When I started Book Blogging in June of 2009, I barely had a clue as to what I was doing beyond writing a review, posting it and seeing what happens. As you can probably imagine, nothing much happened.
Thankfully my timing was close to the first ever Bloggiesta which came about the week after I started blogging in ’09. Bloggiesta, I am pretty sure, saved me. Why you ask? Because Bloggiesta gave me my first taste of real book blogging and more importantly the community behind it. If you are not familiar with Bloggiesta, it is a time set aside when bloggers write posts and help teach each other to blog well, there are tips on how to make a better looking blog as well as how to link posts, create meme’s, add pictures, clean up those sidebars… Needless to say I devoured everything that first Bloggiesta had to offer. When Bloggiesta ended, the community did not.
I think Book Bloggers are the most generous and kind people on the blogesphere. I may be bias. 
Whenever I liked how someone did something on their blog and I emailed them to ask them how to do it, everyone responded kindly and taught me so much along the way. When I look back on those first weeks of dipping a toe into book blogging, I know for a fact I would have never survived if not for the community of book bloggers and their kindness towards a newbie.
Always a fan of community in everything I do, I was super excited when the first Book Blogger Appreciation Week was launched. Any time there was a way for book bloggers to work together to build better blogs, love on Dewey with the read-a-thon, or to celebrate one another you could count me in. And BBAW did not disappoint making an on ramp for book bloggers to recognize what is so great about this community and chat about it…. if you are like me, you love to write about and talk about books. It’s even better when you have a group of like minded people to share those bookish thoughts with.
It is the community that three + years later that keeps me writing about books and bookish things. I love hitting “publish” and later seeing who had what to say about what I wrote. The community had stretched me, made me think more, write better, and smile… a whole lot. Thank you fellow book bloggers for providing myself as well as so many others a virtual book store within the book blogging community.
You… are my people.
Sheila blogs regularly at Book Journey
I totally agree! And thanks for the Bloggiesta shout out!
You’re our people too!!
A nice piece of writing! I can’t participate in everything, but BBAW and Bloggiesta are must-dos for me now!
Sheila, your blog has grown to be a big one in the book blogging world, and I love how you connect people with the It’s Monday meme. Bloggiesta is brilliant! (Just saying).
I’m just getting started with book blogging, but your post has inspired me. Bloggiesta is at the end of this month, right? Perhaps I need to give it a try! Thanks for sharing.
Thanks everyone, I am passionate about community. Julia Tomiak, yes Bloggiesta is at the end of the month and if you can participate you will not regret it. Its a wonderful way to know more about blogging and meet incredible.people.
Couldn’t agree more. Posts like this make me happy and proud to be part of the community! Now I am looking forward to Bloggiesta! (Ole!)
I started in earnest in 2009, too, and you were the go-to person for me on Word Press, as I tried to figure it all out.
I missed out on the first Bloggiesta, which was just ending as I really started going….but I’ve enjoyed all of the ones since.
Amy, I have been told that some people have commented here but their comments did not show up. Spam folder perhaps?
Excellent thoughts! Book blogging has opened up such a vast and meaningful community to me — all y’all (the plural of “y’all,” of course) are my crew! Don’t know where I would be without my bloggy friends.
Well said. I think not knowing what Bloggiesta was when I started, I skipped the first one but I go so much help from other bloggers along the way. It really was my first clue that this was much more than me just reading and writing posts.