My dear friend, Neil, has started a heartfelt Thanksgiving tradition.
Neil says:
“On Thanskgiving, we should THANK our fellow bloggers.
When I first started blogging, I was like a Pilgrim who just landed on Plymouth Rock. I was isolated and alone. For weeks, I wrote this blog without any direction or confidence in my ability. And then he appeared — like the Native American with his corn — my first commenter!”
Yes, Neil has made it so. Henceforth and forever, it is “Thank Your First Commenter” week.
Other than spam, with whom I’m still carrying on a love/hate affair, my first commenter was the amazing Eddo of Posted Note. This was in March (I started the blog, though I posted infrequently, in January 2005. At that time, Edgy Mama had not yet surfaced. This is embarrassing - but I called my first blog attempt “Fitten’s Fanfaronade.” The first person who knows the the definition of fanfaronade, without looking it up, will win a special prize. No cheating. I WILL KNOW).
Eddo, my man, is still commenting daily. And was he a find? Yes, yes, yes. He designed, for free, the beautiful Edgy Mama template that you all get to feast your eyes upon. He designed, for a bit of cash and a t-shirt, the incredible annefittenglenn.com website that very few people read (Just wait, though. They will come). He is currently designing, for barter, a funky and fun site for Flasheville.
Eddo and I, through our blogs and e-mails, have shared in each other’s lives for months now. I am sooooo lucky that my first commenter was Eddo. Thank you, Eddo. You, I adore.
If you’d like to thank your first commenter on your blog, put the link in my comments so I can share in spreading the goodwill. Or just write about that person here. And we will all celebrate our blog friends.
Amazing, this community. Autumn is on her way down here to spend Thanksgiving with me and my family. My BlogAsheville buddies have become my drinking crowd of choice. Ash, dear friend, is jumping into Flasheville with me (if you can’t take the heat, get out of Flasheville, baby). Other friends have started blogging because I did. Other bloggers I have e-mailed, talked to, empathized with, laughed with. I have a jar of Cocoa Body Paint in my pantry from the remarkably sexy Lu. I have a children’s book upstairs from the remarkable Robin.
Thank you all. All of you who read. All of you who lurk. All of you who comment. Thank you for widening my world, appreciating my prose, and giving me shit. Don’t stop.
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Thank you, AF! I popped over to wish the Edgy’s a wonderful Thanksgiving and to let you know how grateful I am that you live in my neighborhood.
First commenter is almost as good as first responder, eh? They come through when you need them!
Relax, enjoy the long weekend and look out for avalanches (we’re under 5 inches already!)
Rio was my first… commenter that is. Thanks Rio.
AF, thank you for the shout-out and getting my url correct - fix your link to Autumn’s blog. Sheesh. She’s visiting, for goodness sakes. Clean up the bloghouse, girl.
Knew you’d rise to my third point, Ash.
Thank you. Autumn’s url is fixed. Typically, you come in and clean up for me, guy.
Small world dept.: I can’t remember my FIRST commenter, but an early one was Autumn — only this is a different Autumn, whom I complimented at the time as being the second funniest writer in the blogosphere. She’s still pretty good, only now I’m the funniest.* Odd how things work out.
(* This might not be true; it was worth a shot.)
As to the BEST writer I have found, have you heard of somebody named Edgy Mama?
fanfaronade - boastful, blustery; there’s a picture of you next to the word in the Webster’s.
o. and - bodacious. forgot bodacious.
Thanks, Hoss. You’re the best. I’ve missed you.
Used the dictionary, Ash? Thanks for playing my game, bold and audacious one.
Thanks for letting us read it all, EM.
Hope you and the crew ate way too much on Turkey Day…
You were my first to comment, EM - and got me interested in this way to spend my insomniac hours!
rio, i was your first blog-naughty dream. i’ll take credit for that. (i’d describe it another way, only EM would kick me.)
Hmmmm, maybe I should post about blog-naughty dreams. Not sure I’m ready to share those. I’m not sure I’m as brave as Rio.
Ash - you have no idea
So sweet EM. I too am grateful for our friendship and the world of blogging. Life (and work) is so much more fun sharing it with people from all around the world.
I do remember Fitten’s Farofonade - (wow, I can’t even spell it, much less tell you what it is) and the green template that housed it. You have come so far, but from my first read I knew you were destined for greatness, and now look at you - the grasshopper has indeed become the teacher!
Again, thanks for the love. Big Hugs.
It was awesome when I found comments on my blog, too. Nice to have friends in the blogosphere.
Just wanted to let you know, AF, that Eddo was wearing his Asheville shirt for the Turkey Trot. Did you notice it on the “proof” photo?