Thursday, November 2, 2006

Happy Blogiversary!

Five years ago, in room 218 of Campbellsville University's Broadway Hall, a revolution was born. It had the humblest of origins, but in the half-decade that followed, it became a blogosphere powerhouse known as the one, the only, the legendary... The Matt Sutton Experience. Okay, okay, I'm exaggerating a little bit, but the last five years have been a lot of fun. So let's have a history lesson, shall we?

This here blog initially started, as many of you readers know, over at Tripod.com. A version of it is still there today. I got the idea from my neighbor Kenny, right down to misappropriating his blog's format. Outside of a few aesthetic changes - changing the text color from neon green to the current gray, adding Blatant Movie Shilling, comments, and the revolving taglines - the Tripod format has remained pretty much the same since I first opened up shop. But enough about that, what about the content? That's the most important thing, right?

Let's discount 2001, since I only had about thirteen posts over two months, and they weren't really much. So let's start with 2002. And to be truthful, 2002 wasn't a very good year for the Experience either. I averaged maybe two or three posts a month, even dipping down to just one per month on two occasions. The posts were really anemic, on occasion being just a few sentences long, which is why I've since nicknamed my 2002 archives "The Dead Zone." Post quality improved a little and post count improved greatly in 2003, especially come August. And the reason is this: the creation of Sutton At The Movies. I did the very first two, the original Friday the 13th and Nightmare on Elm Street movies, right around the time Freddy vs. Jason came out because I thought it'd be something fun to do. I didn't really think it would lead anywhere, but three years later, Sutton At The Movies has really taken off and the count stands at right around 120 reviews. That number really spiked something sharp in 2004, during which it seemed like every post I made for a few months was just to say I got a new review up. Not that that's totally a bad thing, but still.

But personally, I think the seeds for the current blog were sown in 2005. While there were quite a few "I saw a movie, here's what I thought" posts - there still are quite a few, actually - I started doing posts that were more refined than my past material. A little more refined, a little more personal, and a little more mature. That sort of thing has developed to where we are now in 2006, and I think the blog's personality has really blossomed since then. I also really believe that the blog and Sutton At The Movies have helped to make me a better writer than I was at this time in 2001, so I really can't complain about how things have progressed.

The blog has been quite a learning experience for me. It's helped me see into my own life, made me look at myself and the way I do things. The blog's evolution has been my own evolution, and I think I'm a better person for it. What started as a dorky college student's goof in 2001 has since become an important part of who I am now. The last five years have been quite a journey, and here's hoping for five more.

2 Comments:

Blogger Libby said...

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!!!

Yay! Whoooooooo.

*Throws confetti*

Ok, so I jumped into the readership a little later than some, but I've been a faithful follower of the Sutton-ness ever since! I check it everyday just so I won't miss something exciting and new.

Plus, S@TM! I'm a big fan (as you know).

November 2, 2006 at 5:05 PM  
Blogger Michael said...

GO MATT GO! NEVAH STOP BLOGGING!

November 2, 2006 at 11:41 PM  

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