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This week I am celebrating NINE full years of blogging. On Thursday August 26, 2004 I published my very first blog post - ever.
I searched and searched for the perfect photo to use in this post. I was after an older photo of me blogging to suit the topic, but I finally settled on this picture of my "blogging sidekick".
Slim is my Great Dane and my best friend. I adopted him from a local rescue organization 3 1/2 years ago. My life will never be the same. 
Many of you have "met" Slim through photos, videos, and even the occasional "disruption" like in yesterday's live Social Media Marketing session (lol).
In the same way, I feel like I've "met" many of you over the years. Some of you I've had the pleasure of meeting in person, some of you I've gotten to know very well "virtually" - and some of you I'm just now getting to meet!
I decided we should celebrate this milestone together, so I'm giving away a $50 Amazon Gift Card to one lucky ClickNewz reader! Keep reading for details...
Can You Really Make Money On The Internet?
People ask me that all the time. Yes, still. It makes me wonder what they think I'm doing for money (lol) since I haven't had a "real job" since 1996. In February of this year I celebrated 16 years in business. For more than 13 of those years I have been a single parent, raising my two children on my own (with my online income).
And now, for 9 of those years I've been a Professional Blogger.
That kinda blows my mind if you want to know the truth about it. I honestly have no idea how nine full years went by. I was just blogging away and then boom I turned 40 and one kid had grown up and left home and I'm sitting here with a 16 year old in college. 
Time flies when you're blogging?? ...
And then there's Slim. I think he slept through most of it, lol.
He has his own couch right here in my home office, and one on the back deck too (my outdoor office). As you can see, he's usually dreaming about treats and kitties - when he's not giving (very loud) input on my live webinars. 
Yes, I added in the extra picture of Slim so you'll keep reading. Ha! (That's a blogging tip. Take note. lol)
Speaking of my "outdoor office" (aka my back deck) here's a picture of it that was taken a few years ago while my assistant was here for a visit:
A LOT of blog posts have been written from that spot.
That's pretty much the whole "trick" right there (the key to online success). Just grab a laptop or sit down to a computer somewhere, and do the work. Period.
It seems to me that a lot of people really want it to be more complicated than that. Unfortunately it's not. And no fancy software or system or program is going to sit out on my back deck and do the work for you.
Nobody wants to hear that of course. I confessed once that I used to work 14 hours a day 7 days a week. Mind you I was broke with two young kids to feed and had no other source of income. Obviously I don't work those kind of hours anymore, and I'm no longer broke - and thank goodness, because those were some hard times! 
Life is good now. It's amazing what my online business, and blogging, have meant for my lifestyle. Just being able to work from home and raise my children was a huge benefit. But I've also traveled halfway around the world and back (five times), made friends all over the planet, ENJOY my work and enjoy plenty of "playtime" too, had the time and money to foster Great Danes in need... and gave my children a much nicer, more comfortable raising than I ever thought possible (as a single parent with no college education). Life is good indeed, and I am forever grateful to live in a time where technology affords me so much opportunity!
Granted I've had a rough year or so, as many of you already know - what with being hacked, getting sick, having surgery, yada yada yada. Honestly, as hard as it all was (and I'm still dealing with the financial aftermath), it was also a positive - or at least the beginning of a positive turning point in my life.
Those negatives forced me to take action on some things I'd let slide. They forced me to become proactive where I'd become complacent. And it was a serious lesson in humility. I'd tell you the whole story and all the details, except we'd be here all day and I know you really want to know how to enter the drawing!
So let's get on with it already...
Random Drawing For A $50 Amazon Gift Card:
The random drawing will be taken from the comments below, and will be done on Wednesday September 4th at Noon Eastern. The winner will receive a $50 Amazon Gift Card - or - they can choose to receive the $50 prize directly via PayPal instead.
To be entered in the random drawing, you must leave a comment below that includes the answer to at least one of these questions:
Note: You can like, tweet & +1 this post easily at the top left (right above the first cute Slim picture!). Or if you're looking for an idea for a Social Media update:
ClickNewz is celebrating 9 years online: http://www.clicknewz.com/8485/ This is a blog I really enjoy!
or- Lynn Terry is giving away $50 to celebrate her 9 year Blogging Anniversary! Come enter at http://www.clicknewz.com/8485/
- just to give you some easy ideas to work with. Obviously you can simply like or share, or add your own wording.
Important: The $50 winner will be announced via email, and they'll have 48 hours to respond and claim the prize. If the initial winner does not respond, another drawing will be held to choose a runner-up, so be sure to keep an eye out for an email from me on Wednesday (Sept 4th).
If you haven't been receiving my emails lately, you may not be subscribed. Or perhaps you've changed email addresses. You can subscribe here (the confirmation page will open in a new window):
In closing, I want to say THANK YOU for reading ClickNewz. Thank you for sharing it with your friends and peers. Thank you for your clicks and likes and comments and questions and nice notes - and for being such a big part of what has made blogging SO rewarding for the last nine years!
*cheers* & good luck!
Note: You must leave a comment below to enter. No essays required. I won't be "grading" the comments. All eligible comments (including at least one of the five points above) will be entered into a random drawing.
Once you've left your comment below, what next?
Here are some options:
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