My 1,000th entry, don't I get some prize or something?

Hard to believe that this all started out as just a small way to talk about sports. Back on February 16, 2005 I posted my first entry on Ramblings about the death of the NHL season. It was the same day that the Phillies, who were a young up and coming team at the time, opened spring training.

As a sports fan I had been looking for new ways to talk about what was on my mind. Sure, I could have gone to the message boards and other sites but I wanted my own space. I like to believe I caught on to the whole "blog" idea before it became as popular as it is today. I did, but I do not consider myself ahead of my time.

All I wanted to do was post my thoughts online and share them with others freely.

Over the years the site has grown immensely, more than I ever envisioned for sure. Back then I just used a simple template that was one of the basic default layouts provided by the Blogger service. I am embarrassed to tell you how long it took me to realize I could change the links on the side bars and I could add my own pictures. As time went on I dug a little deeper and messed with the layout some more and realized that I could add a third-party layout to the site, which you can see today.

This site has helped me in a number of ways. I have used it as an outlet for sharing my photos, videos in addition to my thoughts on a variety of topics. It has also helped me understand the blogging environment and given me an insight into the new media age. I feel as though I am more informed on the new media than most others are because of this site.

This site has given me the ability to branch out to other sites and ultimately has helped me land my gig with Examiner covering Penn State and college football. This site has influenced me in a number of ways, including helping me to meet new people online.

If not for this site I may have been even farther behind on embracing MySpace, Facebook, and Twitter. This site has helped keep me in the loop on a number of social networking events and news and events. This site, as silly as it sounds, has truly become a part of me and although it brings in no true monetary value, I can not speak enough about how the return on it has actually been for me.

This blog has enabled me to better share a number of experiences with you in some way or form.

The NHL lock-out. The start of the steroids issue in baseball. My 2005 World Series prediction of Yankees over Phillies (four years early). My first genuine Phillies blog entry (Tim Worrell, remember him?). The Terrell Owens food drive. The 2005 game between Penn State and Ohio State. My initial thoughts on the naming of the Nintendo Wii. The day I called the Phillies ownership clueless when he suggested they could be competitive in 2007 (they won the NL East division). My 100th post. The day the Phillies won the 2008 NL East title. The day they won the World Series.

If you think I am sounding a little geeky and possibly a little bit like a loser, I believe that is because you do not fully understand the power of new media and social networking. This blog, over the years, has served as my home base for my online presence. It is the driving force behind some of my successes. It has helped me find my voice in a way.

It is true that my rise from 100 posts to 1,000 posts took a lot less time to achieve than the first 100 posts, but that is only because I have embraced the technology more and more and see it as a vital tool in this day and age. I believe my blogging philosophy has grown over time and matured for the most part. The great thing about technology is that everything is always changing. If you do not adapt to changes then you will be left behind. While this blog serves more as a personal outlet than anything else I have not been under so much pressure, but I do like to look good regardless.

I thank you for continuing to stop by and read what I have to say, or watching my videos, or gazing upon my photos. I thank you for your help, your encouragement, and support. Blogging gets a bad name in this day and age but I can see that changing a bit every week. I hope you will continue to stop by as this site marches toward post #2,000 and beyond.

- Kevin