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My Two Year Blog Anniversary


Photo by Jennifer Claire Watkins

Photo by Jennifer Claire Watkins

Happy 2 Year Blog Anniversary!! It has been a long and crazy second year and I can’t believe how much this blog has grown and how much I have learned. I remember hearing about “blogs” in college back in early 2000. It seemed interesting but I had no idea how to code and what the heck would I would write about. Here I am over 300 posts later and I have certainly found a few things to share.

The idea came to me when I couldn’t sleep and I quickly made it over to the computer to search on Godaddy.com, I was surprised the name was available so I quickly clicked purchase and for $12 everydayparisian.com was born. There was a lot of planning and brainstorming going into the blog launch. I should have known at this time that writing a blog was a lot of work. From prelaunch to now, it really hasn’t stopped. But after two years, it is still so much fun and something I look forward to every day. 


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I am not sure if it is normal to celebrate a blog Anniversary, but I like to celebrate the big things and little accomplishments so here you go. When I first came up with the idea to write a blog and put everything in action to build this site, I didn’t really read any other blogs. I had no idea how to start a blog or what went into it. Two years later, I don’t have a lot of “blogger” friends. I like to stay in my own lane and that is ok with me. This is why I am not sure if it is normal to celebrate a blog anniversary. 

I also think this might be part of the success of the blog because I haven’t really looked at what other people have done or are doing. 

As you know with Links I Love, I am reading a lot of blogs and resources now on a weekly basis. I have a few favorite blogs that I should share in an upcoming post. I will note that there is room for ALL of us in the digital world. Every blog and person brings their own creativity and personal touch with their own voice.

If I told you all the late nights and hard work that goes into writing this blog then I think you would agree that it is time to pop the cork on the chilling champagne in the fridge. I am a numbers girl, it is sometimes hard to tear me away from analyzing stats so I pulled a few for the blog’s anniversary. 


champagne tuileries paris france

Blog Stats for Year 2

170 Blog Posts for the year

My largest audience for blog readers comes from Paris, then NYC, and Chicago. There are readers in over 9,676 cities. This is so crazy and cool at the same time. 

198 countries to date.

323,774 Page Views

I was having wine with a friend last night and we were discussing the stats of the blog. I really don’t grasp the idea that SO many of you guys are reading the blog around the world. I still think back to the day I hit the launch button and I had no idea what to expect. Would anyone read? Or as this just one crazy idea?

In the last couple of months, I have been meeting people who recognize me and read the blog while I am at the grocery store and walking on the street, or even friends tell me their friends read the blog and want to meet me. But why?? I have to admit it is a little strange because you and I are just the same. 

Once I get past that strange dance, the truth is a lot of my readers have become friends and that is the best gift out of writing this blog, way more than money. So if you do see me on the street or at a restaurant, stop by and say hello. I can promise you I will give you a big smile and a hug. I can’t tell you home much your support means to me!

My Most Popular Blog Posts (in case you missed them)

Top 10 Safety Tips for Female Solo Travelers

The Best Croissant in Paris

Paris Guide

10 Boutique Hotels in Paris

What to do in Paris on Your Birthday

What I am Packing for Paris (These packing lists have been extremely popular for ALL seasons)

In case you are wondering and I am sure my Dad has this question in the back of his head, “Do I make money with the blog?” I think this is a very controversial topic with me sharing this information, my friends all have different opinions. 

I don’t think you should start a blog with the intention of making money. I think being authentic and genuine is the most important thing when it comes to my blog audience. I actually turn down 98% of any offers for sponsored posts or even people asking for me to add a link to my weekly roundup. My suggestions come from me and they are something I believe in and support. I would never want to loose the trust of my readers. That being said, the amount of money I could make from this blog would be significantly more if I took every offer or even reduced my acceptance rate by a little bit. I hope this clears some questions up for all of you. 

The Money Stats

The money stats… just in case you clicked on this post to scroll down to the very bottom. From July 7 2017 – 2018. My grand total was $5,627.69. I wrote 170 blog posts which comes out to $33.10 or $15.80 per day. After doing the math, I realized it is a little more than a coffee and croissant but if you factor in how much time each post takes to write, I am way below minimum wage. 

What does Year 3 look like?

I am having so much fun learning French with Caroline. She has interviewed for a job which might mean she will have a full time responsibility. She promises that I will still be her student we will just have to find different meeting times. I would love to bring some of the French I am learning to the blog to help you with navigating Paris. It has been a lot of fun working on recipes. I know this was something that people really requested at the end of 2017 and I have been so bad at this. I am working on bringing more soon! 

I would love to expand a little more outside of Paris and show you more of France. Antibes was so refreshing and all the French tell me there is more to France than Paris… 

I plan on sharing a little more of the blogging world with you. It may not appeal to all of you but I want to share what I have learned and hopefully help you launch/build something of your own. 

I have the dream to work with JCrew. You already know I am a BIG fan over here. I also would love to work with Anthropologie. I was approached by a hotel earlier this year to craft the perfect “Every Day Parisian” time in Paris and sadly they never replied to the email. It sounded like a dream opportunity. I really LOVE working with hotels when I travel so I hope to continue this over the next year. I also have this crazy dream of being invited to harvest in September that I am still working on. 

I fully believe in creating your own destiny and putting out in the world what you want. So there you have it. Year 3 has the possibility to be a very exciting and big year. I can’t thank you enough for all of your support this past year. Thank you for reading Every Day Parisian. I promise to toast a glass of champagne to all of you tonight. 

xo

Rebecca 


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The Print Shop continues to be my main source of income. All trips are fully funded by me from print sales. You can support the shop here! 

Photos of me were taken by Jennifer Claire Watkins

This post does include affiliate links which helps contribute to my coffee and croissant research. Merci! 

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  1. Dear Rebecca,
    Happy Second Anniversary1

    If you do remember who I am, I apologize for not having contacted you sooner. We met at the restaurant (in Paris) at the corner of Rue Jacob and Rue Bonaparte (Le Pré aux Clercs) one evening in April. I was with my brother, John, and you were sitting at the table next to us. I have a picture of us that he took but I don’t know how to attach.

    To quote your 27 May blog: These past months have been nonstop and I am finally sitting down for the first time in what feels like forever. Since I’ve returned to New York, I’ve been in two plays, one fundraiser (singing), and just started rehearsing for a play that will be showing in the beginning of September and then off to Italy.

    I always believe that if you have one surprise during a trip then it has been eventful. Well, meeting you was one of a few great surprises. The others were enjoying Musée D’Orsay at night; sharing my favorite city with my brother (who hadn’t been there in 30 years); meeting up with friends; eating at my favorite Vietnamese restaurant; getting lost and finding all sorts of treasures; revisiting “The Passer Through Walls” and scads of other things. It was a pleasure spending time with you and hope your trip was as wonderful as ours.

    Maybe we’ll run into you again as John wants to go back and see more – which we never got to – getting lost and all.

    Bon chance.
    Amelia

  2. Congratulations! I always read your posts, and enjoy every one of them. You have done, and continue to do, a fantastic job. Please come to Lyon next, there is so much to see! Bisou

  3. Happy blog aniversary. This post really made me aware of how much our of touch I have become with my blogging. It was soooo much more fun when I just BLOGGED and didn’t do it for just coaching. I have been receiving universal signs all week. So merci for this 👠🌷
    .
    .
    bisous Menellia

  4. Happy Blogiversary!! I adore your blog and the fact you live in Chicago. I spent many a day in the windy city living in Indiana. You should try Bar Takito sometime. Yummy food! Can’t wait to see what this year brings on your blog.
    Kim

  5. Yay! Happy Anniversary. Love your blog, found you through Instagram. So great to see someone around my age who is making it on her own. I started my own consulting business about 6 years ago and am still trying to figure it out.

    It’s great to see someone lift back the curtain and reveal that behind the pretty pictures it is hard, hard work. It’s inspiring to see what you have done in such a short amount of time. You feed my cravings for Paris with your trips. Can’t wait for that book to come out 🙂

  6. Bon Anniversaire, Rebecca! Your blog is a breath of fresh Parisian air to Francophiles everywhere, including me. Wishing continued success and growth.

  7. Congratulations! I think it is ok to make money with your blog, why not, we all need the money, right? Unless you can live perfectly of your art, which is admirable.

    • Thank you! I do live perfectly on my art, but as the market changes I think it is always good to have other streams of revenue.

  8. Happy anniversary! You are such a brave woman, Rebecca. I applaud your tenacity and passion in going after what you want…I call women like you "MSHKoGs" (Make Sh** Happen Kind of Girls)! 🙂 I wish you continued success and unrivaled joy as you enter year 3 of this journey. I will definitely be around to watch you grow and revel in your success with fellow everydayparisian fans. Thank you for sharing this journey with us.

  9. Congratulations, Rebecca! Your blog and Instagram are such bright spots in the world, and I always look forward to seeing what you’ve just posted.

    I was in Paris a few weeks ago and dined at Le Relais de l’Entrecôte two consecutive nights. That green sauce — heaven! My husband and I didn’t think our bellies could handle a third night in a row, but now we sure wish we’d tried. 😉 Great recommendation.

  10. I have been following just a short time, but have really enjoyed your posts. I discovered you through Corey Frye. As a fellow Chicagoan (suburbanite actually) I am so proud of your success! I hopefully will run into one these days! Here’s to many future blog posts and endeavors! Happy anniversary!

  11. Happy 2 Year Anniversary!!! Cheers to you and all the hard work you have put into this lovely space. I can’t promise I have read each post, but I can promise it’s a link on my favorites dashboard and I do have several saved posts for my next trip to Paris. Thank you for sharing and putting in all the hard work. It’s a lovely blog, and something that you will never forget. Cheers!