#48 My Website & Blog are One Year Old!
One year ago, I purchased a domain name and a Squarespace website. I took the tutorials and constructed https://www.drjoannaidorf.com/. Inside that site is the blog that I launched called After Emergency Medicine. I wanted to take control of one place online where people could go to find out more about me. I also committed, to myself, to post a blog post weekly about some topic, book, travel experience or insight that piqued my fancy. It just goes to show you how a consistent and sustained habit can lead to positive results.
I NOW HAVE 47 BLOG POSTS FOR THE YEAR! That is really showing up and getting it done. I only missed during the weeks that I was traveling to Egypt and Switzerland. I didn’t want to carry my laptop along with me but I did blog extensively about my travels after I got home. My favorite might be Dancing at the WaWa because I remember that moment of joy and innocence so thoroughly. By far, my most popular entry was the one I posted last week about our beautiful friend and flute teacher Charlotte Day. www.drjoannaidorf.com/after-emergency-medicine-blog/47-thank-you-charlotte
I would like to share a few things that I have learned along the way.
Why did I do the blog and who did I do it for? This is a great question and I stew weekly on the answer. I primarily do it for me. I have always wanted to journal and reflect on my experiences, but I never got into that daily or weekly habit. This is quite unfortunate because there were several occasions where absolutely nutty things were happening simultaneously in the ED and I would think: you couldn’t make this up if you tried. Of course, now I can’t remember these.
To be fair, I saw thousands and thousands of patients over the years and a lot of the good stuff happened in the middle of the night. We referred to these times as “o-dark-hundred.” The night shift in the emergency department is another universe that exists outside of normal time and space. Everyone is wide awake and functioning as a beautiful team. Unfortunately, when we have to invite one of our consultant colleagues to join the night experience with us, they want to bark, delay, and procrastinate. People, the night shift gets held to the same standard of care as the day shift! One positive change over the years has been the evolution of 24/7 radiology, hospitalist and transfer availability. Sometimes our patients just can’t wait for sun-up.
Back to the point of this blog. Writing about your experiences helps you focus on you, your thoughts and your emotions. Writing helps one feel her emotions and “process” them. I get to feel all the feels after the fact, and try to find the right words to convey my thoughts and feelings to other people who may somehow find my website and my blog. Mostly, I tweet about my blogposts on twitter, or Linked-in or link to them on Facebook. I also post some of the blogposts to Medium.com https://medium.com/@joannaidorf/you-are-not-an-imposter-you-are-a-human-f34502b9477 , where other folks can read them as well.
I have learned a lot about posting online. If I put in useful tags and phrases that get noted in search-engine optimization, SEO, other folks can be drawn in to read my posts. I have learned how to post my own pictures and how search for stock photos available to use for free on-line. This may be why so many of the articles you read online seem to have the same old images and beautiful people seen on “Unsplash” or “Shutterstock.” Yes, someone has allowed a picture of their crying baby to be used as a stock photo online.
The second reason for writing the blog is to share my observations and thoughts with all of you. Those reviews and reflections are out there in cyberspace and just waiting for someone who needs them. If you need to know about visiting the Pyramids or a cool museum in Lausanne, I have some ideas for you. If you want to read about some concepts from my book, you can find a few on the blog. Each article appeals to someone and I enjoy some of the comments I get.
Another lesson that I learned in this year of writing articles and blogging was to absolutely ignore most of the comment section. When my perspective piece was published in the Washington Post Some doctors don’t like some patients - The Washington Post , the comment section was bombarded with nearly 500 entries over the 48 hours in which they leave the section open. My husband did read the comments and related a choice two or three to me. Folks like an opportunity to air their grievances with the healthcare system and of course, how poorly they get treated at the doctor’s office of the emergency department.
I learned to go write down ideas as soon as I would have them and to brainstorm about topics when I have the chance. I reprinted some of the book reviews that I had written for The DO magazine and shared them as blogposts. In that way I get to repurpose something that I have already written. That helps me to not feel quite so rushed every week.
So, there were 47 posts about a little bit of everything and I am proud of my accomplishment. I have more travel posts on the way and a few other ideas in the pipeline. I think another post about Dolly is due soon. I am mostly enjoying the experience of blogging and I feel like my writing has improved. Of course, I have a very lenient editor (me). I can’t wait to show you what I have for you next year.
