It was, to the day, one year ago that I launched this blog and invited you, for the first time, to share and taste exciting tea stories by joining an inspirational online community. Now it's time to stop for a moment and look back. Now it's time to have a birthday party. Folks, it's TEA PARTY TIME!!
Since one of the most
popular sections of the blog is interviews (do I know how to ask
questions or what? :-), I thought to surprise you with one for this
special occasion. The interviewee will be none other than ... myself.
Hello, Anna. I read a lot about you. Now we finally meet.
My pleasure.
You know the reason why we sat down next this enchanting kettle of tea, right?
Yes, because we are quite alike: we both adore tea. :-) But, to be fair, there is another reason as well: the blog entered into its second year, which, in the virtual world, is already maturity. So it's a reason to celebrate.
You say maturity? So blogs are like cats? You count with seven years?
You say maturity? So blogs are like cats? You count with seven years?
Well, you can say so. The thing about virtual surfaces is that by now it has become very easy to build your online presence, not just through social media but blogs as well. Blogs are very popular because, with their themed and personalized content, they fit the modern trend of sharing; what's more, they are free so anyone can afford, and there is a wide variety of samples and templates to help with the design. It seems, therefore, that they are easy to maintain.
But then reality kicks in. Soon you realize it is you who needs to create the content, day by day, week by week, month by month. And there comes the effort, because it is sweaty work. Sometimes you are tired of your day. Sometimes you are fed up with having to sit at the computer constantly. Sometimes you are sick of people and you don't feel like talking anymore. Sometimes you just can't find the words and your muse seems to be on holiday. And once you skip a day, a week, a month, it's damn hard to get back. Why? Because there might not be enough motivation; there might not be enough feedback. One big disadvantage of virtual activities is that, in fact, you are on your own. After all, we are mainly doing this not for ourselves but for our audience. And it takes time and energy, in the sea of blogs, to call attention, raise interest, get noticed. Many blogs die before they could reach this point -- the point when your audience keeps you going even if you are tired, fed up, sick, and uninspired. This is why I am happy and proud to step into the second year with this blog.
Turkish tea
How do you look back on the past year?
Like a typical Hungarian, I start with the negative aspect. :-) I must admit, I also had my difficulties from time to time. After the initial (and so often irrational) enthusiasm, I slowly had to rationalize (euphemism for: reduce) the amount of posts I produce a month, in order to balance professional life, private life, and virtual life. I found it important from the first moment to keep myself from getting overly virtual, at the expense of real, physical life (even though I know the general tendency is shockingly going in the opposite direction).
At the same time, I love writing and this blog proved to serve as a perfect platform to express myself. It grew beyond a simple "teacher's blog". It became much more than a collection of classroom stories, addressing the wider themes of languages and cultures, two passions of mine, as well. Human interaction also became a key topic of the posts. We covered issues from stereotypes and gender, to creativity and inspiration. The topics of group dynamics and self-perception were addressed not only as matters of the classroom but as matters of everyday life.
A couple of months after the start of the blog, I launched two new sections which proved to be quite popular. In one of the interview series, we got to hear stories of expats, from Hungary, Slovenia, Germany, Romania, Japan, and the US, who chose to live in countries whose culture and language is different from theirs. From each of the subjects, we got to see the often mysticized issue of migration from a different perspective, and while all of them were positive about their experiences, they warned us also about the difficulties that usually remain hidden. In the other interview series, we got to talk with professionals who work with English in a variety of contexts, from elementary school teaching to reseach. We came to see that languages can lead you to many exciting paths.
English tea
All the posts gave me pleasure (some more, some less, of course). But overall what I liked the most is the variety of topics, issues, styles, and stories I could share. I found it inspiring to talk with people, both in the form of the interviews and in the comments. I'm a curious person who can't stop exploring. This blog was a way and an excuse to pursue this quest of mine.
Although you already hinted, could you specify what you had difficulties with?
Time. And those hidden efforts it takes to keep on producing sound content. To say enough but not too much; to explain the context but not overcomplicate; to introduce new topics but stay consistent. It is hard to go back to the computer if you already spent a day in front of it; it is hard to be excited to communicate when you talked and listened all day already; it is hard to choose a virtual room when you can choose a real tea house. These are all difficulties I faced only after becoming a blogger and maintaining the blog on a regular basis, for a longer period. Everyone needs to face these dilemmas and find the path that fits them, time-wise, routine-wise, sacrifice-wise, and so on.
Japanese tea
What would you do differently if you could start over, or what are you going to do differently in the future?
Well, I don't really like to think in conditionals. I did it this way and it was OK. The blog is not perfect and my processes were not always consistent, but I always did my best. This being my first personal-professional blog, after a more restricted academic blog and a co-edited sports blog, the exploration process it entailed taught me a lot, since I had to face newer and newer challenges and find my own way.
What I changed since I had started the blog is the frequency of posts, to be able to keep up the quality of the content. At the same time, it is perfectly understandable that at the launch I posted so much. Enthusiasm kept me going, even at the expense of other duties, which I weigh differently now. This does not mean the blog means less; it only means that I realized sustainability is an important aspect of success. I cannot keep up with posting every day or 3 times a week, like in the beginning. I needed to be realistic and see how much I can promise myself and my audience. Regularity -- what and how much people can expect from your blog -- is crucial in building a stable audience, thus, a stable blog.
Well, I don't really like to think in conditionals. I did it this way and it was OK. The blog is not perfect and my processes were not always consistent, but I always did my best. This being my first personal-professional blog, after a more restricted academic blog and a co-edited sports blog, the exploration process it entailed taught me a lot, since I had to face newer and newer challenges and find my own way.
What I changed since I had started the blog is the frequency of posts, to be able to keep up the quality of the content. At the same time, it is perfectly understandable that at the launch I posted so much. Enthusiasm kept me going, even at the expense of other duties, which I weigh differently now. This does not mean the blog means less; it only means that I realized sustainability is an important aspect of success. I cannot keep up with posting every day or 3 times a week, like in the beginning. I needed to be realistic and see how much I can promise myself and my audience. Regularity -- what and how much people can expect from your blog -- is crucial in building a stable audience, thus, a stable blog.
Then, what can your audience expect in the upcoming year?
Intriguing stories and delicious teas from all over the world! :-) The theme doesn't change, that I can say. Also, the main sections will stay, but I am planning to enrich the selection with a couple of new flavors. Of these, you will get a taste soon.
As for the scheduling, I will stick to the monthly posting for a bit still, due to my work duties, but once things are settled, I may be able to return to the weekly routine.
Intriguing stories and delicious teas from all over the world! :-) The theme doesn't change, that I can say. Also, the main sections will stay, but I am planning to enrich the selection with a couple of new flavors. Of these, you will get a taste soon.
As for the scheduling, I will stick to the monthly posting for a bit still, due to my work duties, but once things are settled, I may be able to return to the weekly routine.
Indian chai
Finally, what advice would you give for (prospective or practicing) bloggers?
For prospectives: give it a go. Not only is it a lot of fun, you also learn a lot while writing about a topic. It is not just the process but also the people it leads you to that will enrich you. In the end, you will realize how much more there is still to know about an issue you thought you were expert in. But be realistic: it will take a lot of time and energy. Therefore, I suggest that you launch your blog only if you care a lot about that issue, so it can keep you through the tough times (although tea and coffee help too :-).
For practitioners: let's connect. It was always a pleasure for me to get to know how other people do it, because we have a lot to share, from advice through complaint to success stories. And you can never know which friend, acquaintance or reader of yours you will help out by guiding them to your fellow blogger's page by sharing its link on your blog.
For all my readers: thanks for your interest. It is a pleasure to share the stories and the teas with you.
Egészségünkre!
For prospectives: give it a go. Not only is it a lot of fun, you also learn a lot while writing about a topic. It is not just the process but also the people it leads you to that will enrich you. In the end, you will realize how much more there is still to know about an issue you thought you were expert in. But be realistic: it will take a lot of time and energy. Therefore, I suggest that you launch your blog only if you care a lot about that issue, so it can keep you through the tough times (although tea and coffee help too :-).
For practitioners: let's connect. It was always a pleasure for me to get to know how other people do it, because we have a lot to share, from advice through complaint to success stories. And you can never know which friend, acquaintance or reader of yours you will help out by guiding them to your fellow blogger's page by sharing its link on your blog.
For all my readers: thanks for your interest. It is a pleasure to share the stories and the teas with you.
Egészségünkre!
