Many years ago the Pilgrims came to these Shores, and couldn’t figure out what the hell to eat. They were unfamiliar with the weird-looking animals and crops of this New World, the winter was coming, and frankly, these future Mayflower WASPS just weren’t that bright.
(This was years before the Africans, the Chinese, the Germans, the Irish, the Jews, and the Italians came and actually built this country for them.)
But, back to the story of Thanksgiving.
The Pilgrims were saved by the kind Native Americans, who showed them how to eat corn, potatoes, wild turkey, and canned Ocean Spray cranberry sauce. Because of these kind Indians, today we celebrate Thanksgiving.
(The fact that we later killed these Native Americans, took their land, and forced them to run casino operations is something we can deal with on another day.)
Today, it is all about GIVING THANKS.
How can we thank our fellow BLOGGERS?
We read each other, we help each other with our designs and templates, and we cry on each other’s shoulder when a “blog crush” goes sour.
On Thanskgiving, we should THANK our fellow bloggers.
When I first started blogging, I was like a Pilgrim who just landed on Plymouth Rock. I was isolated and alone. For weeks, I wrote this blog without any direction or confidence in my ability. And then he appeared — like the Native American with his corn — my first commenter!
Although I appreciate all of my lovely readers, today I want to give a special shout-out to TERRY FINLEY. He wrote the first comment on “Citizen of the Month” back in April:
Nice blog. Thank you.
Our health is really important.
Check out my blog.
Terry Finley
It may not be poetry, but it touched my heart. Afterwards, I commented on his site, and then we lost touch, which so frequently happens in our busy blogging lives. I tried to click on his link today, but he seems to have stopped blogging. I sincerely hope my comment wasn’t the cause of him losing interest in blogging.
Terry, if you’re out there, I’d like to thank you and say hello. I hope that you are happy, healthy, and having a lot of sex!
If YOU would like to participate in this first ever “THANKSGIVING DAY THANK YOUR FIRST COMMENTER DAY,” it is simple:
Go into your archives and find the first person who ever commented on your blog.
Copy the URL and a special thank-you message — and post it either in my comments OR on your own site.
If you don’t have any comments yet, don’t feel like a loser. Did the Pilgrims give up? Of course not. They just stole from the Indians. Just write a comment here at “Citizen of the Month” about how much of a loser you are and pretty soon, everyone will come to you, showing pity. In this competitive blogging world, you have to use whatever works.
Happy “Thank Your First Commenter Day!”
Message to new bloggers — learn Ms. Sizzle’s lesson: Never have a boyfriend or girlfriend (who could soon be an ex) be the first commenter on your blog.
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Thanks to you for bringing up such a nice idea.
My first commenter knows that I love him. He’s one of my best friends, so he’s forced to read my blog.
Nevertheless, I will certainly promote Mister g8s. And, of course Citizen of the Month for consistently keeping me glad I am a blogger.
my first comment was from none other than Pauly D over at Words For My Enjoyment. check him out at:
http://pauldavidson.net/
he’s also the reason i got into anal bleaching, gut-punching, and midget porn. just FYI…
My first commenter was Darcey, at Dust My Broom, who said, “Good stuff! I look forward to reading more – best regards!”
He’s more political than I am and doesn’t appear to support the right hockey team so I almost never go back there. Still it was nice he took the time to comment.
Miss Marisol is the one who deflowered me. It was late one night, behind the counter at work, when she raised her eyebrows and said, “Did I tell you I started a blog?” Mine followed shortly, and for the first few months, we were convinced that we were the only ones reading each others blogs; now, she’s got quite the following.
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This is a great idea, and I love the cranberry sauce visual as well. The only problem I have is that I don’t know who was the first commenter ever on my blog. I switched commenting since then and now I have Haloscan and those are only archived for so long. Perhaps if I did around in my own personal archives I can figure it out, if they are still blogging that is.
At any rate, I can still say thanks to you for coming by and commenting on my blog today. Swing by anytime!:)
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What a fantastic idea! I wish my first commenter was still on the internet, her site is 404.
Happy Thanksgiving!
My first comment was some freaky porn spam. I deleted it, then shortly received my first legit comment from Gabe, who is still blogging, but we never spoke again. It was a blogger one night stand of sorts. I have thanked him on my blog and revisited his blog to thank him in person. Neil, you are an inspiration to all of us thankless bloggers who take commenters for granted like so much spam. Thanks for keeping us real.
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Thank you for recogizing all those amazing and “weird-looking” plants native to the Americas. We should be thankful today also for our native plants. So go be like Squanto and fertilize your garden.
[...] Thank Your First Commenter Day (bedank je eerste reageerder dag) is een initiatief van de Amerikaanse weblog Citizen of the Month, naar aanleiding van de Amerikaanse feestdag Thanksgiving. [...]
Thanksgiving Day wordt Thank Your First Commenter Day. Dat zal bij mij niet gaan. Die persoon is, door verhuizingen en crashes, allang digitaal vernietigd. En mijn geheugen is ook al niet al te best.
[...] In honor of Thank Your First Customer Day, I’d like to thank Darren R. Sussman, who was the first commenter on Consumerism Commentary (out of 1,127 comments), and he commented on the entry entitled, Owning a Home, Owing Money. [...]
My first comment was from my dearest friend. I started my blog to encourage him to keep writing in his own. Now, he posts maybe 2-3 posts a month, and I’m a babbling maniac.
I’ve been meaning to write and tell you how much I enjoy your blog. I wish I could maintain the same consistent level of Quality Reading Material that you post. And, to show my Turkey Day gratitude, I’m finally going to get around to adding you to my blogroll thingy. (I’m slow. You should have been there ages ago.)
Cheers,
Merujo
[...] I was inspired by this post from Neilochka’s Blog, so I decided to wade back through my blog and find my first commenter… I had lots of comments from all of my friends, but my first comment from a fellow blogger came from Stephanie Klein, my blogger role model, if you will. [...]
[...] The lovely Neil, in a way to bring together Thanksgiving and Blogging, has thought of Thank Your First Commenter Day, as a way to give thanks to the first person who commented on your blog. How many of us really think about the first person who noticed us and said “hey”? Do you even still acknowledge your first commenter’s presence? Or have they since long gone and left the blogosphere, never to return again? [...]
My first comment was from a creepy-stalker type.
[...]I’d like to follow in the tradition set by Citizen of the Month and thank my first commenter. I went back through the archives, back to April when I started this whole blog thing, and I am sorry to say that the first comment I ever got was spam. Okay, keep looking. I can’t show linky love to “anonymous,” but thank you Jan for appreciating my blather about CW reenacting.
Junebee was my third commenter, and I’m expressing the love and appreciation for sticking around through all my rants and blah blah blah. Love, love, love!!
Actually, thanks to all my commenters who have come and gone![...]
Ok, wow 73 comments. I think the most I’ve ever gotten in a single day in 3. I am not a loser, I am not a loser, I am not a loser. (Repeat)
I will become famous (and repeat)
my first: Anonymous said…
You’re too funny sweetie.
i don’t actually remember which anonymous that was… none of my non-cyber friends actually have blogs.
My first comment was pitiful like yours Neil…
Charlie Mc said…
hey, thanks for stopping by my blog. I was reading yours this morning…great stuff!
I talk to Charlie on a daily basis. Just love him to pieces!!! I am VERY thankful for him. And I am also VERY thankful for you, Neil. You rock my socks!
I especially enjoy the easy to follow pictures. I never knew it could be so easy!
If only my blog tasted as good as cranberry sauce in a can. Yummers! Happy Turkey Day, Neil!
This is a fantastic idea, I’ve thanked my first blogger commenter AND my first commenter period.
Thanks!
I never heard from my first commenter again, but I like to think we made a special connection that transcends the need to comment on each other’s blogs.
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[...] Thank you: Blogger Thanksgiving celebration. [...]
[...] My very first comment came from privatedancer on a post I wrote about that fact that I think that Larry Elders is an idiot . She is no longer blogging but I do appreciate that. So a special thanks goes out to her for being the very first poster and a shot out to Neil for reminding me to thank my very first commentor. [...]
First, you get too many comments, Neil. It’s nuts. I had to have been in your top ten commenters ever.
My first commenter was the amazing Eddo of http://www.postednote.com. He is still commenting regularly. And had designed three sites for me! Finding him was hitting the jackpot. And he’s cute.
[...] I stole it from Neil over at http://www.citizenofthemonth.com/. He wrote about thanking the commenters, so I’m thanking my first commenter. She wrote in May of 2005. I started blogging in August of 2004. Whew, what a long wait.[...]
Neil, just so you don’t forget me in your fame, I first commented on 6/26/05. There were two other comments. There were none on your post the previous day.
So happy that you’re such a chick magnet now. Kisses.
[...] Thank you Jenelle ! I started blogging on the 28th of June after I’d watched a special feature on blogs on Envoyé Spécial. On the 16th of August, i received my first comment. Here is what it said:
“Hey–cool blog! I came here via Jenelle, who recommended you to me. I love the post a while back about the quotes from courts; the one where the witness asked the lawyer if he actually passed the bar exam cracked me up! J”
Here is what cracked him up: “Am gonna be a dumber … oops lawyer! [...]
Edgy Mama, I won’t forget you. You’ll get big props in two years for “Thank Your Third Commenter Day.”
[...] I love the idea of thanking your first commenter, so I’m glad I saw Jim mention it (who saw it on Flexo’s site, but since B comes before C in ye olde RSS reader I saw Jim’s first of course). I think everyone should join in the fun! [...]
[...] From our favorite Citizen of the Month:
I would like to thank my first commenter ever, Gabe, from way back in May, who said this:
“We had Dusty here in SF for quite awhile. He’s a great coach for the season. But he will never win in the playoffs because he is too loyal to his minions. You guys just have too many injuries.
Good luck!
G”[...]
[...] In the spirit of “Thank Your First Commenter Day” I am thrilled to have the opportunity to thank my first commenter, Jana, who for some suspicious reason decided to sign her comment “Warm Teacher.” [...]
Happy Thanksgiving to you, Neil, and to all of you out there in the blogosphere.
Namaste.
~HDJ
[...]Citizen of the Month » “Thank Your First Commenter Day” Vanavond eens een duik in het archief doen. [...]
[...] My dear friend, Neil, has started a heartfelt Thanksgiving tradition.
Neil says:
“On Thanskgiving, we should THANK our fellow bloggers. [...]
Thanks to Brittany, my first commenter. She writes:
My last name is “Bouchette”, which is obviously french – but people try to pronounce it
Bouchet (ay)
One time when i told someone it was actually Bouchette (ETTE) they told me ” aw too bad your name isn’t french”
Gr.
Merci encore, Brittany!
Neil, nearly 100 comments later and you still haven’t put up a new post! We’re waiting… (she types as she sits there, tapping her foot impatiently)
In any case, wishing you and Sophia a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday.
Pearl, it’s not that often that I see 100 comments. I’m sitting here waiting with my party hat and noisemaker in my hand, hoping that the big moment will come before “Lost” begins.
Neil, you just added one more comment, and now I’m adding one more comment.
You’re almost there…
I can just picture your faithful readers with sparklers in their hands, and confetti ready to be thrown into the air, and anticipating yelling at their computer screens: “Happy 100, Neil!”
Since this is my first comment 100, I’ll keep this one for myself then, just to thank Sophia for all the help she gives me on the blog (or shpritz as I call it now) and for letting me use her persona as my comic foil. See you tomorrow!