A 10-year blogiversary celebration

In a few weeks, the Conflict Zen blog will be 10 years old. I’m throwing a party to celebrate and I hope you’ll join in.

In February 2002, I’d been in business about five years and was looking for a better way to manage all the articles and newsletter content I was creating for prospective, current and past clients. I wanted to keep it online for easier use and access by clients and I wanted software that made it easy to manage. Blogging software fit the bill perfectly…and still does.

The blogosphere was still young and the business blogosphere was a lonely place at the time. The conflict resolution blogosphere was downright barren, something I’m happy to see has changed substantially over the years. I stuck with it because I had the sense these things called blogs could be helpful in the business arena and I enjoy experimenting with ideas on the bleeding edge.

I’m glad I stuck with it. A decade later I’ve had the good fortune to have talked with, met, and worked with people all over the world, many whom became connections because of this blog. I’ve made life-long friends thanks to the ‘net, learned new things, taught new things, and had a ball while doing it.

I feel like partying, I do. Over 1,000 articles and 2,000 comments later, I’m counting down to the official 10-year blogiversary on February 1. And I want to invite you to my party, gifts included. Gifts from me to you, that is. Your gift to me has been your presence here, your comments on my posts, your camaraderie.

And since a blogiversary party should take place in the blogosphere in which it all started, here’s how this party will happen:

• Between today and February 1, I’m going to share long-ago articles that many of my more recent readers probably haven’t seen – personal favorites, audience favorites, ones that continue to yield constant email streams.
• Each time, the article comments box will be available for your comments – comments on the article I highlighted, comments about the Conflict Zen blog in general, comments to me about anything you’d like to say.
• Beginning today, each time you comment, you’ll be entered once into a random drawing.
• Each time you share my blog post with others, either by writing about it on your own blog, or posting it on Twitter, Facebook, Google+, LinkedIn, you’ll get an additional two entries in the drawing. Use the Facebook or Twitter comment feature associated with the comment box or find me on any of those platforms and drop me a note so I know you shared.
• On February 1, I’ll announce the winners right here on the blog.

The Prizes

What can you win? Glad you asked. Here’s the run-down:

• A free lifetime membership in my online conflict resolution community and mini-courses platform, the Conflict Zen Commons.
• A free quarterly membership in the Commons (I’ll be giving away two of these).
• One hour of negotiation or conflict management coaching or mediator mentoring from me, via phone or skype.
• A signed copy of my book, Making Mediation Your Day Job.

Join me, won’t you? Comments are open, my friends. (If you read my posts via email or RSS reader, just click on the title of the article to be taken automatically to the web page with the comments box at the bottom). Thanks for being here, whether you’ve been with me for a decade or day.