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Day One of Year Eleven

posted on July 3, 2012

This post marks the start of my 11th year of blogging.

Ten years ago yesterday, I wrote about a beach trip with several close friends and the rest is history. Since then it has been a long, strange and amazing adventure.

Over the years, my writing has certainly evolved. I’ve always treated this as an online journal, but as the web matured and more people got to know me I’ve certainly pulled back my writing.

I remember when podcasting started getting popular and being one of the first professional podcasters brought a lot of attention my way. Laura made a comment that she missed my old blogging because it always felt like she was getting to peek inside my brain. While I’m still very open with my thoughts and words, I do censor myself from time to time as I know the audience reading is much greater than the small band of friends and family who were reading back in 2002.

As much as some things have changed, many have stayed the same.

Too many people write for the hope of eyeballs. They forget to let their thoughts flow and share a part of their soul. They depend on bulleted lists and eye popping headlines to bring in readers. They write because they feel they have to, rather than actually having something to say. When all else fails they make a list or go to the link baiting pond in the hopes of stirring up attention.

I blog because I’ve always needed to create and share my thoughts.

It has helped me launch businesses, write a book (now two), meet thousands of people around the world, form some of the closest friendships of my life and take part in amazing experience after experience.

Ten years from now I wonder what the world around me will look like. I certainly didn’t think I was going to be where I am today when I wrote those few words ten years ago.

Onward and upward!

 

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Categories: Rambles
  • http://www.ChristopherSPenn.com Christopher S. Penn

    Many congratulations! Here’s to 10 more years of really interesting times.

    • http://www.cc-chapman.com/ C.C. Chapman

      Thank you my friend.

      Always fun to think about how if it wasn’t for podcasting our paths might never have crossed.

  • http://twitter.com/danyork Dan York

    Congratulations, C.C.! I just passed 12 years of blogging myself, and yes, the world has changed quite a bit since we all began in this grand experiment of what we now call social media. (and in particular the smaller world of podcasting)

    And yes, I completely agree with your paragraph about people writing for the hope of eyeballs. Like you, I write to share thoughts and ideas… and because I have stories exploding inside my brain that need to be given form through words and audio.

    It’s been fun watching what you’ve been doing and learning from what you do. I’m looking forward to seeing what your next 10 years of writing will bring! :-)

    • http://www.cc-chapman.com/ C.C. Chapman

      Twelve years? Way to go!!!!!

    • http://www.davedelaney.me/ Dave Delaney

      Congrats Dan! 12 years. Wow!

  • http://stevegarfield.com Steve Garfield

    This is the Greatest Post Ever about the History of CC Chapman’s Blogging
    - CC has been blogging for 11 years! Wow. That’s a long time.
    - CC was one of the FIRST podcasters. I think we met at a podcasting event. We probably should go back into the archives to see when it really was.
    - CC blogs to “create and share (his) thoughts”

    I hope this comment with the eye popping headline and bulleted list was ironic enough.

    • http://www.cc-chapman.com/ C.C. Chapman

      Ha! You certainly made me laugh!!!

      Yeah, I was trying to think of where we first met. My guess would have been at a New England Podcasting meetup, but then again that wasn’t really your world. May have been some random event or dinner or who knows. Would be fun to find out.

      • http://www.davedelaney.me/ Dave Delaney

        I first met you at PNME in 2007 in Ontario (not as cool as Canada), California. Actually, I believe that is where I met @stevegarfield:disqus and @twitter-10312:disqus too!

        Small comment thread. :)

      • http://twitter.com/danyork Dan York

        I remember first meeting Steve at Podcamp Boston 2 in 2007, where I remember him completely demystifying video blogging for me by showing how it could be done with a point-and-shoot camera. I remember you there, C.C., and Chris Brogan and Chris Penn, of course, along with Mitch Joel, Doug Haslam, Scott Monty, John Wall and so many others. That great event spawned so many connections!

        And yes, @davedelaney:disqus, I think we did meet at PNME… another great place that brought together so many of the early adopters.

      • http://www.cc-chapman.com/ C.C. Chapman

        That was a BIG event for sure. I still remember meeting Mitch Joel for the first time in person as he registered.

        Actually, I took a photo of that moment http://www.flickr.com/photos/cc_chapman/239260360/

      • http://twitter.com/danyork Dan York

        Great photo of Mitch! But that was actually a year before at the first Podcamp Boston, which I missed. I joined you all for Podcamp Boston 2 in 2007, which I see you also have some great photos of:
        http://www.flickr.com/groups/podcampboston/pool/tags/podcampboston2/

        Looking through that it’s pretty amazing to see all the people who were there!

      • http://twitter.com/danyork Dan York

        P.S. Is anyone else having severe retro flashbacks??? I mean, here we are having a discussion **in blog comments**! Versus in Twitter/Facebook/G+/whatever …

        This is so, like, 2008 of us. :-)

      • http://www.cc-chapman.com/ C.C. Chapman

        I was just thinking the same thing AND loving every minute of it.

      • http://stevegarfield.com Steve Garfield

        Earliest known photo of Steve Garfield and CC Chapman together. Podcast Academy at BU in Boston. 4/28/06
        http://www.flickr.com/photos/stevegarfield/136385155/

      • http://www.cc-chapman.com/ C.C. Chapman

        Thats right! That is where we met!!!!

        You interviewed me for Rocketboom while we were having lunch outside – http://www.flickr.com/photos/cc_chapman/137145016/

    • http://www.davedelaney.me/ Dave Delaney

      That was the best comment. EVER. :)

    • http://twitter.com/danyork Dan York

      That was awesome, Steve!

  • http://www.davedelaney.me/ Dave Delaney

    Congrats man! Thank you for sharing so much of yourself and your inspiring thoughts over 11 years. I’m excited to check out that second book too.

    • http://www.cc-chapman.com/ C.C. Chapman

      You are someone that I KNOW is going to enjoy the book.

      I know it won’t be for everyone, but knowing our conversations over burgers and biscuits, I know you’ll appreciate it more than most.

      • http://www.davedelaney.me/ Dave Delaney

        Awesome. I can’t wait. When are you shooting for?

      • http://www.cc-chapman.com/ C.C. Chapman

        Turned in the manuscript on Saturday. Will be out before the end of the year. Official date forthcoming.

      • http://twitter.com/danyork Dan York

        Awesome, C.C.! I’m looking forward to seeing it. Will you be having another launch party like last time?

      • http://www.cc-chapman.com/ C.C. Chapman

        Definitely going to be doing SOMETHING.

  • http://chelpixie.com/ Chel Wolverton

    Yay CC. I’m so happy you share your thoughts here. It often leads to thought provoking questions for me, especially when you rant. ;)

    • http://www.cc-chapman.com/ C.C. Chapman

      :) I use to rant a LOT more back in the day. Still wish I hadn’t had an epic crash back a few years ago and lost all of that. Somedays I’m happy those posts are gone, but sometimes I’d love to go back and see what I was thinking.

      • http://twitter.com/danyork Dan York

        +1 on always enjoying your rants! :-)

      • http://chelpixie.com/ Chel Wolverton

        This is what marking private is for. ;)

  • Pingback: Writing for eyeballs will get you nowhere — KevinBehringer.com

  • http://raulcolon.net/ Raul Colon

    I have not blogged as long as you have but certainly can understand how we can evolve while participating in these efforts.

    It is great that you share thoughts of who you are finding the balance is where I think people fail.

    They want to get attention but they don’t want to share anything personal. Some even go to the point of just writing to make others happy.

    I can’t wait to read your post 10 years from now. What device will we be reading your blog in?