Today is the anniversary of my beginning this blog. I started without any great confidence that I would have much to say for very long, and certainly without any sense that very many other people would be interested. In fact, if I’d made a prediction that day last year, I would have guessed that interest from readers would be rather slight, and that either that low response, or exhaustion of my own motivation, would have wound down the blog in a matter of months.
To my considerable surprise, there has been a lot of interest. As of today, there have been well over 51,000 page views of this blog since December 8, 2010 (excluding my own), and many posts have attracted multiple comments. And I have received a number of emails privately, from folks who I suppose didn’t think their question or comment needed to be public as a blog comment. And some of those private communications have stimulated further posts to expand upon or explore the subjects raised. These extensions have been an interesting experience for me, and hopefully informative for readers.
The total number of posts so far is 126, to me a surprising number, and though I thought these posts would be mostly brief, a few have been pretty long. I hadn’t realized I would use as many photos and other graphics as I have, and didn’t really expect to touch on so wide a range of topics. So this has been a more complex and gratifying experience than I imagined. I feel like I’m still learning how to use this medium effectively, which adds to the interest. Summing up, I have to say I’m more than pleased with it so far, and certainly still enjoying it.
If you’re a regular reader, thanks for your participation. Both for you and for those just occasionally visiting, I hope I can continue to provide material of interest.
Tony Thompson
It's been a fun and educational year reading your blog. I'm looking forward to many more!
ReplyDeleteMany thanks for writing it, Tony.
Tom Campbell
Elk Grove, California.
Thanks, Tom. You're more than welcome, and I'm glad you said "educational" as well as "fun." That was definitely part of my goal.
ReplyDeleteTony Thompson
Tony, Thanks for the continued flow of "how to's" facts and good specific information on what was going on in the SLO area and how you are implementing that information on your layout. It is interesting to see the broad spectrum of information that you are able to incorporate into your "mythical branch line" to capture the tempo of 1953. It provokes a lot of thoughts and directed a lot of my research into my own efforts and for that I thank you very much and look forward to more journeys.
ReplyDeleteAgain, thanks for the kind words. I appreciate your comments, and certainly am gratified that the blog is serving a purpose. I hope it continues to do so.
ReplyDeleteTony Thompson
Tony, despite my short time to dedicate, I visit your blog as soon you add a post (using RSS warning is simple to stay updated)
ReplyDeleteI must say I learn something each time, and when (rare case) I already know the argument... a refresh with a bit of additional information is more than welcome.
I too look forward for more: stay connected :)
We're here!
Ciao Enzo
Congratulations Tony and thank you for opening up a new approach to railroad modeling for me. Your blog and excellent books on the SP are exactly what I needed to achieve so much in so little time.
ReplyDeleteI look forward to your continued motivation to share the wealth of information you've accumulated throughout your life. All of us who aspire to create a slice of the history of railroading in general and the Southern Pacific Railroad in particular in our lives owe you a very large debt of gratitude.
May you enjoy good health in the coming years so that we can celebrate the second year of your blog.
See you in Cocoa Beach.
George Corral
La Grange, Kentucky
Thanks Tony. I'm looking forward to the day that my railroad emerges from the boxes. It will definitely reflect some of the things you have written about.
ReplyDeleteThanks again to all who have commented. I am happy to hear the appreciation, and very gratified that the posts are useful to my fellow modelers.
ReplyDeleteTony Thompson