Nordic Domain Days (NDD.blog) is back for 2023, and as official sponsors, .blog has had May 7th – 9th marked on its calendar for months. 

This much-anticipated event celebrates the people and companies within the domain community, with a particular focus on those based in the Nordic region.

What is Nordic Domain Days?

In its 8th year, NDD is a conference in Stockholm, Sweden for people from the domain name industry as well as others who just want to learn more about what we do. It offers improved opportunities to network, attend social events, and keynote talks, learn from one another, and forge new business partnerships. 

NDD Founder LG Forsberg, an expert in the domain industry and CTO of both iQ Global and NameBlock, is a gracious host who also runs this event each year.  Kudos LG!

The industry conference runs across two full days, bringing together registries, registrars, resellers, service providers, and investors for networking and learning centered around the domain name industry. 

This year’s topics are yet to be revealed, but we’re excited to hear that Hilary Osborne, Membership Director of the i2Coalition, will be a stage host alongside established domain investor Braden Pollock.

How .blog is involved

As official event sponsors, .blog is thrilled to be a part of this ever-evolving event that highlights what’s new and what’s working in the world of Nordic domain names. 

Check out NDD.blog for regular updates and information about the Nordic Domain Days event.

We’re excited to spend time with our European partners and resellers at this top industry event. .blog is also a proud co-sponsor of the Grand Social. We’d love to see you there.

Believe it or not, the end of 2022 is upon us and we are about to enter another new year. Looking at blogs of today, who would have predicted this blogging trajectory back in the 90s? We are grateful for how far they’ve come and that we get to play a role in the blogging journey of so many.

While we can never predict the future, we can look back and learn from the past and make educated guesses about where we are going, and that’s what this article is all about. Join us as we journey through 2022 and take a look ahead to 2023.

A Review of 2022

2022 was another exciting year for bloggers. Here are the lessons this year taught us:

Content marketing leads the way

Content marketing is here and here to stay. Blogs provide the perfect home for articles, videos and ebooks, and both readers and bloggers benefit from this content. Readers appreciate free gifts in exchange for signing up for email newsletters, and for bloggers, content marketing draws audiences to their site, converts sales, and helps build trust.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is always changing

Just in the last few months, we’ve seen evidence that SEO is constantly changing–read about Google’s most recent update here if you haven’t already. Google is constantly trying to improve its user experience and, as a result, bloggers have been asked to prioritize the reader and to further hone in on a specific niche.

Video content gets more popular

2022 has seen a continued rise in video content production and demand. Many consumers even report that they prefer video content to written content. YouTube and TikTok are huge and bloggers who regularly embed videos into their blogs [link to article on fantastic hip-hop blog] are successfully appealing to this modern-day audience.

Build your brand

Unlike in the early days of blogging, having a stand-alone blog is no longer the goal for most bloggers. Rather, a blog is one part of a greater brand. Bloggers must know their niche and their brand, being intentional about pairing their blog, social media, and other marketing into a cohesive brand image.

Getting Excited for 2023

2023 will continue to build upon the trends and lessons of this year; here are themes we predict will make their mark in the new year:

Quality over quantity

While regular posting is always worthwhile and desirable, especially in niches with quickly changing news, blogs will see an increased emphasis on quality over quantity. Prioritizing the reader means giving clear, detailed, informative, and interesting posts. Writing such thoughtful posts takes more time which may mean fewer total posts. Well-researched posts published once a month are better than shallow daily posts–unless, of course, the mission of your blog relies on daily posting.

Unique content wins

Blogging is no longer in its infancy. Most of what can be blogged about probably has been blogged about. But that doesn’t mean there is no room for more; it just means that blogs need to add something new and valuable. Remember that not all blogs have to look the same. Take a look at some of our featured dotbloggers to see how many amazing and creative blogs already exist. Emphasize what makes you unique and remember to take advantage of adding video content to your site.

Cater to shortened attention spans

Whether we think it is a good or bad thing that attention spans are decreasing, as bloggers, we must keep this fact in mind. When formatting your posts, remember that your readers are used to receiving information quickly. Make it easy for them by utilizing headers, having engaging visual content, and providing summaries. Lists are also a user-friendly way to share information with your readers.

Remember the world outside the Internet

Even though bloggers live online, there is a whole other outside world that is easy to forget. As the peak of Covid continues to become more of a memory than a day-to-day reality, many are eager to meet in person again. Actively look at networking opportunities so that you can connect with and learn from others in person in addition to virtually. Remember that just because your job is online, you too can benefit from the community.

We’re Here Through the Years

The end of the year is always an exciting time to review how you and your blog have grown. It is also a good time to take note of blogging trends that rose or decreased in popularity throughout the past year. In addition to reflecting, we love looking ahead to another year. It’s a time for bloggers to build anticipation and excitement about the new year, set goals and plan for another year of blogging. As we ring in 2023 together, we will continue to be here to support you and are grateful to experience another year of blogging together.

We’re so excited that we’re celebrating our sixth anniversary this week! We know we wouldn’t be here without you, so we want to recognize you and bring attention to your accomplishments.

Do you know your blog’s anniversary? Is it coming up? Do you celebrate it? No matter how you answer these questions, we want to share why your anniversary is worth celebrating and give you some ideas on how to do it.

Why it’s Worth Celebrating

Having a blog is a commitment that takes care, attention, and love. If you’re in a relationship, your partner probably wouldn’t appreciate you forgetting your anniversary or letting it go by without any acknowledgment. Your blog deserves to be celebrated too!

Having a blog that lasts multiple years is an accomplishment in and of itself. Are you in that group? If so, pause and give yourself a pat on the back. Not there yet? That’s okay, you will be soon. Celebrating even mini milestones helps to recognize your hard work. Imagine your blog as your baby and celebrate each month of its life. You and your blog are both growing constantly, and you should be proud of all the hard work it took to get here.

Celebrating your blogging anniversary can also inspire you and give you momentum. Any job can get monotonous after a while. Taking time to mark your milestones can bring some excitement back to your blogging journey and remind you of why you got started in the first place.

Just as many of us create a list of goals or resolutions in the New Year, your blog’s anniversary can serve as an opportunity to reflect on your growth and reset your goals. None of us stay the same year after year. Growth can mean many different things or be any size achievement. Did you learn a new skill set? Did you achieve one of last year’s goals? Did your blog hit a certain number of readers? Use this annual event as a time to note where you’ve come from, acknowledge your accomplishments, and look forward to the future with a renewed plan and direction.

How to Celebrate

1. Host a Giveaway

Who doesn’t love free things? Hosting a giveaway is a fun way to mark your blog’s anniversary, and there are many different ways to do it:

• Create branded swag and give it away to your followers. 
• Create a gift basket, auction it off, and then give the proceeds to a charity that aligns with your blog. 
• Make a big gift package and choose one random reader to win it at random.
• Encourage readers to share your blog with others. Incentivize sharing by having a drawing for a prize package, where each share equals one entry.

2. Have a Party

Aren’t parties synonymous with celebrations? Having a party is a fun way to mark your blogging anniversary, and it doesn’t have to be huge to count. Certainly, you can throw an elaborate event and invite important bloggers in your niche, but you can also keep it simple and celebrate the occasion with a few of your closest friends.

Think of this day as your blog’s birthday and celebrate with a birthday party. Not into parties? Buy yourself a cake to celebrate on your own!

3. Create a Special Anniversary Post

This is a blog anniversary, after all, so celebrating with a special anniversary post makes sense. You can even make it an annual tradition. Every year, make a list of your most popular posts alongside your favorite posts.

On your five-year anniversary, you can list your five most popular posts plus your five favorite posts of all time, remembering to link to them. Or maybe ask people to share their favorite moments from your blog. You can also ask people to vote on a topic beforehand and then release the winning post on your blog’s anniversary. 

4. Host an Online Event

Your blog’s celebration doesn’t have to be in person. Use the occasion as an opportunity to connect with your followers through a virtual celebration. You can host a virtual party, share a free webinar, or offer a Q&A. Your readers are the ones who keep your blog alive, and getting people involved increases engagement and builds community. It also gives you the chance to learn from your readers directly: What do they like? What do they want to see more of? What keeps them coming back again and again?

5. Make an Announcement

What better time to make a special announcement? Use your anniversary to share a project that you’ve been working on. Are you launching a new book, adding a storefront to your site, or starting a new series? Build excitement about what the next year of your blog will hold.

6. Give your Blog a Makeover

Have you been thinking about changing your coloring or format? Is there something new you have been thinking about bringing to your blog but haven’t found the right time yet? Let your anniversary be the day you launch or announce this change. As you evolve, your blog can too. Remember that your blog doesn’t have to stay stuck in the year it was built; it can get better with age.

Cheers to Another Year

Each year, as we celebrate our own anniversary, we are reminded of our growth and progress. We are here for you and because of you, and for that, we offer our sincerest thank you! We look forward to celebrating our future anniversaries with you, and we can’t wait to see and host all of yours.

Did you know there’s a whole day dedicated to celebrating blogs and the bloggers behind them? Since the early 2000s, August 31st has been known as World Blog Day. Naturally, we’re excited to mark this holiday!

What are blogs?

If you’re here, you probably already know the answer to this question, but you might not know about the history of blogging.

In 1994, Justin Hall, a Swarthmore College undergraduate, created links.net and began using it as a diary. He pioneered the practice of documenting thoughts and sharing personal insights online, so he’s often credited with being the world’s first blogger. 

Despite its growing popularity, the word “blog” didn’t come about for a few more years. Jorn Barger described his website “log” as a “weblog” in 1997, and the term was eventually truncated to just “blog” and used as both a noun and a verb.

WordPress launched in 2003, providing an accessible platform for bloggers, and things continued to evolve from there. Sites like Huffington Post and Buzzfeed blurred the line between blogging and journalism, and throughout the early 2000s, blogging continued to gain popularity worldwide.

In 2015, the .blog domain was added, helping bloggers expand their reach and better cater to their target audiences. 

There are now over 600 million blogs online, and millions of new posts are published every day.

Why are they worth celebrating?

Blogs are an exciting, accessible, and noteworthy way to share and receive information. Because anyone can become a blogger, they’re diverse and varied, and they cover a whole host of incredible topics. 

Want to learn something new? You can learn it on a blog!

With so many different topics and styles, there’s a blog out there for everyone. Bloggers pour their time, energy, and hearts into creating desirable content and maintaining their sites, and we think that’s worth celebrating.

How can you celebrate?

1. Have a blogging party

Need an excuse to throw a party? Have one for World Blog Day! Hosting a blogging event, either virtually or in person, is a great way to network, promote your brand, and celebrate. It doesn’t have to be elaborate; you can invite people to join you on social media, host a giveaway, or give out branded swag.

2. Blog about it

Why not celebrate the day dedicated to blogging by writing a blog post? Schedule a special post educating people about the history of blogging or, better yet, outline the history of blogging in your particular niche.

3. Network with other bloggers

Use this day as an opportunity to get to know others in your field. See if any organizations in your niche are hosting events or contact a fellow blogger about guest posting.

4. Try something new

World Blog Day could be your chance to try something new, like adding a new feature to your blog. 

Do you already have a content calendar? If not, look for a free template to bring more organization and planning to your blog. What about video? Have you tried adding this trendy media to your site? If not, let World Blog Day inspire you to give it a try! 

If you need more ideas, check out our post on the latest blogging trends [link to blog trends article]. We’re always working to keep you up to date so your blog remains on the cutting edge.

5. Start a blog

Have you been thinking about starting a blog but haven’t yet? What better day to jump in! The blogging community is a wonderful place, and we’re always here to support you.

Happy World Blog Day

Since their very first appearance almost 30 years ago, blogs have exploded. They’ve grown and evolved from simple online diaries to incredible sources of information and entertainment. We’re thrilled to be part of the blogging community and share its rich history. 

For World Blog Day, we’re celebrating all bloggers and encouraging you to find a fun way to mark this special holiday.