To be honest, I don’t know if I have the oldest blog in the world, but until someone else can prove that theirs has been around longer, I’m going to assume it’s me. I’m not usually a pat me on the back, “look at me, look at me” kind of person, but c’mon, it’s my blogs 11th birthday! Indulge me a little. I think 11 blog years is like 110 in people years.
Some who have doubted my claim as the longest running blog in the world have asked me, “If your blog has been running for 11 years, why don’t you have more followers?” Fair point. Here’s my story: I started blogging in January of 2005. I wrote a fantasy sports blog. That one ran for about 3 months until two things happened. The first was that I got hired by a fantasy sports website to write for them. The other thing that happened caused the birth of The Phil Factor.
I was hanging around the office of my day job being a smart ass about something (I know, hard to believe, right?) when a secretary named Erin said to me, “That’s pretty funny. You should blog about that.” So I did, but the first Phil Factor was on Blogger. I blogged on Blogger for 6 years. Then I went to a blogging platform called Posterous, which was one of the first to allow you to share your blog posts to Facebook, Twitter, and other places with just a click of the mouse. After two years on Posterous, the blogging website closed, and that was why in the Spring of 2013 I moved here to WordPress and met all of you wonderful people.
If you want to read it, here’s the link to the first Phil Factor post ever from April 2, 2005. I made fun of American Idol, which was in year four then. It’s now wrapping up it’s 15th and final season. I’ve blogged through two American Presidents and three Popes. One of my first posts was about Pope John Paul II passing away and my desire to be elected next Pope. My blog began before the show How I Met Your Mother came on the air. In September 2005 when Barney Stinson said, “This is SO going on my blog!” I was thrilled that my odd little hobby had been validated. Here is a picture from my old Blogger site proving that I’ve been blogging since April 2, 2005: (Scroll all the way down to the bottom of the pic to see that I posted 134 times in 2005)
Yes, I was a little light on the posts in 2010. I was kind of busy. Also, some posts have been deleted for various reasons, including that some were included in my book 50 Shades of Phil, which includes the best fifty posts from my first eight years of blogging. If you have a Kindle, Nook, or just a Kindle app on your device, that e-book is the best 99 cents you’ll ever spend. Funny 500-600 word essays are perfect for passing the time when you’re in a doctor’s waiting room, on the subway, or on the porcelain throne.
Here’s another interesting Phil Factor fact: In 2011 The Phil Factor was also hosted on the website of Perky Jerky under the title of The Sarcastic Jerk. I should have stuck with them. A fun company and their beef and turkey jerky is delicious. They sent me a box full of it.
That’s my story and I’m sticking to it. Sorry about the self-indulgent post. I’ll return to my usualy idiocy in future posts. Have a great weekend! ~Phil
Wow Phil you are old…and dedicated, sarcastic, jerky, awesome and handsome! Congrats on the epic milestone!
Thanks Steve!
And thanks for calling me old :-/
Haha – I’m a realist what can I say lol
Awesome. I’ve been at this game for only months. I’m just a baby in comparison.
I happily suggest you stick with it. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed making friends with people all over the world and have learned so much about other countries and cultures.
And Pixies…let’s not forget them, or the lewd and rude bus wankers.
Happy Blogiversary!
Thanks SassyGirl! Hopefully we’ll still be blog friends when you’re blog is 11
Congratulations Phil! I hope to have this kind of staying power. The making friends part is the best! Here’s to many more years with The Phil Factor! 👔🍾🎆🎉
Thanks Meg! I hope we’ll still be blog friends when your blog turns 11
Me too! (We will be!)
Happy birthday, what a blessing
That this blog goes to 11!
Thanks Marissa! Isn’t your Blogiversary coming up
I think it’s in June. I rarely pay attention.
Happy Birthday, old man! 🎂 Congrats on 11 fabulous Phil years! Cheers to many more 😃
Aww…you called me “old man”?
Oh, did I say man? I meant blog, yeah, that’s it, blog! 😃
Sure!
LOL
As a ‘newer’ blogger than you, Phil, this feels appropriate: “Will you still need me/Will you still read me?/When my blog’s 64?” But seriously, congratulations. 11 years does seem quite long to blog. Like you, I started out on another platform, dabbled in other stuff (writing and non-), and, for myself, gave up on blogging for awhile. Anyhow, here’s to 11 more years of hilarity–keep it up, Phil!
Well thank you Leigh! Hopefully we’ll both still be blog friends when we’re 64
Race ya (to 64), Phil! 🙂 Happy writing!
I wasn’t on Facebook 11 years ago, never mind blogging! In fact, I’ve never stuck at anything for 11 years (not counting education)! Congrats on the super long stint – happy tweenblogoversary! 🙂
Thanks Haylee! Hopefully you’ll have many blog birthdays in the future.
Hope so, only a couple of months to my first! 🙂
We’ll make sure you let us know so we can all throw confetti and virtual cakes at you!
Ooh, cakes are always good, virtual or otherwise!
Wow. Your blog is SO OLD. It is surely the oldest blog ever. Were you the first Phil to blog? 😛
I started blogging in 2006, but I didn’t go public until 2013.
I think that achievements should always be celebrated. Party hard, Phil. Your blog is 11 only once 🙂
Happy Blog birthday…on behalf of Queen Elizabeth and me, of course! 😉
Thanks Sam! I’ve been blogging so long that I’m kind of the Queen Elizabeth of bloggers right?
Yes, yes and yes. You have the blogging royal seal of approval!
wow, your blog’s a tween! Congrats on keeping it going for so long!!
Thanks! Hopefully I’ll still be reading your blog when it becomes a tween too!
Happy blogiversary. Would it rain on your parade if I pointed out that my blog (dzeni.blogspot.com) is older than yours (started on 18th May 2004)? If it were a competition you’d still win because you are funnier than me and have more followers (and it’s all about the followers)!
No, it’s not raining on my parade at all! That’s awesome! I didn’t realize that. Wow!
Congrats Phil. You are like a guru of blogging.
I don’t know about that. I’m just good at sticking around.
🙂
So you’re 110 years old, right? Like Methuselah? Only with a checked shirt and less beard? Wow. I mean WOW that’s a lot of posts. You must be a fencing demigod. Dead impressed to be part of your penumbra Phil. Careful with all the candles mind
Fencing?
Posts
Congrats!!! It’s amazing you can even remember starting this blog, did dinosaurs help you there at the start? ;;)
It was tough blogging and hiding from sabretooth tigers at the same time.
Well done, Phil!
Thank you Raphaela!
Happy birthday! Here’s hoping for many many more years of The Phil Factor!
Thanks Laura!