An apology, and diving back in

Last year I made a couple of posts about being a better blogger (part 1 and part 2). I got some very nice and encouraging responses, and I felt like around that time I was gaining some great momentum in terms of my goal: becoming a successful blogger.

Unfortunately, around the time my 3 years in Japan were coming to an end, I lost focus. My attention turned towards my relationship with my then girlfriend, reintegrating into life in the States, getting a job, getting a car, etc. In short: excuses. Sure, life happens and it's not uncommon for bloggers to go through dry spells or shift priorities. And honestly I was in doubt about what would happen here. No longer being in Japan, would JADJ shift focus or simply fade away into the digital abyss like so many other blogs have and do?

As I review what's been going on here, I realize that in the past year or so (holy crap, has it already been a year?) I've largely neglected some of the behaviors I so strongly espoused - namely participating in the blogging community! Sure, I was still reading some blogs here and there, but not as often. And I was engaging and dropping comments far less than I used to. Friendship Fridays and Just Another Week in Japan became too time-consuming and difficult to write, so I stopped posting them. So many things placed on the side burner...(I still need to get to Loco's book!).

Getting my head back in the game, I notice that our readership has about frozen or even dropped slightly from where it was at. Looking around at my favorite J-blogs, some have gained ground (good for you guys!) and some have kind of come to a standstill. Kind of sad to see, but it's the natural life cycle.

So for now I want to just offer my apologies to our readers and fellow bloggers. I didn't follow my own advice and I dropped the ball. But I can and will do better! Being a successful blogger is still an important goal of mine. Writing and reading comments is still a pleasure, and poring over blog stats and graphs still gets my blood pumping. It looks like two of our most viewed posts are about reading Japanese nutrition facts and how to use McDonalds wifi in Japan. That is telling, and I'm glad that some of our content has (hopefully) been helpful to someone out there.

In the meantime, I do have a request for anyone willing to comment. If you have blog (preferably Japan-related, but not necessarily) that you think I'm unaware of, let me know in the comments. This goes for your own blog(s) or those that you follow. The past two or three weeks I've been looking around for new J-blogs that may have sprouted up but have come up relatively empty handed.