January 14, 2021

Another bloggiversary: This blog is 17 years old, and the record of blogging every single day is still intact.

That's 6,210 days. There have been 61,712 posts — not counting this one. An average just under 10 posts a day. There were 3,644 posts last year — again, just under 10 posts a year. You can see the number per year and per week for the 17 years in the side bar. I don't count the posts each day — or any day — to see if I'm hitting 10. 

The number of posts per day isn't a goal. I just have my way of looking around, seeing what's bloggable to me, and hanging out with the blog, mostly in the morning, until it feels done. One day, the whole thing might feel done and I'll walk away. More likely, I will ramble along until — one way or the other — I am incapacitated.

83 comments:

Leland said...

Now that you have 4 years of retirement from law school, do you miss that part of your life?

The Crack Emcee said...

I'm part of history - or her story.

Congrats, Ann. I know it ain't easy.

Big Mike said...

Until you are incapacitated or until you are deplatformed for not 100% agreeing with the Democrat position on some issue.

FIFY, Althouse.

David Begley said...

Ann’s record is more impressive than Cal Ripken’s. He had days and winters off.

Ann’s blog is a perfect example of loving what you do.

Original Mike said...

"More likely, I will ramble along until — one way or the other — I am incapacitated."

I've been feeling that way myself lately.

Happy Bloggiversary, Althouse. And thank you.

John Borell said...

I can't even remember how long I've been reading this blog. Well before Meade made his move. I've probably read every post for 15 years.

Happy Anniversary.

The post makes me melancholy, though. One day this blog will just end, as all things do, and we'll all lose something that was an important part of our lives.

Bob said...

Best wishes!

Original Mike said...

Blogger Leland said..."Now that you have 4 years of retirement from law school, do you miss that part of your life?"

I wonder how your successor is teaching the 1st Amendment.

Breezy said...

Happy Anniversary, Ann! Thanks for sharing your bloggables with us.

Rusty said...

You are a gem. Happy blog anniversary day! Now go out and do something crazy.

Francisco D said...

Congratulations, Ann.

You are truly amazing!

stevew said...

Happy Anniversary and best wishes for continued posting!

The Crack Emcee said...

If I showed - factually - Bill Clinton listens to gurus, and they're making plans on us,....

And, if we know, If Steve Jobs' gurus gave him a "Reality Distortion Field" (and they did) and Oprah got "The Oprah Effect" from hers (and she did) then Christopher Hitchens' 1998 description of Bill's "willingness to get really rough when changing the subject, and what I consider to be an eerie and unattractive ability to get liberals to keep their mouths tight shut" should open the door on what the Democrats have been up to.

Why ain't that bloggable at a time like this?

actual items said...

Congrats, what an achievement!

Here's to another 17 years!

Pete said...

Quite an achievement. Congratulations!

Flat Tire said...

Impressive. My life is richer for your efforts. Thanks.

Ann Althouse said...

"Now that you have 4 years of retirement from law school, do you miss that part of your life?"

Not at all. I love having complete control over my time. I love the freedom!

Ann Althouse said...

"Until you are incapacitated or until you are deplatformed for not 100% agreeing with the Democrat position on some issue. FIFY, Althouse.."

Verbosity is not fixing.

I Have Misplaced My Pants said...

Thank you.

Ann Althouse said...

"I wonder how your successor is teaching the 1st Amendment."

Conlaw is often taught without covering the 1st Amendment at all.

Conlaw2 is the rights half of the course, and it tends to dwell on Due Process and Equal Protection and never get to the other rights. It is very easy — over the past 30 years — to get completely bogged down in the topics of abortion, gay rights, and affirmative action. The casebooks are structured that way.

Ann Althouse said...

"Here's to another 17 years!"

I hope so. I could go 34 more years. Me, age 105, still looking to see what's bloggable, still convinced I know bloggability when I see it.

How much longer will Blogger last and how big will they let one blog be.

In case this ever maxes out or gets deleted, remember to look for me somewhere else.

Deb said...

I’ve been around for about 10 of those years. Enjoy reading every day. Thanks for your time and your insights. Quite an achievement.

I agree about retirement. I love the freedom and that I do not have to prove myself to anyone but me.

farmgirl said...

So glad you are here 4us.
17 yrs... &it’s the 4yrs retired from- that made me go whaaa...?? That can’t be!

Original Mike said...

"Not at all. I love having complete control over my time. I love the freedom!"

I thought I'd spend a lot of time kicking around the lab as so many of my retired colleagues do. Didn't happen. Too many other interests to indulge.

BillieBob Thorton said...

Happy Bloggiversary!!
Congratulations!!

gilbar said...

Congrads Professor!

We should start a pool, on how long it will be b4 Google shuts her down
i have $1 that predicts: by the end of this year (12-31-2021)

mezzrow said...

Addicted?
Me?
I've just been doing this for seventeen years...
Every day.
That doesn't mean I'm addicted.


Foolish consistency, hobgoblins, something, something else.

Here to enable. Congratulations!

John said...

Congrats! Always enjoy my time on here.

Ann Althouse said...

"Me, age 105..."

104

Darrell said...

Congrats! You are one of a handful remaining.

It's still a nice blog. Unfortunately, the Left is just beginning to feel their oats. It just take one "volunteer" at Google to make it disappear. But the Twitter/Tumblr crowd is reasonable, so no worries!

Amadeus 48 said...

"Not at all. I love having complete control over my time. I love the freedom!"

Me, too. 40 years of practicing law was enough.

Yay, Althouse!

MountainMan said...

Congratulations. I have been here since early 2004, not long after you started. I lurked for a long time before I ever commented. But I have maintained my record of having read every blog post, every day since I first started. Don't know what I would do without my daily Althouse fix. Since I will also be 70 next month I hope you outlast me.

Amadeus 48 said...

Who will read NYT and WaPoop for me if you are gone? Don't ever go!

David Begley said...

From the first day of the blog.

“Big Brother" appears in two headlines in today's NYT.

(No, it isn't my abiding purpose to dog the NYT. It's just the newspaper I get in newspaper form, which I like to see there, in its blue bag, every morning.)”

Blue bag!

A.K said...

"In case this ever maxes out or gets deleted, remember to look for me somewhere else."

In old Honolulu, San Francisco or Ashtabula ?

virgil xenophon said...

Stumbled across your site circa 2004/5 iirc AA. HEARTY congratulations! NO mean feat! You're the proverbial "Iron Horse" of blogging!

boatbuilder said...

61k posts?! That’s about...10,000 Dylan posts. Wow!

Congrats, Ann, and keep it up.

brylun said...

Happy Anniversary, and thanks!

Sally327 said...

I like this blog. I wonder if Ann has done any succession planning, organizing something like having another writer carry on, the way Ace Atkins is writing the Robert B Parker's Spenser novels now. Of course that is many many years away. Maybe by the time a decision has to be made it will be possible for Ann's consciousness to be uploaded into a web hosting service in the cloud and she can program it to continue delivering content. Maybe that is already happening.

Biff said...

I can't say that I've read your blog every day for the past seventeen years, but I am sure I'm very close to that statistic. Bravo for writing so many thought provoking posts and for building such an interesting community. Looking forward to the next seventeen years!

cornroaster said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Temujin said...

Thank you for being here. Thank you for your work. It's mind-boggling to me how disciplined you are. You are the Cal Ripken of the blogosphere.

All of us are grateful for this place to gather and we thank you for it.

Lyle Sanford, RMT said...

I've read all your posts since almost the beginning. This blog is a treasure I deeply appreciate. Thank you.

Meade said...

A.K commented on "Another bloggiversary: This blog is 17 years old, and the record of blogging *every single day* is still intact."
39 mins ago
"In case this ever maxes out or gets deleted, remember to look for me somewhere else." In old Honolulu, San Francisco or Ashtabula ?

Yeah. And we’ll see her in the sky above
In the tall grass and the ones she loves...

Jersey Fled said...

Way to go Ann!

You continue to be my first read every morning.

JZ said...

This is a smart and friendly place, thanks to you. Congratulations!

Lyle said...

Thank you so very much! I'm not sure I started reading you 17 years ago, but probably several years later when somehow I came across it, probably from Instapundit. I have been reading it ever since on a daily basis. First blog I look at; makes me think.

JZ said...

Meade -- Throw in a leopard skin pill box hat reference.

daskol said...

Best site on the web.

daskol said...

It's like an art project, except lots of people enjoy it, not just the artist.

daskol said...

And it's dangerous, so lots of people also hate it. I wonder what the ratio is.

Barry Dauphin said...

Happy Anniversary and Congratulations, Ann! Thanks for your efforts and for producing such a great blog!

Howard said...

Wow! Congratulations Althouse. Those are incredible numbers of words.

mockturtle said...

An epic achievement, Althouse. YOU should receive the Medal of Freedom. Thank you, thank you, thank you for your faithfulness.

cacimbo said...

Congrats. Remarkable to have never gone a single day without a post.

Jim K said...

Happy Anniversary! Thanks for being a daily dose of sanity in this crazy world.

Guimo said...

Keep up the good work!

Sally327 said...

"An epic achievement, Althouse. YOU should receive the Medal of Freedom."

Can you imagine the vitriol that would come her way if Trump announced Ann was to receive the Medal of Freedom. Which she would have to decline. Or she could send Meade in her place to pick it up. Late at night in a deserted alley. With Trump loitering furtively waiting for Meade to drive by so he can flip it through the car window as he passes.

Sebastian said...

The blog is still one of the best things online. Same goes for the comment space. All in all, a great work of verbal performance art.

Serious internet historians -- historians, period -- are going to have to mine the blog in the future.

If Samuel Pepys is still a thing after all these years, Althouse should be.

daskol said...

One day there will be a statue of Althouse, and another day someone will desecrate it.

Peter said...

Don’t forget what the Confucian Analects say about 70: “When his are seventy, you can go where your heart desires”.
(He would have been a great blogger too)

Leland said...

Not at all. I love having complete control over my time. I love the freedom!

I figure you are educating far more people on your own platform than you ever did in the University classroom.

rhhardin said...

The blog is old enough to get a pilot's license.

Antiantifa said...

Thank you, Ann. I love what you write, most often the stuff I disagree with. It makes me think and is never nasty. I look forward to your blog every morning, which is more than I can say about the others I follow. Congratulations on seven years. It’s a hell of an achievement.

rehajm said...

Well done. I joined in around the time Ann was making national attention for some Althousism or other, I forget what.

Outside of a few car groups, the only online forum where I felt moved participate. I figure I'll cling until the left shuts it down

Thank you Ann and commentariat...

Krumhorn said...

Congratulations! It’s astounding that you have found even one thing interesting to blog every single day. There must be some days where you look around and find only a sun rise...oh, wait...

My tastes are eclectic. Yours are even more so.

- Krumhorn

Greg The Class Traitor said...

Congratulations!

FWBuff said...

Thank you, Professor, and happy bloggiversary! You are my first and my favorite read every day. I've been a regular reader since the egg-salad sandwich challenge!

Your commitment to free speech has been -- and continues to be -- vitally important to us all.

Patrick said...

Ann I have been a loyal reader for probably 15 years, ever since Glenn Reynolds linked to one of your posts. Hardly ever read Instapundit anymore, but this blog has become a part of my daily life, and one of only two or three websites that are my entire internet world.

I tell everyone I can about this blog.

StephenFearby said...

"This blog is 17 years old, and the record of blogging every single day is still intact."

Sort of like, "Step on a Crack and You'll Break Your Mother's Back".

Since "Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder", I certainly wouldn't mind if you missed a day or two from time to time.

Tomcc said...

Well done; you are the very model of consistency. I, too, discovered your blog through Instapundit- probably around 2005. I remember looking at your bio and thinking: "Left-wing, Madison based, law professor". I was (and am) delighted to be wrong about that!

Pianoman said...

Congratulations Professor!

I'm not here every day, but it's my go-to site for reasonable discussion on the issues of the day. Comment sections on blogs are typically nothing but people calling each other poopy-heads, so it's nice to have a place where left and right can have a conversation.

Skippy Tisdale said...


This blog is 17 years old, and the record of blogging every single day is still intact.


Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labour that I had laboured to do: and, behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the sun.

- Ecclesiastes 2:11

dreams said...

Althouse, the Lou Gehrig of the blogosphere...

Ken B said...

Congratulations!

Ken B said...

I don’t know how long I have been a reader. Since about 2007 anyway.

Sorry about Chuck. And Birkel. And Big Mike. And Achilles. And Pants. And others. (I must’ve remember to mention John Henry.)

HoodlumDoodlum said...

Congratulations! I spend more time on Twitter than here these days, which is probably bad all around, but I do enjoy the sense of community you've managed to carve out of the anonymous internet forest.

Unrelated: I'm getting married today!

Winnie said...

Wow. Very impressive. I'm happy you share so consistently. The variety you choose to blog about is half the fun.
Congratulations.

Narr said...

Congrats again to Prof. I haven't even read 40-60% of the posts since I've been here--about 20 months now. I can't even imagine making multiple posts a day, much less many every day for a young lifetime.

I wandered in a few times from 2012 or so, by way of Insty as so many others have testified, but the place seemed a little law-heavy and while I was working it would have been too distracting anyway. Now I go to Insty a few times a month, if that, and not for long.

The commentariat here is testimony to Prof's ability to attract and retain good help. I could do without enemies lists, though.

Narr
Congratulations also to newlywed HoodlumDoodlum. Good luck . . . guy?

NMObjectivist said...

"This blog is 17 years old, and the record of blogging every single day is still intact."

Congratulations, Ann and thank you.

Ampersand said...

Thanks for what you do. Your readers appreciate it.

buttmonkey said...

Thank you for what you do, from an occasional visitor. I always come here to look for some intelligent conversation about the events of the day. Usually I find some.

gpm said...

I join in the congrats.

I'm pretty sure I originally got here from InstaPundit (which I fairly quickly dropped). Maybe about the same time I started with Volokh, which has gone downhill to some extent since, though Eugene, at least, is still go-to reads.

Can't remember exactly when I started here, but it was definitely well before the 2008 election. Probably not before the 2004 election.

Not Althouse's fault, but the blog was more interesting before the TRUMP-TRUMP-TRUMP era.

Made one or two attempts to point some lefties here who thought that it was impossible that any sentient being could not agree with their view of things and that anyone who didn't was a knuckle-dragging whatever but, as far as I can tell, they never even bothered to try. Because they, you know, just KNEW.

--gpm