Tap tap tap....is this thing still on?

On this day back in 2003, 15 years ago, I decided to open this blog with this simple post.

Amazing how things have come along since then.  At the time, Twitter seemed to be the major source of chatter, then Facebook took off and that was followed by the numerous different social platforms.  But this, for me, was my own little chunk of internet real estate that I had total control over.  

For me, blogging was my way of joining in on the chorus of collaboration that was going on in the Lotus Notes world at the time.  Before the mainstream socials took hold, professionals involved in the Lotus world really took to blogs as a way to share information because, well, the IBM documentation......sucked.  So when I found out a neat trick or tip, I like many went to the blog and wrote up an article.  Looking through this blog is like looking through the diary of my career up until 2016.  I was a member of the Lotus Notes community and it was cool. But, the blog also did other things for me as well.

Because of the blog, I made a lot of friends along the way.  People from around the planet read what I had to say and got to know me.

Because of the blog, I attacked, (can't really say conquered), my fear of public speaking and presented at Lotusphere.  

Because of the blog, I was able to find my voice.   

Because of this blog and finding my voice, I had started another blog that shared the story of my wife's battle with cancer in hopes that possibly that blog would help someone else with their struggle.

Becuase of the blog, I started sharing my photography and that led to the greater exposure of my passion to others.

Because of this blog, I will be remembered hopefully in the future.  I don't know how long Google will keep this up and running. But it's pretty cool to think that maybe, 100...possibly 200 years from now, someone may be searching the internet for something and find this.

So while blogging may not be the "in" thing any longer, for me it still holds a special place.  I was told recently that I should start writing stuff down, to get things out and stop bottling things up.  Perhaps I will and do it in blog form.  I won't likely publish it widely and do it anonymously so I can keep my anonymity, but who knows.  

For now, It's just wild to think that 15 years ago I started something that had not only an impact on my life but my family as well.

So thanks for spending some time walking down memory lane with me.  I'll just put this thing back and cruise control and allow it to continue down the internet superhighway toward infinity.