Here’s to another 500

/ May 7, 2014
Me at 500

Me at 500

Big wheels keep on turnin’,

Proud Markie keeps on churnin’ …

Rollin’ on the WordPress.

I received the Big Blue 500 this morning.

My story about Syracuse veteran guitarist Mark Doyle got me to that nice, round number. Not bad for a writer who pushed the button for his first markbialczak.com piece — “Yeah, I’ve Got a Blog” — on Feb. 26, 2013. The monthly numbers on my archives list second my notion that yes, I have indeed found a rhythm here.

Don Charisma, that wily iPhone-photographer-and-more from London, had me linked with my photo on the sidebar on one of his sticky pages today on one of his gracious you-should-check-these-bloggers-out posts, and already I’ve gotten a handful of new followers.

Perfect day for a little recap.

For many decades, I was a newspaper journalist, covering sports, and then music and entertainment. Then the economy and industry changes caught up to the big daily here in Syracuse, and me, too.

Enter WordPress.

I still write about sports and music and entertainment here. But mostly I write about life. I like to figure out the way the past has made me the way I am today, and how the way I am today relates to the rest of the world out there, and how the way the rest of the world out there is today pertains to the life of my dear wife Karen and I in our home in the Syracuse city neighborhood of Eastwood. I bring my iPhone 4 and iPad Air around town with me often. Most of the photos here are my own.

We’re all in this together, simply put.

This WordPress world also is a great leaping off point for my twice-weekly film blogs for syracusenewtimes.com. I review a new-run film on Mondays, and comment about movie news on Thursdays. On Wednesdays I write about the Central New York community for the Syracuse Public Media site waer.org. What I’m finding is that people like to compare their community to mine. And don’t worry. The stories here and at the links I provide are always different.

I always ask questions at the end of each post to stir the conversational stew.

Yes, it’s a conversation. I answer your comments.

I’m curious about the world. I’ll read your blogs and comment about your thoughts.

When that No. 500 popped up, I was happy that it will forever be pinned in my memory to a music story. Kind of full circle, don’t you think? Karen and I will be going to that concert next Friday. You’ll see pictures and read about what I thought.

Now I’m thinking about the next 500. Stories. Followers, too. I’m just shy of the first 500 WP followers. I may get my second 500 badge today, if my world keeps rollin’ on the river.

If you like what I’m doing and want to spread the word with a reblog, well, please and thank you.

How long have you been blogging on WordPress? Do you start reading a lot of new blogs every week? What sort of blogs do you like best?

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98 thoughts on “Here’s to another 500”

  2. I started blogging on 28 or 29 January of this year.
    Congrats on the Milestone.
    Your stuff is always a pleasure to read, and as I believe I have said before, you are very generous with your time and that means much to us out here in the WordPress Community Trenches, grinding out posts…day by day, toiling away for likes and comments, and popcorn and gin and….
    “Lance! Lance! STFU!”
    (Sorry. Got caught up in the moment)

    As I was sayin’…

    Yep, ‘A Blogger’s Blogger’.
    All Class and Top Shelf.
    Salute to you My Friend,
    Lance

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    • I just got done commenting on your About Face throwback, Lance. Fine writing. I love it when you get serious, and I’m being serious. You were the hero in this story. The Navy really sucked.

      I have to ask you a favor. A couple of late nights ago, when you signed up to follow my friend Jim’s Iriish Investigations blog, you sent an old story link at like 2 a.m. on HIS blog and asked ME to read it, but I was sleeping. I saw it the next morning and was busy and now I can’t find it. Can you send it to me again? It seemed important to you, so I want to read it. Thanks.

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  3. “Left a good job in the city…working for the man every night and day…” This station has the best music! Congrats Mark, no surprises here. That number is just gonna keep moving upward!

    Liked by 1 person

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  4. Been blogging nearly a year. I especially like opinion blogs. It give me different perspectives of a wide range of people. But I also like lifestyle, fashion and just writing

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  6. Congrats on this milestone, Mark! Nice job of finding interesting takes on everyday life. Does one get the badge automatically from WordPress? Just wondering. Keep up the great work. By the way, found the world’s biggest pothole on the middle of Erie Blvd near Salina. Skull-jarring–check it out! 🙂

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    • WordPress sent me the badge, The alert was in the box that tells me I have comments, likes and follows. The badge was in the awards section under notifications.

      Interesting. Later in the day, I indeed went over 500 follows, and thus discovered that apparently you do not get a badge for 500 follows. Ah well.

      I have bounced around that very pothole. I had to go down there the past couple of days, Ermi. My back teeth still hurt.

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  8. Kudos to you Mark! Another 500 will be just around the corner. I love reading blogs about everything, really. But I especially like when I connect with the author and regardless of what their content, I try to keep up with them. Funny how we can make cyber friends, isn’t it?

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    • Thank you, Rachel. You are a true friend to me and my dear wife Karen. What a wonderful thing to discover that a blog can lead to friendships across the ocean. Our give and take has been making me smile since post No. 10 or so, whatever my Anne Tyler book review was!!

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  11. and a big half century mark congrats to you mark. i love reading your posts as you know, we have a good give and take on here, and i think we’ve learned from each other, which is one of the things i really enjoy about blogging, i am always learning. i began almost 2 years ago, sometime in may, and still haven’t hit my 500, but i feel like i’ve found my voice and my style and things are moving into publish mode much more quickly these days. i enjoy your style and your voice too and here’s to another half century of posts from you )

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  13. Reblogged this on Rachel Carrera, Novelist and commented:
    Dear Friends,
    If you don’t already follow my friend, Mark, please do not hesitate to push the Follow button at once! He’s an amazing writer, he’s entertaining, and he always has something nice to say when you take the time to stop and comment. I highly recommend him as a blogger as well as a friend.

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  18. Way to go Mark! I have a looonnnggg way to go to get to that 500 number. It would be closer if I could link the number from the first blog to the present one, but that won’t happen, and with summer coming on and my health improving I’m finding it harder to find the time to spend at the computer. And of course, if ATT phases me out that will just be it for me this time. No more come backs this time around.

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    • Just keep doing what you do, Angie. Reading your blog is a treat for me, every night. If ATT phases you out, they will hear from me, just like WP did.

      Thanks for your congratulations.

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      • Thanks for the virtual thumbs up Mark. ATT is just a conglomeration that is gobbling up all the phone systems around. They were taken down by the government one time for monopoly but seem to have bought out all of the competition in this area again. I think I’m just tired at the moment. Too tired to fight any more battles. ,

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      • OK, here’s how I am going to put it, Angie.

        You are going to email me your phone number, now, the cell phone, to markbialczak@gmail.com.

        If ATT cuts off your wireless for any reason, and you can’t blog, I will call you up and interview you.

        I will write a blog story about the senior woman with MS who can’t blog anymore because ATT cut off her wireless. I will try like hell for it to go viral. ATT will be a very ugly villain. You will get wireless somehow. In my mind, that is how this thing would play out.

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  19. Congratulations to you and your blog Mark!!! I am a fairly new blogger, still finding my way. I enjoy many different blogs, everyone has something to offer but I really gravitate to humor and good poetry.

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  20. Congratulations on you 500 post in one year. I’ve been on WP for two and a half years and I just hit the 500th post last week. I have less this week since I’ve been deleting things off my blog. I do have almost 830 followers though.

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  21. Your output is staggering Mark, a feat topped only by the quality of your writing! Congratulations. I agree with you on WordPress–I’ve been blogging since 2004 (with only 850 posts–a total you will probably pass next week!) I started on Blogger for a couple of years–but switched over in 2006 to WP. I even switched my entire prior posts over to WP with a couple keystrokes. Great platform. I’ m looking forward to a couple new posts–one on the changes going on in my profession and, of course, my recap of the Bruce show in Albany next Tuesday.

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    • Phil, I am so happy for you going to the Albany Bruce show. You deserve it.

      I will be looking for that story, and your post on your profession, too. What you and your socially conscious colleagues do here is so critical for our city.

      WP is good because it builds bridges between bloggers. I enjoy that portion of the experience along with the writing and reading.

      I wish I could go see Bruce. I’ve had to cut back on concert-going. That’s the reality of not being the big daily critic. Less access and less discretionary funds.

      Thank you for your kind words. Enjoy the E Street Band.

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  28. Your story in a song that you referenced briefly above. With a slight edit. Congrats

    Left a good job in the city
    Workin’ for the Man every night and day
    But I never lost a minute of sleepin’
    Worryin’ ’bout the way things might have been

    Big wheel keep on turnin’
    Proud Markie keep on burnin’
    Rollin’, rollin’, rollin’ on the river

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  31. Reblogged this on Irish Investigations and commented:
    Some of you already follow this guy, but if you don’t … check him out! He’s a good man and a good writer with an insatiable curiosity about the world and our place in it. (Congratulations on the big 5-0-0, Mark!)

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  32. Loved the recap, Mark.

    I’ve been blogging since 1/1/13, once daily. I admire your 500 and look forward to my own, similar benchmark (very soon!).

    What sort of blogs do I like best? Those that speak from the mind, the heart, and the soul, and that offer words and images, too. Like yours.

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