Saturday, March 10, 2012

Happy First Birthday, Blog!



A little over a year ago, Push asked me if maybe we should start a blog. What was it going to be about? Well, Han and Leia, but other than that, we didn't really know. She had never done a blog so I helped set it all up and we were both made administrators and then it was time to do some posting. It's amazing to think that our first post was a year ago.

A lot has happened since then. It's fun to look at those first posts and see almost no comments. Actually, literally zero comments on the first post. Not that it said much. Also, in our first month we had less than a thousand total hits for the page. Not bad, we thought. Well, we hit a new high in January with over 11,000, so it's safe to say that things have certainly improved!

I have to say that I didn't really expect us to be posting so much and I'm not sure I expected that we'd get so many followers, either. The main motivation behind the blog was to bring together the world's Han and Leia fans once again so that we all know we're not alone and start contributing more thanks to the knowledge that yes, there are others like us. And, thankfully, I feel like we've done that. A couple of years ago when I started publishing my stories after years of simply reading, it usually took a few days to even a week to see some new stories up on ff.net. Now you're almost guaranteed to see something new on a daily basis. Although I'll admit it has made it tough to keep up, and I apologize for not being able to read everything. Maybe when the EU book club is over I'll have time, but for now, my reading time is pretty well sucked up by Star Wars books!

It's been a lot of fun so far and I hope that we have even more fun in our second year. The joint stories and book reviews and other random posts, not to mention the conversations that spring up among the comments, have all been great. We really appreciate seeing a lot of participation and it certainly makes things more fun. Those of you who don't participate often or at all, don't be afraid to jump in! There's always room for more. Also, if there is anything more you want to see here, speak up and let us know. We are open to suggestions.

So, once again, thanks for a great first year and here's to an even better second!

32 comments:

  1. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!! :D

    I'm only sorry I didn't discover this wonderful place right at the beginning. Feels like I've missed out. But hey, I'm glad I did find you because you guys really brighten up my day.

    Wow, 11,000 hits, that's pretty awesome really. I hope some of those people who keep looking at this site will eventually be brave enough to join in. I'm sure you'll agree that the more people on board the more fun it will be, right?

    Anyway, here's to many more birthdays to come!!!

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  2. Oh, yay! Happy Birthday to the blog! And thanks again to Zyra and Push for organizing all of this. I am really glad to have found the blog. It's nice to know I'm not alone in this obsession. I am definitely grateful for the encouragement to write and fun exchanges on the board. Thanks everyone.

    And love the SW birthday cake! I'll have to tell my family I
    want one. :)

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  3. Suggestion - I vote to keep the current pic as the permanent background. I mean, my goodness. It is still hot and I'm sure it makes people wonder what I'm looking at when checking the blog. :)

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    1. Same photo shoot, different pic. I was betting you would approve...

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  4. LOL amara!!

    Or how about rotating this pic with the others in that speedo photo shoot!

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    1. I'm definitely liking this idea... XD

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    2. Loving that idea, Claire! :)

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    3. Been looking for a place to jump in and I think I found it.

      That picture is amazing.

      Wanted to take the opportunity to also say Happy Birthday. Push and Zyra you do an amazing job. The quality is second to none, and the items posted are very enjoyable. This is tons of work and I want to express my thanks and appreciation.

      Hoping to stop by more often and get to know all you better.

      Looking forward to it.

      Lis

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    4. Hi Lis,

      Nice to hear from you!!

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    5. Yes, welcome. Glad you are stepping in to comment and please join in on the conversation!

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    6. Welcome, Lis! I've rotated the photo. Can't say we can go on like this forever, but...

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    7. But......we should have like one day a month that is designated International Harrison in Speedos day and have a pic to celebrate!

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  5. HAPPY BIRTHDAY BLOG!!!!

    Thanks so much for this blog, ladies! I love it -great to know that there are so many H/L fans out there, and it makes me laugh on a daily basis.

    So glad I found this! Long live the blog!!!!

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  6. Geez, it's already been a year? Where has my time gone. Happy birthday favorite blog ever! And congrats on the 11,000 hits. :)

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  7. Happy Birthday!! Congrats on such an enjoyable blog-you've brought together a nice little community here! I don't post very frequently but I'm always reading.
    And I have no objection whatsoever to making the background picture permanent. ;-)

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  8. happy birthday blog!!!!! thanks to both of you for bringing us all together.

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  9. Happy Birthday and many more! I am so grateful that you both started this blog. It is so nice to know I am not alone as an adult H/L fan. I lurked a long time before getting the nerve to join in the conversation. It has been fun. Thanks for all your time and efforts to make this a great blog.

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  10. Happy birthday blog :D And thanks to Zyra and Push for organizing all this :D Nice to know that there are so many more H/L fans around there :D

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  11. Aw, thanks, guys. I can't believe it's been a year, either. It's amazing to see how far we've come and how fast it went by. And for those of you who only found us more recently, at least you can go back and catch up. And for those of you lurkers, PLEASE step in and comment! We love hearing from you and there can never be enough Han and Leia talk. I think the more people comment, the more it encourages others to do so. Don't be afraid to step in and offer an opinion!

    As for the current pic? I love it, too, but I sometimes use my lap top in public places and don't want people getting the wrong idea ;)

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    1. Lol! I'm mostly joking, but I like to keep people guessing what I'm up to. :)

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  12. Oh, also I should add that yes, we do put a lot of work into the blog but at the same time we wouldn't be doing it if it weren't for our readers, followers and commenters. So thank you all for being here, reading, commenting, enjoying and just generally being Han and Leia fans and make us all feel a bit less weird ;) I can tell you for certain that there would be a lot less posting going on if nobody ever said anything, so thanks for the participation!

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    1. You're welcome!!

      I could discuss Han and Leia all day long, as no doubt some of you have already noticed.

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  13. Thanks for all of the Birthday wishes. The blog hardly ever feels like work, but mostly it's because you guys make it fun. So thanks to y'all for commenting and contributing!

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  14. Awesome new pic, Push! That was the one I was thinking of when Claire mentioned it.

    And seriously, how does Leia ever want to leave the bedroom?

    Too bad I don't have another ballgame to go to so they can wonder what on earth I'm looking at. :)

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    1. I think I have one more from that photoshoot that is him standing and facing the camera....

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    2. Although, I think this one if my fav...

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    3. Enjoy (clicking on them gives you the full photo):

      http://starwarrior.tumblr.com/post/19184347712/the-speedo-collection

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    4. Thank you! I was just thinking how someone quite recently had posted a much higher quality version of that one pic in particular, as opposed to the ones that have been copied and pasted on a million hard drives and just doesn't have that sharpness to it anymore. This one is much better :)

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    5. Wow, Elivagar, that is really hot. Thanks so much for that link!!

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