Wow...I didn't realize that I've been doing this for five years now until just a few days ago. Seems like those humble beginnings weren't nearly that long ago.
I'm not really sure how you're supposed to celebrate the fifth birthday of a blog. Suggestions are welcome. In the interim, here are some notable lessons from the past five years:
1) If you post a complaint about a big company, the comments can get out of hand.
2) Some things that look interesting actually turn out to be interesting, while others don't go very far.
3) People don't follow directions.
4) Sometimes blogging is totally cathartic, but pressure to produce can sap the enjoyment right out of it.
5) It seems like a lot of people yearn for the TV of their youth.
6) Sometimes my predictions are pretty on-target; sometimes they're way, way off-base.
7) Comment and trackback spam sucks.
8) And finally, I admire those out there who can run consistently high-quality blogs (unlike this one). The effort needed to keep churning out excellent content is far from trivial, and to do it well requires gobs of both skill and sweat.
I'd like to thank Mitch, Ken, and Sam for their help in the early days of GearBits. It was fun blogging as part of a team. Maybe Bob's recent arrival will return some of that youthful exuberance.
happy bday! im glad youve been around this long. :)
Wow! Congrats. Keep up the good work. If I could make one request: more tech stuff and less politics. Tx.
Congrats Craig! Running a blog for five years is no trivial matter as so many blogs go stale after just a few months. Keep up the great work.
Thanks, Mike...you as well! :-)