September 20, 2004 | View Comments (32) | Category: Whitespace
Summary: Whitespace celebrates its one year anniversary. Longest time I have ever committed myself to anything.
One year ago today I opened the doors to Whitespace. Actually, I think it would be more appropriate to say I opened the floodgates. This one year has felt like ten. Amazing how time flies when you are having fun.
I wish it were easy for me to sum up everything that has happened with the site and with me over the last year, but it isn't. It's hard for me to even grasp and understand all my successes and failures. I do know that in the past year I have done more with myself than I have ever done in any of the past years of my life.
The range of topics that we discuss here overwhelms me sometimes and I wonder here and there if my brain will just stop coming up with stuff to say. I constantly fear a day where people will stop coming to my site to talk to me and share their knowledge with the world. I am sure that day will happen, but for now I think I will do my best to prevent it.
I stopped tracking the stats on this site a long time ago because we all know stat tracking can become a nasty habit so I can't tell you how many pageviews or visitors I have received in the past year. I can tell you though that this is the 307th entry that I have written. To me one or two of them are really good and the rest could all use some improvement. I have been fortunate to have received 6354 comments on this site (at the time of this writing). No where near the numbers of the big dogs, but something that always makes me proud.
I have been lucky to have a great audience to share my growth with. I have learned so much more from everyone than I have been able to teach that it makes me feel unworthy to even be associated with a site like this.
During the past year I created a network of sites that I am very proud of. When I first started Whitespace I had no intentions of having this many sites. Whitespace is what I was happy with, but one thing led to another and now we are here. I put a lot of work into Year 1 and even more work should come out in Year 2.
Thanks to everyone who has ever commented here. Thanks to everyone who has linked to me because they found me worthy of it. Thanks to everyone that has criticized me to make me a better person. Thanks for the compliments because they always bring a smile to my face. Most importantly, thanks for the new friendships that have been established. My life is much better and stronger because of them.
Here's to another year. May it be better than the last.
Trackback URL: http://9rules.com/cgi-bin/mt/mt-tb.cgi/338
"This one year has felt like ten. Amazing how time flies when you are having fun."
How does that make sense? Isn't that an oxymoronic sentence?
Colin D. Devroe (http://theubergeeks.net/)
*shrugs*
I am new to this writing thing so I have no idea what you are talking about.
Scrivs (http://9rules.com/)
Hey, this is a great blog. I've only been reading it for the last few months, but I'd put it up in the top 5 design blogs out there. It's a must-read.
Greg (http://inside465.blogspot.com)
Congratulations on your first year. Some people may not see a year as a long comitment, but I am in the same boat as you. Sticking to something is just a hard thing to do.
Much respect to you. And I can't wait to see what another year brings us. I can only expect to see another 18 sites from you within the next year.
Ryan Latham (http://www.unmatchedstyle.com)
Congrats Paul, I just found this site a few months ago but I have to say it's one of my favs. Keep up the good work and keep the cool sites coming.
Rod Howard (http://www.roderickhoward.com)
18 more sites? I think I give off the impression that the more sites I add the more time I have on my hands. Gotta fix that.
Scrivs (http://9rules.com/)
"This one year has felt like ten. Amazing how time flies when you are having fun."
He meant that the sentence combines two contradictory elements. One being "This one year has felt like ten" and the other being "Amazing how time flies when you're having fun". Though, technically, it's two sentences :P
Congratulations on your first year. I'm sure you won't run out of things to say, it's impossible in this fast moving community.
Robert Lofthouse (http://www.ghxdesign.com)
That was referring to the "oxymoronic sentence" comment.
Robert Lofthouse (http://www.ghxdesign.com)
Scrivs, I just got done searching Sitepoint Forums looking for the very first post I ever saw you wrote.
IMHO, that speaks MOUNTAINS about you that I, a spec in the design world among all the great developers and designers remember a post you made less then a year ago on Sitepoint. I remember reading your post and all the descriptions and details you used in yoru writing made me go, "Hmm, thats one hell of a writer. OH, whats that link in his signature" I clicked it and I have gotten better at design and concepts ever since.
I remember telling you in that forum just how impressed I was with your writing skills.
This isn't the specific post I am refering to, but I give you props again in this Janurary 2004 posting
and then my off topic response
Bryan's (jag5311) off topic response
and then yours
All I have to say is thank you for your contributions to this community and thank you for any personal help you have provided me.
Keep up the good work with your network. I check it everyday :)
Bryan (http://www.juicedthoughts.com)
This is one of my favourite blogs to read simply because there's always something new. It's boring to read blogs that only update once every week or so. Oh yeah, and your writing is excellent!
Congratulations, and keep up the amazing work.
Darryl (http://surreal.hydra3.org)
Well for every site you come up with, you seem to have another 3 hours a day on your hand. By the end of next year I hope to see you pulling 51 hour days.
Ryan Latham (http://www.unmatchedstyle.com)
Much congrats due, Scrivs.
I really enjoy your blog much over other blogs, you tend to speak you mind and are not afraid to put your foot in your mouth, much like me. :)-
That said, you're always up for some progressive and interesting design/net discussion.
Cheers! Make it another good one!
Al
Almustafa El-Said
Well done and long may your success continue. I still keep coming back after about 9 months now and that's a bit of a record too :-)
Peter 01010 (http://www.01010.org/)
Wow, it's only been a year? With all of the interesting entries I've read here it seems much longer than that.
Many congrats, Scrivs. Whitespace is always the first web design blog I check when I open up Firefox. Keep up the good work!
JonathanB (http://www.bloy.net)
Congrats. Here's to another, even better, year!
And Scrivs, you _are_ one of the top dogs. First of all your compositions in your designs are spot on. Secondly, you're a good writer which can put enough energy and momentum in a posting that nothing but a great discussion can flow from it. To top it off, you've never been afraid to post in your own comments thread, something that I've found other 'top dogs' lacking a bit in. (They are catching up now though)
But what it really comes down to, is that you like what you write and it all feels natural. Never is it forced. People like that (kind of) honesty.
Slange!
AkaXakA (http://akaxaka.gameover.com)
Congratulations on the one year -- I hope there's many more to come, I've enjoyed this site more than just about any out there, alsways good information scrivs!
Brady J. Frey (http://www.dotfive.com)
Would you mind telling us how much you've made on WhiteSpace to date? I'm guessing you won't but I'm interested
Andrew (http://kempt.org)
Congrats to the 1 year mark.
I do wonder though, what happened to Version2? It seems to have gone by the wayside for a wee bit - is that coming back soon?
Does it need help?
Jeff Minard (http://www.thecodepro.com/)
Andrew, enough to buy me some dinner during the week :-)
Jeff, it will be back. Gotta launch one last site on the network this year then I can concentrate on the "classics".
Scrivs (http://9rules.com/)
Im looking forward to another year though I could have sworn this site was older than 1 year. You should post screenshots of all the layout variations, I wouldn't mind seeing the original again.
Colin C
I can't remember when I started reading whitespace (I think it was sometime in November of last year), but you've constantly come up with high-quality topics that evoke great conversation. Good work and happy anniversary.
Coincidentally, my blog just celebrated its 1-year anniversary yesterday. Maybe great minds act alike too ;).
Vinnie Garcia (http://blog.vinniegarcia.com)
I can't believe it's only been a year. Your contributions in this time have been unbelievable! Congrats!
John Zeratsky (http://johnzeratsky.com)
Your stable of sites has opened my eyes and mind to what's going on in web design - I've only been reading since May, but have learned so much from your generous thinking/writing and everyone else's vibrant, critical, considered comments. Happy Birthday, and thanks all round, Scrivs!
Ann (http://www.thinkingwomansdiary.com)
Paul,
Whitespace is on the first leg of my "daily blog route"; keep up the good work!
Ronald van der Wijden (http://Not yet...)
Hello, saw you were mentioning lingerie, if you're into it would you tell me what you think of my new site? My boyfriend set it up for me, it's my first one!thanksLucy
lucy lingerie (http://www.awesomelingerie.co.uk )
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#1
You deserve quite a bit of congratulations and applause. Since I first started paying attention to the web design/standards blogosphere in May, this site has always had something interesting to read without fail.
Thank a bunch, and keep up the hard work. I definitely appreciate it. :)
Brian Rose (http://www.heimidal.net)