A year ago, we took our first steps into running our website. They were tentative and a little scary!
Taking the plunge into the blogosphere has been very rewarding as it has allowed us to interact with people of similar interests all over the world. When anyone asks ‘why do you do it?’, we can think of 3 main reasons:
– It showcases our adventures, photos and writing in one convenient place
– It keeps us in touch with people who share our passion for sailing and nature
– It gives Chris the discipline and motivation to regularly write and take photographs
The highlights of one year of blogging
A year down the track, we have published 124 posts, recorded 32,000 views from 4760 visitors originating from 80 different countries! The map here is an example of where some of our visitors come from. We are not big users of social media. In fact we would have to be the ones with the least amount of ‘friends’ on Facebook, since we hardly use it. But WordPress is different. It is a great forum to connect with people who share our hobbies and passions. So slowly but surely, we are building our community. It grows a little every month and a year after we started, we are very pleased to have 190 followers, with a faithful group of commenters. We love likes and comments 🙂 It is so nice to get the interaction. For us, the highlights of running sv-takeiteasy are firstly that we have added to our original small group of friends and family. We now have connections with sailors and lovers of nature from all corners of the globe. We have developed some new friendships. And secondly, Chris learns and improves her photography, through her participation in various group challenges – less happy snaps, better technique, more satisfying images. In fact that was one of the surprises with WordPress, the networks you form and the invaluable feedback you receive.
Updated look
We couldn’t let a year pass without tweaking our website. Just like our much loved catamaran, sv-takeiteasy is easily recognisable with its colours: the deep blue background and bright orange trim. But for a while now we have been a bit frustrated with the lack of space in our posts for our text and images. It was all scrunched in the middle in between two sidebars we did not really need. So Chris went on a search for a different template, that would allow us to maintain our brand colours, but give us a better format to showcase photos and spread our text across the page. And the result of her search is now on display. We have a new ‘theme’, an updated look with new header photos, and we hope you will like the refreshed site.
Thank you
Many thanks to all our friends, family and followers for your support and feedback. We particularly want to acknowledge the wonderful encouragement we have received from:
- Cybele at the Dune Mouse – a storyteller and photographer based in Canada, with a distinctive haunting style
- Robyn at Captivate Me – an art photographer based in Australia and host of the One Four Challenge
- Leanne at Leanne Cole Photography – fine art photographer and mentor, based in Melbourne, Australia.
- Ellen & Seth at Gone Floatabout– intrepid adventurers who are sailing the Arctic on board their yacht Celeste
- Sue Marlin – our dear friend and occasional crew member
Thank you guys. It means a lot to us.
Sv-Anui 
Many congrats…………i hope I as successful at my 1 year mark…………well done
Thanks Julz 😊
Congratulations and happy blogging birthday Chris, and Wade, and let’s not forget Bengie. So glad you started blogging, otherwise we would never have met and become friends.
Thanks Leanne – you are so right!
Congratulations, Chris! 👏🏻🎉And to Wade (whom I have not yet “met” but hope to someday 😀). What a wonderful accomplishment. I am so glad to be part of your blogosphere! And, yes, your new design is the bomb 👍🏻
Goodie! Thanks for the feedback Stacy and the encouragement along the way 💕
happy blogaversary!!!
Thanks Aletta! 🙂
Happy Blogiversary! Thanks for sharing your adventures. 🙂
Our pleasure Katie!
Congratz! And your hits and visitors beat me easily… 😉 Love the new Theme!
Hi Sari – we seem to be pretty close to one another with followers and time blogging. Having fun anyway – thanks for the feedback on the new theme, too!
Congratulations on reaching this milestone. I like it and the photos look better in a larger format. The header is also great at the top, gives more space for pics &I text. Well done, I look forward to reading more of your adventures and the plants and birds.
Thanks for the feedback, and your faithful comments on each post. I always look forward to your visits – on the website and in person! 🙂
Congratulations on your first year, looking forward to many more 🙂
Thanks Lisa!
Congratulations, Chris (and Wade). A lot of folks start blogs, but rapidly lose interest or momentum. You’ve busy tweaking and improving all of the time. I love reading of your sailing adventures, a subject which is strange and exotic, and seeing the beautiful photos that Chris features so frequently. We have somewhat similar equipment and interests and it is fascinating to see how things look from the other side of the world. Best wishes for more happy adventures in blogging, photography, and sailing.
Thank you so much Mike for the kind words and feedback. We do share a few common interests and I learn a lot from your posts, especially your great macro images of insects and your bird photography. Let’s both continue our discoveries!
Many thanks for the time & effort you put into your travels plus photography, you do have a busy life, a lot of people seem to appreciate it. Keep up the good stories, you know now we all love them
Hi Terry ! Busy indeed, but a lot of fun! Glad you enjoy the posts! C&W
so glad you are here to share your adventures and beautiful images!
Oh Cybele, I wanted to say how much I value your support and how inspiring your work is. So very glad you are part of my ‘circle’.
and likewise Chris!! Thank you so much for your encouragement!
🙂
Congrats on your baby turning one… whoohoo is there cake? 😉
No cake, but nice wine flowing!
Even better!
Happy Blogiversary! 🙂
Beautiful moon shot by the way!
Ta!
Thanks Nic!
Congratulations, guys! Love the new template and header photos! And thanks very much for the shout-out! It’s been so much fun to follow your blog and see your photos, and we really appreciate your encouragement on our site!!
Pleasure – you keep on the good work too!