It's Time | IBOT
Since then there's been almost 400 IBOT linky parties, ranging from the 5 years at Essentially Jess to the last 2 and a half years here on this blog. In that time the blogging world has changed dramatically. I've been blogging for just under 10 years and I've seen so much change in that time. The internet & the blogging neighbourhood of the internet in particular, has undergone drastic changes and growth and it's been exciting to watch.
Change is almost always a good thing, but I do feel sad for those heady days of blogging circa 2009-2013 when it was still a small and tight-knit community, with most people writing personal blogs for the love of it rather than with the aim of making money.
Not that making money is a bad thing at all, in fact I think it's wonderful that blogging has allowed so many people to build a business from writing and sharing their stories on the web. It's empowered a lot of people and opened up ways to get support from people that is invaluable.
Inevitably though the way people blog and the way people read blogs has changed, and slowly over the last few years IBOT has slowed from the 100+ weekly links in it's heyday to a small, but dedicated group of linkers, and I couldn't be more thankful for those who show up here every week to read my ramblings and read the ramblings of those who also link up.
But the time has come to give IBOT a well-earned retirement and hang up her shoes.
I've been pondering this decision for most of the year, trying to decide if it was time to let it go, or pass it on to someone else, and after a lot of thinking and soul-searching I decided that it's time to let it go. IBOT has run her course, and so have I.
This year has been an eye-opening one, full of learning and growth. At the beginning of 2018 I decided that I wasn't going to choose a word like I had the previous few years. 2018 was going to be the year of going with the flow, letting go, not making plans or goals and just seeing where life took me.
Looking back on that decision now, I can see how it was absolutely the best decision I could have made. I'm ending this year with a renewed passion to grow my business & push myself as an artist. I feel like I know where I'm going now, I've gained clarity and a better understanding of myself and now is the time to put all of that growth and learning to the test.
In 2019 I'll be focusing a lot more on my business. I have plans & goals again, and rather than feeling stressed and anxious about it like I did for the better part of 2016 & 2017, I feel excited & passionate and keen to put in the work to make my business a success and see where I can take it.
This is one of the biggest reasons for me deciding to retire IBOT. It's become harder and harder to dedicate the time IBOT really deserves each week, both in the writing of posts and the visiting of links, and it's not fair to the legacy of IBOT or the lovely people who visit each week and link-up to not give it 100%.
And while IBOT may be retiring, I certainly won't be! I won't be blogging here as often in 2019 as I have a goal to try and blog more from my business blog (both personal & work posts), but when I've got something pressing on my mind that isn't related to photography at all, or I really need to get my ranty pants on, this is the place I'll come to write it out and share. I hope you'll still visit me on those occasions, and maybe even come and visit me at my business blog when I post over there.
So next week will be the final IBOT.
Ever.
It feels a lot sadder to type those words than I anticipated. I hope you'll all join me to farewell this beautiful blogging beast that is IBOT and link-up one last time with us. Thank you so much for being here and giving us your time each Tuesday, it's really meant a lot to me and the other members of teamIBOT over the years.
Follow along...
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