Blaugust 2026 Group Project: Welcome to Blaugust
Today’s post is part of the Blaugust 2026 Group project, which features a series of writing prompts set for specific dates throughout the month. The idea being that everyone who wishes to participate can write about the same subject, riff off each other’s posts and enjoy a shared experience. In many respect having a common writing prompt levels the playing field and provides a sense of common purpose among those who take part. Today’s group project prompt asks the question “tell us all about your very first blog”. An unambiguous and interesting question that will hopefully prove enjoyable to write about and informative to others.
I have always had a passion for writing throughout my life, so when blogging started to become an online “thing”, I immediately wanted to join in. Fortunately for me, I was making a major career transition at this time and it afforded me the time necessary to be able to blog, as and when I wanted to. It was late summer 2007 and I had recently started a new contract on a network rollout project at a major West London hospital. Like most UK government projects, it fell behind schedule. Hence I had a lot of down time during the working day when I could write.
At the time there were several free blogging services available. Many of which have long since vanished. I started using Blog.co.uk which was part of a German tech platform, if memory serves. You created a free account and then your username became your blog prefix. I chose this service mainly because I want a UK based URL. The set up process was quick and easy and I was subsequently up and running immediately after choosing a simple default template. It was exciting to be doing something online and I soon met, via comments, many of the other people who were using this service. It was a nice little community.
At the time, as with blogging today, my first immediate decision was what to write about? And the answer then, is the same as it is today. Write about what you know. It may well be a cliché but it will serve you well. It’s pointless to write about Etruscan pottery if you have no background in such a subject. But if you’re a keen gardener and have pursued this hobby for years, then you will more than likely have a lot of useful information and experience to share. In my case, I started writing film reviews as I have always had an avid interest in cinema and filmmaking. So that’s what I started with in 2007. The entire process was mainly done on a whim and there was little or no research or thought put into the process. I picked a name for the blog, which was “Did I Pay to See That?” and then I started writing. Badly.
In many respects that is the best way to approach a new hobby. Don’t get bogged down in the planning and start doing it as soon as you can. You’ll quickly get a feel for what is required. With writing it’s about ideas, writing and maintaining a sense of momentum. That momentum differs for everyone, as we don’t all have the same demands upon our lives and leisure time. You find a writing schedule that suits you. For some that is daily, for others that’s once a month. But if completing a post and publishing it makes you feel that your moving forward, then that is a good thing and that’s your momentum. You’ll also know if you lose it.
After about a year of using my original blogging platform, I decided to move to another, namely Google Blogger. However, I learned a lot during that first year of newbie blogging. I quickly realised that I wanted to be able to write about more than one subject. I also wanted my blog to have greater functionality and a better visual style. Ever so slowly, I started developing a writing style. Looking back on my early posts, I was very unfiltered and excessively passionate about the things I enjoyed and wrote about. The site is long gone now but I exported all the posts when I moved to another platform and I still have them today.
Another aspect of blogging back in 2007 that has come to mind as a result of this post, is how it all felt very new and exciting. Blogs and podcast were in ascendency and hadn’t yet become ubiquitous or been usurped by other mediums. Blogging still felt mainstream adjacent and kind of cool. The latter may well be a delusion that some of us suffered from at the time and it certainly wasn’t the way bloggers were perceived by the mainstream media. However, it certainly felt good to be part of a growing community that was not regulated, burdened with rules of policed by established gatekeepers.
Smol Cat thinks your blog is wack
For me, the writing and the social aspects of blogging with the links to one another’s posts and common blogrolls, was integral to my enjoyment. It still is but the blogging community has naturally changed and evolved over time. Like many things in modern life it seems more compartmentalised these days. Back then, its inherent novelty made it a little different. Those where optimistic times for online culture. Sadly that is not quite the case today.
Nearly twenty years later, I’m still writing and now have what is politely described as a “variety” blog. I still find writing extremely beneficial. It helps me clarify my thoughts and quantify my position on the matters I write about. For me writing is an intellectual process, driven by critical thinking and reasoning. It’s also an opportunity to play with words, which can be very satisfying. I can express myself as freely as I see fit. And I fully recognise that by making my personal thoughts and opinions available to public scrutiny online, that others may disagree with me and hold contrary views to mine. That’s why there’s a comments box under each post. However, I don’t owe anyone and explanation, nor am I under any obligation to debate anyone. Once you realise all this, it really does make writing even more fun.
Finally, as this is a group writing prompt, I am looking forward to reading about other peoples experiences with their first blog. It’s highly likely, given the nature of Blaugust, that many are currently maintaining their first blog. Living the dream and at the cutting edge of online writing. Or alternatively, making it up as they go along which is often the best way to go about writing. Whatever the case, good luck to you all. I hope you’re enjoying the experience of writing and of Blaugust. Please continue to do so. I certainly am.
