership, and dozens of comments, from. In alphabetical order.

Photo by Pixabay from Pexels
  • Australia
  • Belarus
  • Canada
  • Finland
  • Hongkong
  • India
  • Ireland
  • Japan
  • Mexico
  • Moldova
  • Philippines
  • Portugal
  • Taiwan
  • U.S.
  • Ukraine
  • United Arab Emirates
  • United Kingdom
  • Vietnam

Looking back to the original spirit of my decision to have a blog site

As I made clear in one of my first posts – the three reasons why I blog – all I wanted was to have a platform where I can express my passion in writing. And share it with the world. Although I never ruled it out, it never occurred to me that the reach of my blog would span 18 countries. And for it to happen in so short a time really surprised me. I just thought that in the beginning, I saw myself as writing a little note and put it inside a bottle and threw it into the ocean. Then months or years later someone would accidentally find it and get in touch with me. Just like in some true stories and myths. But, well, it is all about the power of the internet.

Photo by Annalouise from Pexels

So, thank you. You have given me more reason to continue being passionate about my passion!

More peek into human psychology

In one month, I have also gotten the chance to have a peek into some interesting facets in human psychology. I already have experienced witnessing firsthand this kind of human dynamics due to the nature of my professional work. I deal with people directly as I guide them with their financial plans, yet it continues to fascinate me how very different people are, even in simple things.

Something I learned when I was in college

In one of our subjects in psychology our professor demonstrated the very basic differences in how people looked at the world. She had a single potted red rose on top of her table. She said that although everybody agreed that it was a rose flower, different people with different mindset would see the same plant in a totally different way.

For example, she said, a botanist would examine closely the health condition of the plant by its outer skin, the consistency of the petals’ color, the contours of its stem, etc. To a romantic person the beauty of the flower would elicit a feeling of love. While to a merchant, a mental calculation would be made as to how much the flower would fetch in the market. Our professor would then proceed to encourage each of us in the class what we thought of the rose flower in front of us.

Different reactions to my blog site

The all-out support

Photo by Snapwire from Pexels

Friends who have known me for a long time were not surprised at all. As one first commenter said, “It is your forte, after all.”  This was the group of people who looked forward to the launch of my site. And when it came, they were the first ones to subscribe. And I knew they were the same people behind the 400+ views on the first day alone. I knew because, aside from their individual comments, I recognized the different countries they currently resided. Every view is immediately seen on my site dashboard, which country it is coming from.

The fence-sitters

A few individuals who came into my life in later years did not sound excited at all. In fact, they expressed great surprise, as if blogging is something below my stature. Others offered their sincere caution, that whatever is put on the internet would stay there forever. I had to educate them a little bit about the reality in the world today. For a business or profession to stay competitive and relevant, putting up a website is the best strategy. And that a blog is most often one important part of the website. Blogging keeps exploding. Because it is just a reflection of an online demand. But just like everything you see and read online, you must learn to discover which ones are the best to offer what you are looking for.

The unexpected came forward, the invited did not

Some other things that have amused me about those who know me and my blog site. There are those who I thought are not into reading anything online but have continued to follow my posts regularly. A few others, who I expected to support me, were nowhere to be found. I have never seen them subscribe to it so far. There are also those who prefer to send their comments regularly but are skeptical of subscribing, for fear that their email addresses would be compromised. I have to remind them that, contrary to what some say email communication is outdated, every time you access any online services – be it the government or private entity – you are asked for your valid email address when you create an account for that website.

To those who did not come, who did not show up, I totally understand. In my first posts – the reason for this blog site – I gave a heads up that this blog is not meant for everybody. This is for those who are willing to step back and slow things down. To not to take life in a hurry. And to love reading. Importantly, who find my writings interesting.

Do not worry

By the way, speaking of online security and protection, my website is very safe. It is not like some blog sites that are being hosted for free by their providers. I am paying for my host (Bluehost). And it is their job to keep my site safe from hackers and other malicious attacks against websites that have been common since the internet was born.

Strangers no more

And there are those who were total strangers to me a month ago. Now I am answering their messages that are posted on the comments section. Some examples:

One from Moldova. She wanted to know if Katya, who is featured in A Confession of the Other Woman, is actually a Moldovan.

Another one who requested that I write more about life in Canada. She works in IT, and she is considering Canada to be her next destination. She is from India.

Also, somebody in Hongkong, who accidentally stumbled upon my post through a friend from Taiwan. She said my posts are easy to read, and they help hone her English.

And there is one in Portugal, who I promised that I would feature her life story in one of my posts someday.

There are two commenters from Canada, who were so touched by my post about the afterlife and death of a loved one. The sentiment of the post resonated deeply with their own experience. I felt so humbled when I read them.

But most of the comments I received are from Canada, US, Philippines, and Mexico. And these are the readers I spend most times commenting on their comments!

A little secret

Photo by Anna Shvets from Pexels

Again, I want you all to know how grateful and happy I am. And there is another little secret I must tell you at this time, on the first month anniversary of my blog site.

I have a novel which I have been working on for the past ten years! And it is 80% finished. However, I have never gotten the chance to really focus on it, as I try to balance my time and energy between that passion and my professional work. Fortunately, my job has shifted to full time online. And it is just a matter of time before I can finally share it.

This is one long-term goal why I have this blog. I have no plan to publish the novel in a traditional way. I just want to share it for free. It is part of my legacy.

Unfortunately, only those who have subscribed to my blog site when the novel is published someday will have access to it.

And one last thing. From here on, as suggested by one subscriber – from the US – I will start to use some video clips in some of my posts. So, it is for this reason that I had to create my own YouTube channel yesterday. Its primary purpose is for a better viewing experience to readers as I include videos in my posts. It is also where I post videos that do not find space in my blog site.

Thank you for the company. And your continued trust. Stay tuned.

Please share your thoughts by clicking on the underlined Let Me Know Your Thoughts below.

You may also like...