Where does the time go?
I started this blog on June 19th 2009. The Black Eyed Peas were number one with Boom Boom Pow, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen had just been released in cinemas and the global financial crisis was in its final throes. A global pandemic and war in Europe were merely Hollywood movie plots, and Brexit was more likely to be a new breakfast cereal than the name given to the UK leaving the European Union and causing immense self-harm to itself.
15 years of change, ups and downs, both personally and with this blog. But we’re still here.
So to paraphrase Fergie, from The Black Eyed Peas.
People reading this post,
If you wanna get down,
Put your hands in the air,
MikeyIsh write some shit now.
When I started this blog I had no idea what I was going to write, and to be honest I still don’t. I do know some things I won’t write about, basically anything too personal or anything which might upset my family or friends. In the early days I wrote too personally and upset family members, I do regret this but thankfully there was no long-term harm done.
Over the years the frequency of how often I post has decreased significantly, some of this is down to work pressures, some of it is down to me being lazy. My main problem is finding something to write about. My creative juices are not what they used to be, I’m not sure if it’s writers block or whether my thought processes have changed.
Years ago I found it much easier to sit down and write, I’d happily sit down and write a blog post or two in an evening or more likely a Sunday morning before getting out of bed. Now, I find it very difficult.
I still enjoy the technical side of running a blog, for instance, the four redesigns, in fact, it’s due another one, and there are things in the backend that visitors to the blog don’t see which have helped with load speed etc. Then there are posts/pages which are private, like MikeBot my AI chatbot who thinks he’s me and actually talks in my voice. Actually, thinking about it maybe I’ll get him the write a few words.
Anniversary message from MikeBot.
As you can see he really thinks he’s me. Silly AI, 15 years ago he was just a figment of my childish imagination. Also, just to point out I don’t speak exactly like that, my mother says MikeBot sounds like posh Michael, the voice I use when speaking to someone important or I’m when I’m trying to impress someone.
Over the years the blog has had success mainly due to the Who’s On Heart posts which brought tens of thousands of page views over the years the competition was running. I even earned a few quid along the way and it helped with my Google PageRank, which was nice. Although, the daily, if not more, posts/updates was really hard work, especially when I had a full-time job as well. In all honesty I was glad when I stopped doing it, this blog was never about gaining followers or readers it’s about me. My thoughts, my ramblings, the things that amuse Me, Myself & I. Don’t get me wrong I appreciate that people read my posts but I’m really not that bothered if people don’t.
I often read my old posts and giggle to myself. I’m a shy, instantly forgettable guy, I like to go unnoticed. I do however have an ego, and a quiet but assured self-confidence.
What does the future hold for Michaelisherwood.com? In the short-term I don’t envisage any massive change. Although, I would like to get back to posting a bit more regularly. In the long-term it’s going to be interesting how the Internet changes especially due to AI. Maybe, I won’t post anymore and I’ll just let visitors chat to MikeBot, although maybe not as he does have a bit of a potty mouth.
Anyway, thanks for popping by and reading my ramblings. Here’s to another 15 years.
Take Care,
Mike