Hello everyone! So, it’s time for another tag. But this one is a bit different than usual. Because it was created by none other than the awesome Karandi James and ……me! Yes people we have a new and original tag for you, that we both hope everyone is going to enjoy. It’s also a bit more unique, at least we think so, because as far as we know this is the first collab tag. So how did this tag come about, and what exactly is The Blog Evolution Tag? Karandi and I have been blogging for roughly the same amount of time, and as we so often do, we were exchanging comments on a post and started talking about blogging. More specifically about the fact that over the years our blogs, and writing styles changed (hopefully for the better! 😅). We also said it might be fun to one day revisit some of our old posts and compare them to what we are doing now. And then an idea started forming about how we might turn this into a tag and let a fellow blogger be the judge of what exactly changed. And so, we now proudly present: The Blog Evolution Tag! Let’s dive into the rules, and then of course Karandi and myself are going to present the first post!
The Rules
The Questions:
A. The Old Post: What I liked about it
Michel’s answer: Well, this is actually the first post that I have written when my blog started. It’s for a Korean drama series call D-Day. At the time I wrote this one, I really did not have a clue what I was doing. I had no real plan for my blog, and I just wrote it purely on my own feelings for this series. And I guess that is pretty much what I like about this post: it is a quite enthusiastic post and at least get’s across the fact that it’s a show that I truly enjoyed watching.
Karandi’s answer: This tag is great, I got to read a post from Raistlin that I’d never seen before. This post has Raistlin’s characteristic review structure already kind of worked out where we get a bit of an overview about the film/show in question and then we get into some more specific aspects. I loved how much enthusiasm Raistlin had for this series, though it makes sense given it is the first thing he decided to review on his blog. It seems unlikely you would start a blog to review something you hated. I really enjoy how Raistlin takes the readers with him through this series and its positives. He doesn’t ignore the fact that there are some issues, but he doesn’t linger on them either. Basically he makes you feel like he really wanted you to enjoy reading about something he enjoyed.
A. The New Post: What I liked about it
Michel’s answer: By pure chance this was also a post for a Korean drama, but one that was written almost two years after the old post. What I liked for this one, was the first paragraph. I usually like to start my posts with a small tale that in some way connects to whatever I am reviewing, and I liked the fact that this one really set a bit of creepy tone. Of course I was totally having fun here, and I thought it turned out quite well.
Karandi’s answer: Another post I actually missed from Raistlin and I’m glad this tag gave me the chance to read it. While I said in the old post that Raistlin’s characteristic review structure was already there, reading the new post immediately after made me realise that while the same outline is there, Raistlin has indeed evolved a lot in the time between these two posts. The overview in the beginning is more open about the genre and themes and works to engage the reader in a general way before narrowing the focus down to the series being reviewed. While there is still a lot of enthusiasm, there’s now a lot more explanation and reasoning for the enthusiasm which helps not just make the reader feel that Raistlin liked something but makes us really want to see it too because it sounds great. There’s a generally more polished tone and confidence in the writing and it was absolutely great to read.
B. What do you think has changed the most?
Michel’s answer: When I compare the two posts I think the thing that really changed the most is the structure. The first post kind of went all over the place (not to mention the lack of pictures, and the many typos lol), but the newer one has a starting point, middle and end. And the writing style has pretty much improved too, becoming a little bit more engaging and not only dealing with the series itself.
Karandi’s answer: I think Raistlin has found a balance between being a viewer and being a reviewer. He’s finding ways to share his love of something as a fan but to explain it in a way that is more convincing to the reader that they might also find something to enjoy. I also felt there was a bit more confidence behind his statements in the newer post. That said, what hasn’t changed is Raistlin’s positive and generous nature giving credit to those who worked hard on the series either on screen or behind it. Raistlin is always incredibly respectful to the actors and crew and I find that an incredibly endearing trait of his as a reviewer.
C. What do you think might change in the future?
Michel’s answer: I want to experiment more with trying out different styles for my posts. Right now I usually have a pretty basic structure that I am happy with, but I also want to try different styles as well and just experiment. So I think that my writing style, just as it did in this last post might change again in the future. Hopefully of course for the better, but I guess I will let my readers be the judge of that!
Karandi’s answer: I’m not sure if anything needs to change. Raistlin’s posts are always on point, full of enthusiasm, and give enough detail to get an idea of what the film, series, anime, whatever is about without giving too much away. He has a great voice and visiting his blog really is like having a conversation with an old friend about something you both enjoy. Though, if these two posts are anything to go by, I think Raistlin will continue to develop confidence as a reviewer and in his opinion and I also feel he might continue to work on ensuring he is giving enough examples and evidence to justify his view without crossing into complete spoiler territory. That said, I really love Raistlin’s blog as it is.
And tagging:
Well, the three people that I want to tag for this one can be found below. As mentioned above, you are free to choose anyone who you would like to be your partner. Of course there is no pressure in doing this one, but as this is a new tag, Karandi and I certainly hope you find this interesting enough to pass this tag on to others as well. And of course thank you in advance if you want to do this. You do know you are all awesome right? So…without further ado, I nominate:
Thank you all for reading. I hope you enjoyed this tag, and don’t forget to check out Karandi’s post for this which you can find here. Let me know what you thought of this one in the comments section below! See you around!
I admire how much effort you’re putting into creating a sense of community on WordPress. Gj raistlin!
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Thank you so much, that was really kind of you to say 😊😊 It was a joint effort though! 😊 I just love this community and I could not live without it anymore! 😀
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Great post ❤
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Thank you so much, that is kind of you to say 😊😊
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This is a really cool and unique tag! Great job guys!
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Awww…thank you so much, that is very nice to hear. We had a lot of fun with this one 😊😊
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Indeed you guys did! I could see that from the post!
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What a fun post! It is really interesting comparing old posts with new. I think we all hope that we grow in our writing. I love that you have always been enthusiastic and relatable in your posts and have mostly been able to just polish them up a bit more. Your writing was great and back then and it has only gotten better! 🙂
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Cool tag.. Congrats and good luck…
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Thank you so much. That’s very kind of you. It was really a lot of fun creating this 😊😊
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I just read Karandi’s post. They work so well together. Brilliant idea! But now it’s gonna be obvious I have no friends….. 😦
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Lol…You so have friends…everyone here in this entire community! 😊😊 And I would even be game to give this one a second go…so if you really can’t find someone (which I totally doubt) you can always ask me 😊😊
Thanks by the way, for the kind words 😊😊
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I second Raistlin’s thoughts. I don’t think you’ll have too much trouble finding a willing victim… right, volunteer.
And I know both Raistlin and I had a great time doing this and wouldn’t mind doing the tag again with someone if they are stuck.
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Definitely!! Totally agree…if you need more victims, erm volunteers. We are both game..as long as I don’t have to wear cat’s ears 😂😂
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This is an amazing tag idea 🙂 Well done to yourself and Karandi for coming up with it 🙂
Your posts/reviews are a lot of fun to read as they are, but I can’t wait to see/read the different styles you’ll experiment with 😀
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Awww, thank you so much for the kind words and the feedback 😊😊 I really have enjoyed creating this one, and it was so much fun! I try to do my best with the reviews, but in September I want to see if I can maybe experiment a bit with things. But we will see. Thank you again for this very kind comment! 😊😊
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This is such a neat tag! I think back to my old posts every now and then and think, “Aaah, I want to redo them!!” And I might one day.
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Haha: thank you 😊 It really was a fun post to make and it’s great to see how much things have changed in the past few years😊 Well: you should would be interested in seeing that 😀😀
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What a great tag! Well done to both of you! Every once in a while I re-read some of my first posts and think “Oy Vey!”🤦🏻♀️
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Haha😊 I call it nostalgia😉 It’s fun to revisit some of the old posts and see how things have changed😅 At least hopefully for the better lol😂😂 And it really was a fun tag😊😊 Thank you 😀😀
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Really nice idea for a tag, Michel. I’d totally love to do some kind of analysis of my very first post someday too. I am convinced I’ll cringe at what I have said and wrote, but I think there’s plenty to learn from the experience! Sweet post! 😀
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Well: I kind of look at it grom nostalgic viewpoints as well. I cringed a lot too ( especially when I look at all the typos lol😂😂), but it was also fun to revisit the old post and see how everything started😊 Thanks as always for your great and very kind comment!
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That’s intresting idea, i thought that “update” works in similar way but I have never use it yet. Now when I started with new blog I can see how it’s changing and I’ve started last year, so it’s not a lot of time, but especially when it’s about very first posts you can see difference well. When someone is blogging for years it’s sometimes hard to get to his/her first posts, even when the blog is built well.
Have a nice day Michael.
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Thank you! I hardly ever revisit my old posts and quite honestly it was a lot of fun to do so for this post😊 But true it is hard to find older posts for most of the time. Thanks as always for the kind words, and have a great day yourself😊😊
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When I’m looking on my old posts now I’m quite amazed how long some of them was, but I just had much more time. And here… is only work, work, work. Hopefuly soon it’s going to change.
Thank you 🙂
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What a fun and ambitious idea. Awesome! If I were to go back to the real beginning I would have to look very far back. Like 17 years. Or at least 12,5 if we would look only at wp. But for this blog I’m too new to compare new and old, I still haven’t evolved that much I think. Well done you guys!!
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Thank you so much: love your enthusiasm 😊😊 I really enjoyed working on this one as well. And I keep forgetting that you have been blogging for 17 years. That is an amazingly long time. And you do know that your current blog was amazing right from the start right?? And if you didn’t? Well..now you do😊😊
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It was not! 😝 But you are sweet to say so. 😚 Yeah, on and off for 17 years. Mostly on perhaps but there have been times when blogging just hasn’t been prio one. And also, I blog because I need an outlet to pour out my heart and soul. You should read some of my dark stuff sometime. It is scary as fuck. Not even I log onto those blogs anymore. 😞
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yes it was….are you calling me a liar now?? 🤔🤔🤔😂😂😂😂❤️
Well, I wasn’t, because I loved your blog right from the start. Your posts were/are unique, and that is why I pretty much started following it right from the start (well at least when I came across it that is 😅)
I think a lot of people use blogging as an outlet for that, and I think it’s a good thing too 😊😊 Well scary or not, it’s a part of you…and at those times I think you needed it 😊😊 That said…I love your current blog and I hope it will continue for many more years 😊😊
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No one knows how long I will be here. For a long time hopefully. But hey, tomorrow I might start to blog about strange cat breeds instead. Can I count on you to keep on reading then? *I really hope so* *nervous now* *Better not blog about strange cats* Well, anyway, you are sweet for liking my blog from the start. Well, the people who was here from the start are still here commenting so yeah, I should take that as a sign, right?
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I would still be here if you would start blogging about watching paint dry and you would probably find a way to make that interesting as well. Unless I am really mistaking 😂😂
And yes…you had better be here for a very long time because I would miss you way too much were you to suddenly disappear on me 😊😊
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❤️
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This is such a unique and cool tag! Great idea!
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Thank you so much 😊😊 It really was a fun project to work on😀
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I knew it! The moment I got to know that you and Karandi were working on something together I knew that you would come up with something amazing! 😀 Great work, I think this tag will just disseminate through all the WordPress community eheh
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Completely forgot… Thank you for the tag! 😀 So excited to do it eheh
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Haha: no problem, looking forward to what you will come up with too 😊😊
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Aww, thank you so much again! It really was incredibly fun to put this project/tag together. I really hope people are going to enjoy this as much as Karandi and I did. Hopefully it will get picked up by other people too 😊😊 Thanks as always for the kind words, really appreciate them 😊
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Fun tag idea! It was cool seeing your blog through a side-by-side comparison of your old posts and your new ones. It’s always interesting to look back and see just how much things have changed 😊
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Thank you. It really is: I don’t revisit old posts a lot, but because of this tag, I of course did, and I really enjoyed revisiting my past.(So to speak 😂😂).
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This was a great idea!
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Thank you, sorry for the late reply, but your comment got sent to the spame box, where I just saved it from 😊
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No problem!
Would you check out my blog?
I write short fiction:)
Hope to see you there 🙂
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As I said over on Karandi’s post, this is a really awesome idea. Congrats to the two of you for making something like this and making your posts so much fun to read! 🙂
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Aww: thank you so very much for these very kind words: this really made my day😊😊 We had a lot of fun creating this and seeing comments like this totally makes me smile: thank you😊
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Awhh 😊 I bet it was! It sounds really fun as well because you get to work with someone else on a tag! 😊
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Definitely! It was the collobaration part on this that made it even more fun than it already was 😊
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This tag is awesome- what a wonderful idea! 🙂
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Thank you so much. We both had a lot of fun with it! 😊😊
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This is the first time I heard this tag. So cool. ^ ^
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Thank you…well you would be right not to have heard of this tag, as Karandi and I just created it 😊😊
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Cool new tag! I have recently been thinking that my posts have changed and that I used to do better ones, more bent on humor. But now I’m just too exhausted to do that xD my blog needs a refresher maybe.
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Thank you so much!😊 Well, don’t feel too disheartened. I think a blog changes a lot througout it’s run, but the most important thing is having fun with it!😊 Write the things that you love to write, and if there are days that you feel might be too exhausted: take a break. That for me usually works 😊😊 Good luck though, and as I said keep having fun! 😄
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This is such a cool tag to do! Really enjoyed your answers!
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This was a lot of fun creating this tag…it’s nice to see how things change over the years😊😊 The best part though was the collaboration on this. Really awesome to do 😊
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The collab part was great! 😀 Brilliant!
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Ha ha!! What’s wrong with being all over the place?? That’s pretty much my token style!! Everything in my head just gets slathered onto a page in not particular order… Mmm… Slathered… Now I’m hungry… I really want to go back and read your first post though!… Was there a link? I didn’t notice one…
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Aw I really enjoyed reading this post 🙂 It’s so cool to have a collab between you guys, and each of you pointing out facts about the other. I can tell Karandi really looks up to you, respects you and sees you as a dear friend, which is just lovely.
This also gave me a chance to look back on my first impression of you (which actually has not changed!) and how your blog became an instant favourite of mine. Your honesty, friendliness and humour really made me want to check out post after post, didn’t matter whether I liked the subject or not. Because your writing really made every post enjoyable and so easy to read!
I hope you keep up the wonderful work, or rather, keep getting better and better! You deserve all the traffic you’re getting because your passion and warmth are a gift to our small community ❤ Here's to another few years blogging!
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Thanks so much for these amazingly kind words. They totally make me blush 😅😅
We both had an amazing time creating this tag, and it was a lot of fun. I really respect Karandi as she is an amazing blogger, but at the same time she is also an amazing friend. I love all the comments we have been sharing over the past few years, and I really have had some amazing recommendations because of her 😊
I hope her blog will continue for a very long time as well, and I will do my best to make mine continue too 😊 I love blogging and I really can’t live without it.
As for you, you do know that all the things you said about me, are all totally describing yourself too right? Well in case you didn’t you do know now😊 I hope your blog will continue for many more years as well, and you are absolutely amazing yourself. Here’s to many more years of blogging indeed 😊!
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What a great idea for a tagging post. And really good answers.
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Thank you so much, It really was so much fun creating this one, and the collab part on it was awesome 😊😊
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