I am grateful for the calendar. What? Did I just say that? Yes, I did. Without the calendar, I would not be able to mark this week, this birthday. Happy birthday, WANA1011.
Did you know that birthdays weren’t celebrated until after the calendar was perfected? Once there was a calendar, then the days had to be named. Historians credit the ancient Egyptians with creating a calendar whose days were named after their gods and goddesses. Each day then had significance – it portended good or bad things.
The WANA1011 Meet
October 3, 2011, must have been a day that portended lots of good things. That was the day I downloaded Lesson One of “Blogging for Author Brand” taught by Kristen Lamb. I wasn’t the only one. There were one hundred of us in that class. All of us had a reason to blog, all of us had heard of Kristen, the queen of social media, author of the best selling book, _We Are Not Alone_. Many of us were writers, some had published, others hadn’t. Geographically we were all over the map, literally.
Following Kristen’s guidance we learned to blog, we learned to use social media: Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, and more. I don’t think even Kristen knew what an amazing group of people had gathered for this class. I don’t remember for certain, but I think Kristen started calling us her WANA1011 class. WANA1011 became our hashtag on Twitter and our flag to rally beneath.
The Best Part
Now, I learned a lot of valuable things in Kristen’s class. A year has passed since I started this blog: 365 days, 67 posts, and more than 51,000 words in those posts. All of those are worthy causes for celebration, but there’s something even more important to celebrate. The support, the encouragement, the friendship I have gained from the WANA1011 class, a group of amazing people, far outweigh any price that class could have cost. Happy Birthday, WANA1011!
So glad to have met you and all my WANA peeps! The tech side is easy for me, but the help getting started in networking has been invaluabl. Happy birthday to us!
The pleasure is all mine, Jennette. I have learned so much from you and all our WANA peeps. It has been a joy to get to know you, and all of my readers. Happy birthday!
I love how you tied the history of the calendar into this post! So cool! I feel the same way you do, so thankful for all the wonderful friends in our class. We learned so much, but the friendships that have developed amongst us are too awesome for words. Yes, this is truly a day to celebrate our first year together. Happy 1st WANA1011 Birthday, Lynette! Cheers to many more to come!
Thanks, Lynn! I feel like I’m gushing over much, but you are so right ‘too awesome for words!’ Happy first WANA1011 Birthday, to you too.
Whew – finally here. yay. lovely post, Lynette. I did not think to combine this with our stats. Great idea. well done. Like you, I love the friendships and support I’ve been blessed with through this course.
Thanks, Louise. I so appreciate your support and friendship. Happy first WANA Birthday!
What a productive blogging year you have had. You’ve totally nailed down your topic, style and voice. I’m so glad to know you, Lynette, and be part of this awesome group 🙂
Reetta, I cannot express to you how much your comment means to me. You and all my other awesome readers have touched my life in so many ways. Thank you.
I wish I could remember what my decision making process was before I signed up for the WANA class. But I do know that I had no clue about the community that I would get to be a part of–it’s so amazing! Happy to know you Lynette!
The tribe we have become is one of the best things I’ve ever experienced. Very glad to know you, too, Coleen. Happy 1st WANA Birthday!
What an amazing year it’s been, Lynette. Happy birthday to all of the Wana1011 class!
An amazing year and a fantabulous class that grew into something more. Thanks for all your support, Sheila. Happy Birthday.
Happy WANA birthday, Lynette! So proud to be a part of your possie. 🙂
Thanks, August. I’m honored to be part of yours.