Passing the Fourth Anniversary Mark

There are newbie bloggers who seems to bolt out of the gate like thoroughbred horses in a race. Three posts a week; regular like clockwork. But blogging doesn't turn out to be what they thought it was or perhaps it is simply more work than they bargained for, because they start to fall back into the pack and then the blog just.... ends.

Sometimes you will happen across a blog like this. Abandoned, but still adrift on the rippling waters of the internet.

When I think back to my own beginnings for years ago, I was completely clueless. I assumed that all I had to do was combine words with pictures and readers would magically show up just to see if I had something interesting to say.

Well, the reality is that I was just one shy voice at a very noisy party. There are zillions of blogs which are decently put together with an average of twenty comments a post and a modest readership.  It is pretty difficult to stand out when you just are one of many.

Most of that first year of blogging I spent talking to myself like some sort of crazy person. It didn't help that I made every mistake possible.

Take the name: Three Dogs in a Garden. Obviously I am not particularly good with titles. I figured our three Shelties were one of the important things that made my garden uniquely my own. And I hoped it was a quirky enough phrase that people might remember it.

Turns out as many people get it wrong as get it right. I need only to look at the key word entry point stats to see the constant litany of errors:

Three Dogs and a Garden
Three Dogs in the Garden
Three Dogs Garden
Dog Garden Blog

And that all important goal of three posts a week?

Hah! I don't think I ever managed it. Monday blog posts are the hardest and yet probably the most important. But weekends are so busy, who has time to compose a decent Monday post? Tuesday or even Wednesday often have to do.

And now what about branding? Everything I have ever read about blogging suggests that you should aim to "brand" your blog. Well, I change my header every few days. For me it is rather like putting on a fresh set of clothes before heading out the door to an important occasion.

So much for branding!

Finally, I make posts way too long. Oops. This one seems to be no exception. 

Sorry about that!

Last week I sailed past my fourth anniversary and it was not without a bit of trepidation.

The four year mark seems to be a difficult milestone for many bloggers. Only recently I was startled to find a favourite blogger had suddenly up and quit. Often there are those long silent pauses that serve as a warning, but this was completely unexpected. It felt as if she had packed her bags and slipped away quietly in the night. Fortunately for her fans, she left a short note with a forwarding address.

So what to the future of this blog? I will be honest: there isn't a week that passes where I don't question where I am going with all this. The future pretty uncertain.

The past, on the other hand, is knowable. Three Dogs in a Garden has brought me so many wonderful and valued friendships. I have learned so much and seen so many wonderful gardens. I am a better writer and photographer for it.

I want to close by saying a big thanks to you for being a part of this ongoing journey.