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16 October 2011

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DEAR BLOG

October 17th: This is not a big blog: There are some really big blogs out there with colossal followings. It’s more of a toddler really. It’s had the occasional gap in service but that’s just life really. There will be more gaps to come, shortly, as life gets in the way once more but I’ll try to keep them as short as possible.

Alan Sloman's Big Walk Blog is Five Years Old

Coming soon: Darren’s Awfully Big Adventure. Ooooh!

39 comments:

  1. It is big in my view. Well done Al and crack on with life and update the blog as you go.

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  2. Five, eh? It'll be starting school soon then.

    Many happy returns!

    :0)

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  3. Well done Alan. I am just a youngster compared to you - just 14 months!

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  4. All I can hear in my head is Cliff Richard - those of you who have ever visited Frankie & Benny's will relate.

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  5. Even if it's not the biggest out there it's still a decent size. Once, just once, it would have been nice to be told something like that.

    Don't let life interfere too much, Alan. Reality has it's place but it's no substitute for blogging.

    Many happy returns. Here's to many more.

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  6. There are big blogs,
    but it is quality, not quantity.
    Size does not always matter!

    Oh Yes .............

    HAPPY 5th BIRTHDAY!

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  7. Happy Birthday Alan's blog. Five is a big milestone in the blogging world. I do enjoy popping in for a good read.

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  8. BIG and inspiring.

    Many happy returns!

    Thanks,

    Brian

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  9. Happy birthday, Alan's blog. Five years is a long time out in the blogosphere.

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  10. Happy birthday tooo yooo.
    It's one of the BIG boys in my view - 4 months old and just starting to crawl - and always an inspiration

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  11. This is the biggest. The biggest… something. It's always there for me. I must stop paying the hosting fees for mine cos mine's a bit of a waste of resources really. :D

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  12. How time flies when you are enjoying yourself!

    Well done Alan.

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  13. Happy Birthday. It's one of my 'must visit blogs'- informative, crusading, uplifting and often very, very funny. Thanks Alan.

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  14. Martin, Scott (get well, sunshine!) Mark, George, Carl, BW, Mad'n'Bad, Jimmy, Uncle Brian, Maria, Chris, Alistair, CrazyJohn, Robin & Gibson:

    Phew! Many thanks for your kind wishes.

    In the five years I have posted to the blog over 853 times (some posts have been removed) and 4,315 people have been kind enough to make a comment. That's a post every two days on average.

    Over 180,000 people visited. Many don't appear on the statistics as they read the blog in Google Reader or whatever their equivalent is or are happy with the posts emailed to them. There have been over a third of a million page views (335,000), again probably under-reported.

    When people arrive at the blog from a search engine, one of the most frequent searches is for "Bruised Buttocks".

    It's an interesting world, eh?

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  15. I was a youngster when this blog started!
    Alan, this is a great blog, has a loyal following, and you write great articles, passionate about your subject, and through the blog I made a great friend (that's you that is).
    Here's to the next five years of blogging

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  16. Oooh, Big D: You're not such a bad lad yourself. Are you ready for "Darren's Awfully Big Adventure" yet? I have to find my dehydrator and zillion part-used cans of gas from the bowels of the garage...

    I might be eating sandwiches on the trip...

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  17. Congratulations Al.
    Yours was one of the first blogs i read and i very much appreciate it's content.
    Keep up the good work.

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  18. Always an interesting read Alan, you're one of my favourites! Keep up the good work.

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  19. Alan & Al: (This is getting confusing) I am not so sure about it being "work" - in fact, quite the opposite! A labour of love, perhaps?

    Something to while away the hours when I really *should* be working!

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  20. "Bruised buttocks" isn't so bad. Most people visit my blog looking for dumb ass.

    Congratulations on a great anniversary.

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  21. Congratulations Alan. The comments say it all, but I especially agree with Darren.
    Have fun!
    Martin

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  22. Mark: "Dumb Ass" indeed... :-)

    Martin: You are a sweetie.

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  23. Congrats Alan on 5 years, that is an achievement. Have only recently come across your blog and will continue following.

    David

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  24. Well,Happy Fifth Birthday then!!! I drop in to look once in a while so only a day late! Doing Night Navigation on Ilkely Moor tonight but guess you'll be in the pub......

    Take care
    Heather T-S

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  25. Bob, Lua & "Bouncy Heather" (She's a very bouncy girl is our Wonderful Heather!): You are all very kind. I hope the night-nav on Ilkley Moor goes okay, Miss. It's a wild and windy place up there, when you're lost...

    Has anyone told you that the 'Beast' only strikes at night on that moor. You can hear the screams in Otley, apparently. Big black pantheresque creature, with fluorescent yellow eyes. That could have been Mike Knipe though...

    Easily confused.

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  26. Well someone said quality is always better than quantity. In this case I will say point proven! Is a blog like a marriage. In which case we should all be looking out for year seven!

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  27. Congrats Al. Not only is your blog a good read but also a great starting point to look for other blogs through the links you provide.
    On the subject of search engines : Bruised buttocks, dumb ass ; my greatest hit is 'raar eikeltje' or in Ingerlish 'strange dickhead' (it actually means 'strange acorn', with a picture of a disformed acorn) Strange people !

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  28. Alan, on my PC your blog is the gateway to a wonderful world of other outdoor blogs and I never know what I'm going to find when I call in for a visit!

    Here's to another Five!!!

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  29. His Holiness, The Incredibly Irreverend Dave: Wotcha! I never know what's going to be written either. After writing it and then re-reading it I often wonder how on earth I got onto that topic...

    Must be an age thing, or the thought-juice being too liberally applied.

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  30. Hi Alan

    Just running a couple of days late and trying to catch up.

    Congratulations to both you and your blog on this memorable occasion!

    As others have said, 5 years in the blogosphere is a goodly time. Makes my 18 month old effort seem like the mere toddler it is.

    Keep up the good work! :-)

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  31. It was a dark and stormy night, three mad folk struggled through head high bracken, somewhere a wolf howled - or maybe we just scared a rabbit.......and the lights of a nearby plane taking off from Leeds/Bradford made a pretence at being a UFO. Ilkely Moor was Beast free......phew!Heather T-S.

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  32. Jules: Your blog may only be 18 months old, but I would guess it has a very loyal following already.

    BouncyHeather: Bested the beast: A close shave...

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  33. You're too kind, Alan.

    Seriously, though, there are quite a few walking blogs out there these days, many of which are very interesting and entertaining - mainly because it is a genuine love of the outdoors that drives them.

    I find the huge variety of experience, opinion and style represented much more diverse and compelling than formal magazines (that usually have their own agenda) and forums can often be a bit hit and miss.

    So as well as contribuing to my own blog - my record of what I do - discovering others' blogs has been something of a revelation. Beats the telly, anyway! ;-)

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  34. Lord Elpus: "PAH!" Indeed!

    Welcome to your SEVENTH DECADE, young man... "Happy Birthday to you, happy Birthday to you..."

    (Word = "filsiond")

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