Six months

Today marks the six-month anniversary of my becoming Section Leader (SL) in Diana Gabaldon's section of the Compuserve Books and Writers Forum. It's also six months, more or less, since I started this blog. I am, needless to say, delighted with the way both of these things have worked out. <g> So this seems like a good opportunity to look back.

When I started Outlandish Observations, I was initially just looking for a way to learn about blogging, since I'd never done it before. I figured that no one other than my friends on LOL or Compuserve would read my blog or have any reason to notice it at all. Boy, was I wrong about that! <g> This blog has succeeded beyond my wildest expectations, and I am so grateful to those of you who drop by here to read and comment.

One of the things I wanted to do from the very beginning with this blog -- indeed, my primary reason for creating it in the first place -- was to provide a resource for the latest news and information about the OUTLANDER books, a place where fans who don't frequent the larger sites, like Compuserve or LOL, can come to find up-to-date information on what's going on. And because I'm on Compuserve every day, I'm in an excellent position to hear Diana's reaction to the latest rumors or speculations -- whether that's the possibility of an OUTLANDER movie, or the release date for AN ECHO IN THE BONE, or whatever -- and pass that information on to you right away.

It really was totally by coincidence -- believe it or not -- that I was offered the position of Section Leader on Compuserve only two weeks after I first had the idea for this blog. I've described my reaction to that elsewhere, so I won't repeat it here, except to say that I was stunned, and delighted, and it took a while to recover from the shock. But I'm very comfortable in the role by now, and still having a lot of fun with it.

When I became SL on Compuserve, I made a very deliberate decision to try to make the forum a more welcoming place for newbies. From the many comments I've received in the months since, I think I've accomplished that. I am so pleased by how many new members have decided to "take the plunge" and start posting in Diana's section of the Compuserve forum. It's a little intimidating to post there at first (believe me, I remember the feeling very well!), but I'm delighted to see how much more active Diana's section has been lately. It does make it more of a challenge for me to read and keep up with all of the posts <g> -- but really, I don't mind a bit! And I would encourage those of you who haven't yet visited the forum to come and check it out for yourselves.

3 comments

Hayley/Shu Fen said...

hey, just dropping by ^^ nice blog!

Melanie said...

Karen,
I couldn't have joined the compuserve forum without your help. You're not only welcoming to us newbies but so great coaching us through the technical bits and sharing your perspective on the books. Thanks so much. Melanie

Kristina said...

Congrats on the 6-month anniversary! You really are the best SL. So diplomatic, knowledgeable, friendly, inviting and encouraging. You ROCK!

AND your blog-site is maybe the best-done--of any--I've seen...

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