Happy Paper Anniversary! (Ironic, but true.) It’s Rust Belt Girl’s one year blogiversary.
Happy, happy day! We made it a year. I appreciate you sticking by me—and just think of all the writing paper we haven’t wasted!
For the obligatory anniversary stats: this post make 51, with an average word count of 370 (wordy me), for 347 total comments (lots by me) from 593 total followers, some of whom hopped on this train on that banner day when my post was a WordPress Discover feature. Thanks again, WordPress editors!
I started this blog to wrap my head around the literature of my native Rust Belt. For sure, one of my favorite comments, starting out in the Community Pool (best place to be on a Monday) went something like this: I don’t know where the *#$& the Rust Belt is, but I like it!
WordPress is definitely global. As much as I enjoy connecting with my fellow native or current Midwesterners (and I really do), one of the best things about this blog has been finding commonalities between far flung people and places—and the literature and art that comes out of those places.
Author interviews, photography, blogger collaborations, book reviews, apropos re-blogs (thank you, Belt Magazine), stories, essays, and—new this calendar year—writerly advice and notes on traditional publishing. Whew! Hopefully, even if you’ve never heard of the Rust Belt, you can find something here that suits your taste. Even if it’s funny. Especially if it’s weird.
This blogiversary coincides with the anniversary of my jump onto social media via FB. Yep, you read that right. When everyone else starts jumping ship, I’m like: that boat looks nice and sturdy! (Really, dinghy pics definitely forthcoming.) What have I found as a social media newbie? If I let it, social media zaps my focus so that I have the attention span of a hyper puppy. (Nope, still haven’t taken the real puppy plunge yet; I’ll keep you posted.) Social media also keeps me connected to friends, family, and writers too nice to ignore my friend requests! But those connections are more like taps on the shoulder—“remember me?”—than conversations.
We’re conversing here—real two-way street stuff. So, now it’s your turn. Happy Blogiversary to you, because it definitely takes two! What would you like to see from me in year two? (Cotton anniversary, btw.) I’ll try to oblige. ~ Rebecca
Rust Belt Girl 
Congrats Rebecca! ❤
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Thank you, Penny!
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Happy anniversary! I wish you even more success for your second year!
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Many thanks! (Feel like I should make a blogiversary cake!)
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Do it! Achievements need to be celebrated 😉
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Congratulations 🎊
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Congratulations! Many more blogversaries to you
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Congrats! Looking forward to more writerly advice and weird updates from the Rust Belt!
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Congratulations!! That’s a fantastic achievement!
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Go Girl Go… Hurrah!
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Happy Blogiversary!!
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Well done, Rebecca! Keep up the good work.
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Thank you. I’ll try! (Enjoyed your latest post, btw–great dialogue!)
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Congrats on completing 1 year…I have no suggestions, but I do enjoy checking in on your blog from time to time…
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Congratulations and happy birthday to your blog, Rebecca!
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Congrats on one year! Also yeah, WordPress definitely has users from all around the world, I love it! And that’s so cool that your post was a WordPress Discover feature!!
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Thank you, and great blog party, Jo! I was a little late in checking in (had a wedding to attend last night), but I found your “party” guests very interesting. Thanks for helping me find a few new, fantastic blogs to follow!
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Thank you! And yeah that’s totally fine, we all have lives ya know?
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