First Ever Posts: 5 Bloggers Look Back

It's strange, but also oddly comforting, that even the most established of blogs had to start somewhere. No readers, no comments - just them and the ether, each hoping to make their mark in one way or another. I've always wondered if they all began with the same agenda. Or if they knew where blogging would take them, how it would evolve, or that some of them would end up playing such influential roles in the development of the blogosphere as a whole. My curiosity got the better of me so I asked five of my favourite bloggers to look back on their inaugural post and to share how it makes them feel now. Every one of them has their own story and trajectory; simultaneously public as much as personal. And whilst nostalgia's always fun, there's always more reason to indulge in it than mere entertainment. Maybe viewing the 'then' and the 'now' so closely together can help us predict what the future of blogging holds, too.

Disney Roller Girl

First Ever Post: Banana Republic Coming To London

"Looking back at my first ever blog post four years ago (gulp), it's quite clear that I thought no-one would read it. But I don't think I intended anyone to read it at that point, it was supposed to be a kind of visual online notebook documenting my half-baked thoughts, wishlists and personal observations.

Sometimes I'm tempted to delete the early posts but I'm glad I haven't, I think it's nice to see the evolution of the blog over the years. I do wince looking back at how I added whole URLs instead of making them into text links and - the shame! - I remember uploading huge 4MB images and wondering why it took so long. Ah the joys of a steep learning curve. I'm amazed at the speed blogging has changed. Four years ago there was no Twitter and I really feel that Twitter has accelerated the changes. Information is moving faster than ever now, I can barely keep up!"

Coco's Tea Party

First Ever Post: The New Black

"My first ever post was actually about the Australian soup opera, Neighbours, and I deleted it in a moment of madness (it was wonderfully cringe-y). When I started blogging there was no grand plan, as the Neighbours post shows, and a lot of my posts were clumsy and poorly constructed. The oldest post on Coco's Tea Party now is my second ever post, which was about Christina Aguilera. From a content level it's still very in-keeping with the way I post today, but looking back on it now it screams of imperfection. I think (and hope) that my posts today are slicker, and have more of a purpose than this one. I'm more analytical and I definitely take a more professional approach to blogging today."

Alex Loves

First Ever Post: Dominic Jones Jewellery

"Looking back at that first post I'm actually surprisingly proud of it. It was pretty much what I wanted Alex Loves to be about - finding young designers and sharing them with whoever might read it.

I think anyone who starts a blog with certain goals and ambitions is probably in it for the wrong reasons. I think blogging has to be a personal, passionate thing. I started mine for the fun of it, merely an outlet for the things I wanted to write about which I couldn't get commissioned for. I loved the idea of being an editor with no one telling me what to do. The only change since then is that people actually started reading it, started caring about my opinion. Did I start this with the intention for thousands to read it, did I hope that people would think my opinion would matter or that I would end up in the front row of a Chanel show? God no, but I've embraced every single opportunity that has come my way.

I think the Dominic Jones piece is a perfect example of what I wanted out of this blog, supporting young talent and getting my personal opinion out there. Visually my blog has changed, personally I have learned so much in the past year, but the essence of it is all there in that first post."

The Very Simon G

First Ever Post: Bangkok Arrival

"All blogs start somewhere, and mine didn't actually start with a fashion post. Back in 2008, when I started the blog, I had just got back from a long travelling trip. Whilst on my travels I sent emails home to all my friends and family, detailing everything I had done with quite a bit of humour. Not to blow my own trumpet here, but everyone who I sent the emails to loved them and said I should publish them, so I put them on a blog. My blog. My very first one was when I arrived in Bangkok.

So alas, theverysimong.com did not start life as a fashion blog. Far from it. In fact a lot of my very first posts were feature-long opinions. And of course my beloved travelling emails. In fact, thank you for asking me to contribute to this lovely Olivia, I've just taken a trip down memory lane re reading my very first post!"

The Style Crusader

First Ever Post: Mission Statement

"Part of me wants to cover my face in embarrassment when I look back at the first post I wrote on my blog. Back in August 2009, when I started the site, the idea was to secretly snap people looking their worst and then critique their bad outfit choices - a sort of amalgamation of fashion don'ts with advice on how to have avoided the catastrophe. The first post was a mission statement explaining why I thought this was a good idea. The format followed that way for a few months and I had countless conversations with friends about whether or not this was a morally acceptable thing to be doing. Most of them thought it wasn't. Eventually I just got tired of focusing on the negatives and looking for the next awful outfit. Besides, I started to realise that it wasn't really my place to put a stamp of approval on anyone's look. Now I try to use the blog more as a platform for displaying photography, events I've attended, or inspiring people I've met. It's more positive but still completely honest."

Me? I wrote my first post like noone was reading (which, incidentally, they weren't) but I wouldn't change it. Whenever I feel a bit disillusioned I always look back and remind myself why I started my blog in the first place. When there are so many blogs out there, all clamouring for attention, it's hard not to get swept up in it too. It's good to have that touchstone still there; a constant, if slightly hidden, reminder that my blog is still very much a labour of love, regardless of all else.