Tens of millions of blogs are launched every year, but a significant portion of these never make it to their first anniversary. No, I don’t have the statistics to back up my statement — just my keen observations of the blogosphere to fall back on.

Plenty of bloggers get started with a bang, but quickly grow discouraged and quit. Or, they slow down and post on an erratic basis. Days, weeks, even months pass between posts with no mention anywhere whether the blog is permanently inactive or if the blogger decided to chase after other pursuits.

Blogging When Nobody Notices

Some bloggers busily blog away despite low traffic numbers and a small following. These types of bloggers are doing what they do simply because they have a topic that is passionate to them, but still they are not getting the traffic numbers to reflect their diligence.

One blogger who fits this bill is Bobbie Sullivan, who has a network of five aviation blogs. I know Bobbie from a business flight attendant site I used to own; we hooked up there four years ago and she agreed to monitor one sub-forum for me. Since that time, Bobbie began launching the first of her blogs as well as her Aircrew Health website.

Almost A Running Joke

While Bobbie was busy with her blogs, I launched and later sold off two aviation blogs. For the many months Bobbie was busy with her aviation blogs and I was managing one of mine, the unspoken joke between us was the lack of comments our blogs were receiving. Aviation blogs can be very useful, but getting people to actively participate is difficult. Nonetheless, Bobbie and I regularly commented on each other’s blogs and shared link love here and there.

Out of the Blue: The Right Blue

This past summer Bobbie sent to me an email mentioning that she was working on a new blog, one not related to aviation. I knew that the theme would cover her Hawaiian homeland, but I had no idea what Bobbie was working on.

In July 2007, The Right Blue was launched — a blog dedicated to Bobbie and Jerry Sullivan’s passion for ocean diving. Talk about being surprised – not once in the nearly four years I talked, chatted and emailed Bobbie had she made any mention of her love of the sea. With no less than 2000 dives under their belts, the Sullivans are quite familiar with the Pacific waters surrounding the Hawaiian Islands as well as many tropical and sub-tropical waters around the world.

From Obscurity to Abundance

This past March I announced that four of Bobbie’s aviation blogs had been picked up by Aviation Week for feed inclusion on their website. Although this move has helped her traffic numbers, this still pales in comparison to the traffic now coming to The Right Blue.

On the three-month anniversary of the blog, Bobbie told her readers:

Much to our amazement and delight, The Right Blue quickly attracted many visitors beyond our circle of family and friends, and it turns out that a large percentage of those visitors return again and again. We know this not only from our traffic statistics, but because they give us feedback via comments on individual posts and on our contact form. A substantial number have subscribed to our RSS feed. They like The Right Blue!

Although I know Bobbie is passionate about aviation issues the Sullivans’ passion for the sea (ocean devotion) is evident too. Moreover, the personal photos, stories, and reader contributions have brought the blog to the forefront and have given the Sullivans something they can be proud of.

So, what is the moral of this story? Answer: whatever your motives are for blogging stick with your passion no matter what. At times blogging can be thankless, while at other times it can be tremendously rewarding — either way, your passion for a particular subject adds value to the blogosphere, perhaps in a way you don’t even realize.

Photo Credit: Pam Roth, USA