One Year of All Over 2a

This blogpost comes with a free birthday card.

 

One year ago, I posted my first blogpost, called "Hello World!". Apparently this is a popular title for a first blogpost, indeed I think Wordpress automatically create one when you start a blog. I didn't have much to say, though, either way:

This is the first post of "All Over 2a" - not the most exciting name for a blog, I know.

For a blog with such a dull name, it should not be surprising that I also do not have a plan for what I will post on this blog. Who knows, maybe I will find a niche in blogging in the future - this is only the beginning of something, I guess.

Either way, I am looking forward to typing up posts on this blog!

I think I've fulfilled the last part of that blogpost - it has been fun writing All Over 2a, and anything that's come with it has merely been a bonus. I've always wanted to write from a young age, even if apparently it was meaningless nonsense - this time, I think it's all been comprehensible.

Somehow, it's happened - All Over 2a has reached its first birthday!

Obviously it was going to happen eventually, but it's come after 170 posts, for an average just shy of one post every two days. Initially, that wasn't the plan - as I've mentioned all too often on this blog, the plan was to write one post every day. I did this because I wanted to emulate my favourite blog, the always witty Diamond Geezer, who's managed to do this for over twenty years. The initial posts were mostly ideas I had on the fly, until I decided writing every two days was more sustainable, and that's mostly how it's been.

I started the blog for two reasons:

• I liked Diamond Geezer's writing, and wanted to write a blog - I'd always wanted to write one, and decided to force myself to begin;
• To entertain myself after finishing my GCSEs, which I've already blogged about countless times.

The idea it could be interesting to universities came later, but that's now one of my principal reasons to carry on writing. Hence the disparate content that was initially prevalent, and now the lack of football content unless it's Millwall related.

My friends will probably say I mention my blog too often, but I find it hard not to - it's possibly the first thing I've ever done that can easily be accessed by anyone at any time. I always felt my poems were largely ignored and my short stories were quickly scanned, yet the blog can be as diverse as possible and interest as many as possible.

Obviously I don't get too many viewers, but I don't mind. I've received views from places as far flung as Australia, the US and the Philippines, and I even get plenty of views from Hong Kong that I doubt are real. The idea that someone decided to randomly go on my blog and read about a Croydon tram stop warms my heart, not least because they know about the tram stop. 

Here's to another year of All Over 2a - at least, that's what I'm hoping for. Let's just see if I can carry on writing one post every two days instead of revising more - there are more places to visit in South London, more albums to review, more things to complain about...

I'll celebrate with a muffin.

There are many people I should thank. They include the people who I've forced to read the blog, including my friends, family, and some of my teachers. One of them was surprised to see I liked Portishead, another has helped fact check my chemistry posts. And obviously there's the blogging community and the countless websites with advice as well.

You should also read these blogs without a doubt:

Diamond Geezer - if not for him, I wouldn't have a blog. When he started writing, blogging wasn't as big a field as it is nowadays, and he's managed to continue writing about the same topics, never losing his ability to satirise almost everyone whilst proving just how fascinating London is every day. One of my favourite things to do is to click on the archive and read.

Atila's Student Blog - a very enjoyable blog by my friend. He doesn't publish as often as I do, but his writing style is something I enjoy reading nonetheless. You should definitely read it - I'd recommend "Why I Love Pencils" if you want a starting point. His blogroll also has many blogs I've never heard of that are quite good too.

Deyan's wild Adventures - I hope he posts something soon, the physics posts were quite interesting. Another one of my friend's blogs which I think you'll like.

There are also other blogs I used to read when I was younger, though I didn't consider writing one myself at the time - Bus and Train User has plenty of bus posts, but I've not read much by him in a while. To be honest, I don't read all that many blogs, but if you know any good ones, please recommend them to me. I'd be glad to read more!

Here's a free birthday card either way!