Be unapologetically you
Steve Mariboli
Something I always like to do at the start of the new year (along with almost every other blogger it seems) is to take a look back on the year that was. It’s always fun to see what has gone on and I’m often surprised at what posts came out on top in terms of views and likes. I don’t often dwell on the statistic side of blogging but this is one time of the year I delve into them.
According to the stats these were the most viewed posts in 2019:
It’s interesting that my most viewed posts for 2019, were a good mix of personal events in my life, family issues, interesting travel posts and blogging/midlife topics. This is good to see, as my blog is based on Midlife, Travel, Adventure and all things in between, really just the world, as seen through my eyes!
- Surprisingly there is a life after retirement – this post was written in 2017 and continues to be one of my most viewed posts.
- Sometimes the smallest things take up the most room in your heart – this was about the premature birth of Dottie and obviously struck a chord with you.
- Dottie and the Wombat – I wrote this short story for Dottie on the way to visit her after she’d just been born. I have since had it made into a book for her!
- That time I took my parents on a barge and bike tour from Paris to Bruge – remembering my father on the first anniversary of his passing, by taking a trip down memory lane.
- What is the most unusual connection you’ve had as a blogger? – A remarkable and true story of a connection 58 years in the making!
- How to be a perfectly grateful blogger – A short poll asking how you blog and it was very interesting getting your feedback. I actually wrote a follow up post from the results of the poll. Here’s what you said
- Good news about the Tumbarumba to Rosewood Rail Trail – it’s finally happening after years of work by committed volunteers!
- How do YOU blog? – the one where I was nominated in the Bloggers Bash Awards but felt like a fraud!
2019 was another great year in my blogging world!
My stats for 2019 tell the story:
- I wrote a total of 176 posts
- There were 35302 views of my blog
- I welcomed 18080 visitors to my world
- I smiled at 7914 likes 🙂
- I received 5943 fabulous comments
These numbers are all slightly lower than my 2018 stats, but overall I’m a very happy little Vegemite! I know these numbers are negligible to some bloggers, but to me they’re brilliant!
Followers:
The number of people following my blog, liking and commenting on posts has exceeded my expectations again this year.
Over the past few years I have noticed an increase in the number of followers and I appreciate every one of you.
I don’t have a newsletter or any pop-ups or ads on my blog, and I’m not involved in any affiliate programs. I make no money from my blog, I like to keep it simple and don’t like bombarding people with unnecessary emails.
I blog for pure enjoyment and as creative outlet. My aim is to make you smile, educate you in some way, maybe inspire you and to share my world while learning more about your world too.
Tweet
I’m so thrilled to have you all with me and thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Weekly Link-up parties
I have enjoyed participating in several weekly linkups this year. These have reinforced my belief that bloggers are amazing, generous people who love to share their lives, their wisdom and their friendship, regardless of where they are in the world. Among my favourites are these:
- Midlife Share the Love, #mlstl, hosted by my great friends Sue and Leanne on Wednesdays – this is aimed at the over 50 age group and posts shared are always interesting and informative.
- Denyse’s #Lifethisweek on Mondays – Denyse has a theme each week and we a re invited to write using this theme as a prompt or share any post we like
- Sunday Stills hosted by Terri and sometimes Hugh on Sundays – this a themed photography prompt
I’ve also been fortunate to be a Guest on many of my friend’s blogs – this is always a thrill!
I’ve met a few of my favourite bloggers in real life and it’s such a fun experience that I’d highly recommend it if you can manage it.
Where are you?
This year the USA has topped the stats for views, followed by Australia, UK, Canada, India, New Zealand, Germany, Finland, Philippines and South Africa.
As in previous years, WordPress, Facebook and Pinterest were my biggest referrers – I enjoy sharing to Twitter, Mix and Flipboard but they don’t yield much in the way of visitors. Instagram isn’t any good for bringing in readers either, but I must say I do enjoy it!
Comments and engagement:
Like every other blogger out there, it’s comments that make my world go round. Those who have commented the most during the year just happen to be some of my favourite bloggers – I’ve linked to their most recent post in case you’d like to visit them. Tell them Debbie sent you 🙂
Jo from And Anyways
Jonno from Jay Walking
Leanne from Cresting the Hill
Donna from Retirement Reflections
Sue from Sizzling Towards 60 and Beyond
Suzanne from Life at No.22
and there are many more who regularly leave me comments, I really appreciate every one of you, so thank you xx
Summary of 2019
So in summary, in relation to my blogging world, I think 2019 was about life, family, learning, travelling and sharing stories. It’s been complex, a mainly positive, creative time of growth and I’ve loved every minute of it.
My 2019 Word of the Year (WOTY) was Time and I think I made the most of it.
This year I’m jumping into life and looking forward to sharing how I do this.
In my real life, 2019 was again a year full of emotion, happiness, sadness, light and darkness, a real rollercoaster of a ride. My blog reflected only some of this. Writing helps when I get anxious and I know you are all a caring group of friends, so your friendship really helped me cope. I do try to stay positive but it can be hard at times.
From the start of the year with my sister going through breast cancer surgery and treatment; hosting Anna our Hungarian Rotary Exchange student; facing the first anniversaries of the passing of both my father and father-in-law; celebrating the turning of the sod on our local Rail Trail; learning that our eldest daughter in England was pregnant; running for a cause in the Mother’s Day Classic for Breast Cancer; spending some time over winter in Queensland with our youngest daughter; visiting with our daughter and watching our granddaughter learn to crawl then walk; discovering our youngest daughter was expecting her first baby in March 2020; hearing the news that our newest granddaughter was born very prematurely at 25 weeks in England and rushing over to be with her and her parents for a month; raising funds for premature babies in the annual Walk for Prems; seeing my mother after her overseas holiday; leaving for England with the Mathematician for 2 months over Christmas/New Year; travelling to Hungary to meet Anna and her family; and then watching and waiting for news of the devastating bushfires affecting my mother-in-law, sister-in-law and our own house and community. Yes I would say it’s been a rollercoaster of a year!
In fact, I have been in England for three of the past five months – so it’s no wonder I’m feeling a bit discombobulated now that I’m home again.
I used this quote last year and I think it’s still very true.
What about you?
How was your blogging year – did you have fun or has it been a tad overwhelming for you? Leave me a link to your favourite post for the year and I’ll pop over for a read.
Thanks again to everyone who has connected with me during the year. I come back to the quote at the top of my post – Be unapologetically you 🙂 – that’s my thinking anyway!
Wishing you all the best for 2020 with lots of love and laughter.
Deb xx
You can also find Deb’s World in lots of other places – stay in touch by clicking any of the buttons below.
Deb's World 
Congratulations on another very successful blogging year, Deb. Your honesty and realness in sharing both joy and heartbreak makes your blog truly inspirational. It’s what makes me a regular follower. Thank you for the shout out. Wishing you a wonderful 2020 ahead!
LikeLiked by 2 people
That’s so lovely of you Donna. I try to stay positive despite all that’s thrown at me, so I’m glad you can see that. I really appreciate your continued support and love your blog too xx
LikeLike
Congrats on a great year Debs..It all sounds good to me…Here’s to a good 2020 🙂 xx
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Carol! Wishing you well for 2020 too 😊
LikeLike
I love these round-ups and your format. Mostly though I’ve loved being part of your bloggy world and look forward to more of the same this year…plus, fingers crossed, even an in person selfie maybe! Thanks also for the shout-out!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thanks so much Jo! I’m hoping we can meet up for that bloggy selfie one day 😊
LikeLike
Jo and Deb, we need to have a ‘downunder’ bloggers meet up. I will be the token Kiwi 🙂 You two are an inspiration to keep blogging. Have a good day X
LikeLiked by 2 people
That so lovely of you to say Suz! I have so many great blogging buddies here and around the world and love the interaction we all have. I’d love a downunder bloggers meetup – lets go to NZ!!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Now there’s a thought 🙂 Yes, there is a wonderful blogging community. I always think of it as having penpals.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Just how cool would that be?
LikeLiked by 2 people
Very cool indeed 🙂
LikeLiked by 2 people
What a busy year you had Deb, so pleased that your home survived the terrible fires down under. Must have been such a worry. Hope 2020 is another successful and happy year for you.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes it’s been a big year Jonno in so many ways. It’s good to be home but the worry we went through was intense. All the best for 2020.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hi Deb – well you’ve certainly had a busy blogging year (nice to see that I’m in the top 10 of commenters – not surprising when we “get” each other and what we blog about!) I think you’ve done amazingly well to keep the blog going through all the travel, heartache, ups, downs, fires, babies, and more that have been part of your life in 2019.
I’m really looking forward to seeing what 2020 has in store for us – I think it’s going to be a wonderful year for those of us in the Midlife blogging community. Lovely to have you home again. xxx
LikeLiked by 2 people
I’m also keen to see what 2020 brings Leanne, both on the blog and in real life. I write my blog to help me see things and get it into perspective, in a way it helps keep me on the straight and narrow. We are in a similar ‘place’ and stage, I love being a part of your blogging world. It’s good to be home too xx
LikeLike
Hi Deb – just back for #MLSTL and I’m looking forward to seeing how we both go in the 11 and a bit months we have left of 2020.
Thanks for linking up with us at MLSTL and I’ve shared on my SM 😊
LikeLiked by 1 person
Many thanks 🙂
LikeLike
That quote at the end is absolutely perfect for the year that you have had – some amazing highs, and some scary lows. I’m so pleased I discovered your blog – thank you for letting us into your world!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks so much Deb, it’s great to have you along for the ride! That quote sums up my life perfectly 🙂
LikeLike
Oh Deb, I can’t believe how much you’ve been through in the past year! And yet you’ve kept smiling, and kept your followers and friends up to date even though sometimes it must be hard. I always enjoy reading your blog posts – and hopefully upping those UK reader stats! Wishing you and your family a calmer 2020
Em xx
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks so much for the feedback Em, that means a lot to me. I enjoy writing about these things as a record for me too, and telling stories is always fun! All the best to you and your family too x
LikeLike
I seem to have seen a significant decline in the number of bloggers who wrote a blog post about their most successful blog posts of the previous year, Debbie. So, it was refreshing to read this post from you.
Just a few years ago, I can remember my email box being full from end of December until mid- January with blog posts highlighting the most successful posts. It was something that I used to do too. However, after reading some posts about what makes a blog post successful, I got thinking about those visitors numbers and wondering if they did reflect how successful a post was. Of course, we can only go on what tools and information WordPress give us, but, like you, it’s more about keeping the fun and enjoyment in blogging that keeps me motivated and grateful for those who support me by leaving good meaningful comments on my blog posts. For me, it’s the comments and interaction that makes a blog post more successful.
Without-a-doubt, the WordPress Reader brings in most of my visitors (followed by search engines), but I do wonder how many of those visitors actually stay and/or ever come back. Whereas, reading those comments from familiar visitors is what gives me the most significant buzz. If it were not for the comments, I think I would have left the world of blogging a long time ago, regardless of the visitor stats.
Wishing you continued blogging success for the year ahead.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes I know the number of people blogging about it seems to have dropped. I know it’s all a bit hit and miss but I do enjoy looking at the numbers in more detail at this time of year. It’s more for my own benefit I suppose and I know engagement and comments are far more reliable but it’s interesting! Thanks so much for your support Hugh 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
It’s always fun and interesting to look back and see what your most popular posts were, isn’t it?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes I enjoy the process and although it’s a bit hit and miss at times it does give a general idea of what’s been popular. I also like analysing the figures 🙂
LikeLike
Congratulations on a great year. I did better in 2018, 2019 I focused on my two FB pages.
LikeLike
Thanks for your visit and comment, glad you’ve had a good year too.
LikeLiked by 1 person
This is a great post – well done, you. I did not start the ABAB project with a view to interacting with people on the internet more than I had to. That was naive. And it has been an unexpected bonus! All the very best for the year ahead.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes it is always a bit of a shock that the unexpected bonus of blogging is the interaction we enjoy. Thanks for stopping by!
LikeLike
I love your strength and resilience Deb. You always have a smile even during the toughest of times and I know that from personal conversations we have had, that 2019 was very challenging in many areas. I always look forward to your posts which are witty, interesting and fun. I’m jumping into 2020 with you for another year of blogging. xx
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh that is such a lovely comment Sue! I absolutely love having you in my corner and couldn’t imagine my blogging world without you in it. Thanks so much xx
LikeLike
I’ll always be in our corner Deb! Thanks for taking the time to link up to our 100th #MLSTL party. I know at the moment you aren’t even at home so appreciate you taking time out to share with us. Take care xx
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hello.
Great post. I do love statistics. It is due to my work, because I made statistics. I still continue making them in home now when retired. Some simple examples: how many kilometers we walk daily / yearly. How much is our weight weekly, Costs & income made in Excel.
Have a wonderful day!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Many thanks for your comment. Statistics are an interesting field and you sound as if you enjoy them! I don’t often look into the stats on my blog but my annual post is a good opportunity to delve into them.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you for your lovely answer!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks for the mention Deb and I’m looking forward to connecting more in 2020. Lovely post x
LikeLiked by 1 person
Many thanks Suz, always happy to give my favourites a shoutout 😊
LikeLike
Awww, you’re on mine too 😊
LikeLiked by 1 person
My mind is all over the place today! Shared for #MSTL 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hi Deb
This is a great wrap up of your year. I’ve loved reading you blog and following tour adventures. Looking forward to more in the year to come. 2019 was a little overwhelming for me in regard to blogging. I didn’t really handle the dreaded ‘lack of time’ issues very well and always seemed to be in catch up mode. I do have some plans in place to stay more calm in 2020. #MLSTL Sharing
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Jennifer, it’s quite common to have the ‘lack of time’ issues, I’m sure we all suffer from them from time to time! I understand your feeling of overwhelm. Good luck for your plans for 2020.
LikeLike
Congratulations on your 2019 blogging success, Deb! Thank you for sharing what’s been going on in your world with us. All the best to you in 2020! #MLSTL
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks very much Natalie, it’s a great community of bloggers we have around us. I feel very fortunate.
LikeLike
Hi Deb, you have much to be proud of in your blogging year. Your blog fills an important role for you and keeps you connected to some interesting and amazing people. I feel very much the same about my blog. I’m not getting paid for it either, but I love the interactions from all over the world. How else would I meet so many Australians?
I hope your granddaughter is doing well.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Michele, it’s so good to have this supportive community around us isn’t it? You’re right my blog fills an important role and I love the connections. I’m with you the interactions are amazing. Thanks also for the good wishes for Dottie.
LikeLike
I just discovered your blog (via twitter) and I’m giving you a follow because we have a couple of things in common…I’m recently retired and I was a teacher! Thanks for sharing your stats! I’m a stats geek and love to peek into other Blogger worlds! You asked commenters to include their fav post…..hummmm……that’s hard! Here’s a recent post that I worked hard on! https://readingladies.com/2020/01/13/how-i-use-goodreads/
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks so much Carol! I loved the post you shared and learnt something new. We do seem to have a few things in common so it’s great to meet you and a big welcome to my world.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It’s great to connect Debbie! I’m happy to hear my post was useful!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Im so glad that I found your blog. Its so refreshing and love everything about it. Last year for me was a terrible year for writing my posts. Im so far behind and need to make a move on or I will be on the next trip and still writing about Portugal and Spain. #MLSTL
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks so very much Bree, I am so happy to read your lovely comment about my blog. I enjoy sharing and appreciate those who read and comment, the interaction makes it a great experience.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hi Deb. I approach blogging in a similar way that you do, and I also do it just for pleasure. At this point in my life I don’t need to work, and find that blogging is a wonderful hobby. I’ve learned a lot from your blog and others, and have also made many new friends this way. I look forward to reading more of your posts in 2020. Have a great year!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hi Christina, it’s been great following long in your blogging journey too. Thanks for your kind words and good wishes. I love the connections we make in this blogging world.
LikeLike
You certainly have had a rollercoaster of a year last year Deb but mostly good with all these new grandbabies! I’m so glad all is well with your daughter’s little girl Dottie over in England and so relieved your home remained safe here in Australia. I completely understand the sadness with the anniversary of your Dad and Father-in-law’s passings as it was the 2nd anniversary on 2 December for when we lost my Dad too. Here’s to a fabulous 2020 hopefully full of more joy than sorrow and more good times than bad. xo
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hi Min, many thanks for your kind words. It was a good year in lots of ways just a bit stressful at times! I remembered that it waa your dad’s anniversary just before my dad’s, we will always miss them. Take care and best wishes for 2020. xx
LikeLike
I love that quote. It reminds me of one that I’ve often used over the years it was taught to me by a meditation teacher. She reminded us that life is lived in between the big moments.
LikeLiked by 1 person
That is a lovely way of looking at it Jennifer!
LikeLike
Oh wow! You’ve had one hectic year – with many highs and some lows – and that you managed to blog so much and interact so consistently is really something!
Well done! I’m enjoying visiting here so you’re going to be getting some traffic from India too!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes it’s certainly been hectic and I find blogging helps me get through things! I’m still surprised that people find and read my posts, even after all these years of blogging. Thanks for your comment and visit.
LikeLike