Mine.

All those years of blogging up until I stopped sometime in 2016 (after a whopping 2,011 posts), I only used Blogger services and its subdomain. Even at my most active when I had quite a number of followers and regular readers (mostly friends and relatives who were probably forced to read out of fear that they might be on it), I never actually considered having a personal domain. Well for one, I was contented using a subdomain. Then there’s the fact that I’ve changed my blog address probably around six to seven times in its entire run.

When I went back to publicly writing again (yes, I never stopped doing it privately), I thought of using Wordpress because most of my blogger friends are on it. Maybe it has something there that makes them write so good, I thought. Loyalty eventually wins as I chose to stay with Blogger because I’m already familiar with the dashboard and it’s much simpler for someone who doesn’t have the patience to learn the basics of another blog-publishing site.

After putting it off for years, I finally decided to get my own domain. My blogger friends Clare and Judie thought it was a good idea (they both have theirs) and I thank them for helping me out and being extra patient even if I might’ve asked them many no-brainer questions on how to go about it.

There couldn’t be a worse timing to have a customized domain than now because blogging is not as popular as before. This I get to experience first hand, as even my once loyal readers no longer read my posts like they used to, which I find it kinda funny, I find it kinda sad (as that `80s song goes) considering they were the very same people who encouraged me to write again.

But I’m not alone. I noticed that even seasoned bloggers with a large following are experiencing the very same thing. They don't get as many visits as they’d have around five to ten years ago. How do I know? Just look at the lack of comments on their posts and their sporadic postings.

It’s no secret that microblogging such as Instagram and Twitter (especially after the longer 280-character limit) killed it. Vlogs or video blogs also became so popular, where one doesn’t need any writing skills and as long as they can confidently talk while filming themselves—then they’re good. In the past five years or so, most people prefer visuals over the raw beauty of the written word. I don’t have to look far to prove this as I myself have more than 6,000 (some archived) posts on Instagram after I stopped blogging.

I also read somewhere that blogging is more of a “people-pleasing” endeavor which is why you will not be able to carry on if you are only into it to publish and impress.  In due time, you’d get tired when you don’t get as many affirmations or hits as you would have hoped. When someone says to me that he or she wanted to start a blog and was asking for advice, I always tell them that it’s not easy and that they should reflect on their intentions. If it’s anything but an innate love for writing, they will only add to the growing statistics of dormant/dead blogs.

Of course, it’s always heartwarming when people praise you and tell you how much they like what you wrote, or just the mere fact that they took the time to read your work. However, entertaining an audience is no longer my motivation. If I'm happy doing it, then I'll continue doing it, never mind if I’ll be the only one who ends up reading it. It’s like going back to a time much simpler when I write my thoughts on paper without any intention of showing it to anybody.

In my early years of blogging, one of my many shallow motivations to write is knowing that the person behind my narrative is actually reading it. Nothing can make me pound the keyboard keys than writing about my interpersonal relations.

Now more than ever, I’m writing for myself. I no longer feel any pressure to come up with something just to keep my site updated. I do a lot of reflecting on my content before even publishing it as sometimes, I can be my own biggest critic. This is not something I do before; Back then I can create a post one after the other like it's coming out of an assembly line.

So there, after a lot of problems encountered for something as simple as getting one (including credit card payment disputes and mostly techie stuff) — I finally have my own domain! I end up using my nickname and last name (dot) com. I may have mentioned how much I regret oversharing and putting myself out there before, so this is a clear contradiction. But then again, this is my space, and nothing is more personal than having your name on your site. Besides, do you know how many Valerie De Leons and Vayies are there now? Before when I type “Vayie” on Google, it’ll be just me—at least now I’m sure I’m the only Vayie De Leon out there.

It's cool having a personal space online. It kinda “legitimizes” what I do while at the same time reminding me to do it well as I’ve already put my name on it.