Last updated on January 12th, 2015 at 02:20 pm
Everyone has blind spots, and often, dreamers are famous for having dream blind spots — instead of facing the reality of where they are with their dream and what they need to do, and the dues they will have to pay, they choose to believe that, “it’s just going to happen right away because my dream is so amazing!”
For example, let’s use me.
I put out there that my dream is to have a top blog on the Internet.
People are constantly asking me if my blog 8 Women Dream is “there” yet.
When I say, “no” they look at me like I must be doing a lot wrong.
“How long have you been doing this now?” they ask me with a raised eyebrow.
“Well, if I don’t count A Week In The Life of a Redhead . . . four years!” I smile back.
Dead silence usually follows until they change the subject.
I try not to have a blind side when it comes to this top blog dream that I’ve picked. I’ve done my homework and I understand a great deal about the top blogs on the Internet. But as big as 8 Women Dream is and the over 3 million visitors it has had, it hasn’t “tipped” yet taking it to the level where it is regularly featured by the media and big name advertisers beat a path to be on the site.
To keep myself striving I often check out the statistics of some of the top blogs on the Internet.
Here are the numbers from 8 of the top blogs (as of today) —
1. The Huffington Post
Started: April 2005 – 7 years old
Important incoming links:70,000 incoming links from edu sites
Number of pages on the site: 33,000,000 pages indexed by Google (They were famous for doing 50 blog posts a day when they started so they could grow the site quickly).
2. Mashable!
Started: July 2005 – 7 years old
Important incoming links: 7,000 edu links
Number of pages on the site: 308,000 pages indexed by Google
3. The Daily Beast
Started: Jan 2006 – 6 years old
Important incoming links: 49,000 edu links
Number of pages on the site: 185,000 pages indexed by Google
4. The Verge
Started: May 2000 – 12 years old
Important incoming links: 60,000 edu links
Number of pages on the site: 50,000 pages indexed by Google
5. BuzzFeed
Started; September 2002 – 10 years old
Important incoming links: 90 edu links
Number of pages on the site: 481,000 pages indexed by Google
6. TechCrunch
Started: June 2005 – 7 years old
Important incoming links: 8,000 edu links
Number of pages on the site: 705,000 pages indexed by Google
7. The Next Web
Started: April 2007 – 5 years old
Important incoming links: 4,000 edu links
Number of pages on the site: 52,000 pages indexed by Google
8. Gizmodo
Started: August 2002 – 10 years old
Important incoming links: 13,000 edu links
Number of pages on the site: 223,000 pages indexed by Google
Those are some blog butt-kicking stats don’t you think? 33 million pages? Gee-sh Arianna, do you have to set the bar THAT high?
And how does my 8 Women Dream project stack up against the top blogs in the world by comparison?
8 Women Dream
Started: September 2008 – 6 years and 3 months old
Important incoming links: 3 edu links
Number of pages on the site: 5,000 pages indexed by Google
See how small 8 Women Dream is in contrast? It’s obvious that my dream has quite a bit of work ahead of it.
I can be kinder to my dream and compare 8 Women Dream to other top women bloggers –
– Dooce
Started: April 2001 – 11 years old
Important incoming links: 16,000 edu links
Number of pages on the site: 27,000 pages indexed by Google
– Penelope Trunk
Started: March 2003 – 9 years old
Important incoming links: 1,000 edu links
Number of pages on the site: 4,000 pages indexed by Google
– The Pioneer Woman
Started: October 2006 – 7 years old
Important incoming links: 9,000 edu links
Number of pages on the site: 48,000 pages indexed by Google
Okay, maybe not.
Looking at these stats tell me that 8 Women Dream is still in its infancy, that we need to build more content, we need to lecture at some colleges (or be listed on some alumni lists), and we need to carry on.
This is why you can’t afford to have a blind spot when it comes to your dream. You need to realistically evaluate where you are each week and adjust your dream so that you keep moving forward.
If I sat back and believed all the “Oh I love your site” comments (not that I don’t love hearing this, mind you) or get too caught up in our Twitter followers, or Facebook Page Likes, I’d be ignoring the reality of how much work there still is ahead for me and for 8 Women Dream.
And the problem with not evaluating your dream properly is that you expect too much too soon, and when what you hope for doesn’t happen as quickly as you think it should, you put down your toys and stomp away from your dream.
All dreams exact their pound of flesh in testing your commitment to what it is that you want. It’s the price everyone must pay.
It’s better to study for those tests by seeing your dream exactly where it is right now and vow to keep on working no matter what … even if Arianna Huffington has 33 million pages on her blog. Oh yeah. And she won a Pulitzer Prize.
I have to get back to work now.
Catherine Hughes
Take your Dream Online!
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Catherine Hughes is an accomplished magazine columnist, content creator, and published writer with a background as an award-winning mom blogger. She partners with companies to create captivating web content and social media stories and writes compelling human interest pieces for both small and large print publications. Her writing, which celebrates the resilience and achievements of Northern California’s residents, is featured in several magazines. Beyond her professional life, Catherine is passionate about motherhood, her son, close friendships, rugby, and her love for animals.
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