Seven years ago this month, I started “filling in” as the host for the very popular Seven Quick Takes link-up. One month later, on December 5th, 2014 I became the new permanent home for Jen Fulwiler’s blog party baby. Seven Quick Takes celebrated it’s seventh anniversary in October 2015 and I celebrated with Link-toberfest. At this point, I have actually been hosting Seven Quick Takes longer than Jen, thought most people still associate the link up with her. At its peak under Jen, Seven Quick Takes would sometimes bring in more than 200 participants. My first week as the official host brought in 101 bloggers. The number has slowly dwindled down through the years and now I have a very devoted group of about a dozen bloggers.
Blogging just isn’t the same anymore. Many bloggers have closed up shop or moved to posting exclusively on social media. Those Seven Quick Takes are now shared as seven posts/videos on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, or TikTok. We don’t need a link up to bring together those random Takes anymore; we’ve got other ways to share our fleeting thoughts on the internet. And so I am ending the Seven Quick Takes link up. This will be the last week to link up your seven random thoughts.
I have been thinking about this for awhile, but it only seemed fitting to bring things to a conclusion seven years after they began. I didn’t want to pass the link up on to someone else; I fully believe Seven Quick Takes has run it’s course. Certainly bloggers can still organize their random thoughts in seven bullet points each Friday, but I will no longer be hosting the party.
Seven Quick Takes is where I first met many of my blogger friends, and it will always hold a special place in my heart, but the format and date of publication stopped working for me awhile ago. In fact, over the last 2 to 3 years, there were several times I wanted to quit blogging entirely. The only reason I kept going was because I was working on a book and I thought maintaining the blog was important to it’s success. Now that the book has been released, I want to give up that which I no longer enjoy. The need to post every Friday is one of those things. I still plan on blogging, but I don’t want to have an obligation to do so.
Ultimately, I’m glad I kept blogging, even through the rough patches when I wanted to stop. I love having the posts to look back on now, and I want to keep writing and recording all those memories for the future. So don’t worry, This Ain’t the Lyceum isn’t going anywhere. If anything, I’m going to pull back more on social media and compile everything here for posterity. I think I will still occasionally post something deep and meaningful, or random and ridiculous, but I believe this blog will remain mainly a family journal of sorts, with my ministry Accepting the Gift being where I write more “seriously”.
I am definitely still a writer vs a photographer, videographer, podcaster, or influencer. But I honestly don’t know what my future posting schedule here will look like going forward. I don’t want to give up writing, but a personal blog needs to move lower on my list of priorities. If you want to make sure you catch all my posts, regardless of when they appear:
- sign up for my newsletter
- subscribe via Feedly
- subscribe via Bloglovin
I was going to try to find my seven favorite Quick Takes posts, but I’ve got at least 812 and I don’t think I have enough time to sort through them all. If you have a favorite Quick Takes post of your own, be sure to include it in your Takes this week, or leave a link in the comments below. Thank you to everyone who has linked up with me these last seven years. It’s been my pleasure to host you here on my corner of the internet. I look forward to reading your posts one last time.
Nooooooo! 🙁
It’s time Colleen! All good things must come to an end.
The end of an era! Thank you for hosting us for so long, Kelly. You’ve been such a gracious host, and I’ve enjoyed being part of the weekly party.
I enjoyed posting to 7 Quick Takes for quite a while! I ended up dropping out about just over a year ago because my son’s cancer care was taking a lot of focus (of course, ha!). Anyway, I agree with your decision and I thank you for hosting for so long!
So often on Thursdays I would think “Tomorrow is 7QT, I’ll have something to read”. I’m disappointed that the link-up is ending, but I understand. The numbers have been dwindling for a long time.
Hopefully, I’ll be able to keep up with the many fabulous blogs I first discovered here.
Kelly,
I will miss the way your hosting of SQT gave me easy access to other bloggers that I would not have known about, but I’m glad you’re seeing what’s more valuable to you and putting your time and effort into those things and letting this go lower down on the scale. I’m so glad I have had the chance to read This Ain’t the Lyceum for many years, and will continue to check in just to read whatever posts you do put up. Again, thank you for being so down to earth and helping this struggling single gal to see that one does not need to be perfect in order to be loved or to be used by the Lord. That has been my favorite thing about your blog.
Well, that and your lovely sense of humor! Thanks again.
Good for you. We need to give up what we can’t sustain or isnt bringing joy. Love your blog ever since you had a random dancing video in your kitchen with some frozen meat. Inspiring. Through and through!
I started reading Quick Takes on Jen’s blog as a teenager. I was the oldest kid in a big family, lived in the middle of a corn field, and was kind of socially awkward with no social life (thanks to not having access to a car and living in said cornfield). Mom blogs, specifically Catholic ones, were where I was reading stuff I could relate with, because I was helping raise my brothers at the time. Simcha Fisher, Jennifer Fulwhiler, Kelly…I grew up reading y’all.
Then I finally got to a place where I could have my own blog about three years…just as the medium was starting to die and people were moving on to other things. So…yeah, I get why it’s time to let this go, but I won’t deny I’m sad to see it leave. End of an era indeed.
I’ve so enjoyed finding interesting blogs to read through this link up. The perspective I’ve gained from reading about others whose lives are so unlike my own has been invaluable. Thanks and I will book mark my favorites now.
I understand that it was time to let go. Thank you for all the time you’ve put into this service to the community over the years. I’m grateful that I was able to participate as a reader (mostly) and by linking my own blog posts (occasionally).
Congratulations on all your accomplishments, not the least of which is keeping the 7QT plate spinning through the decline of personal blogging and then letting it go when the time was right. I know I am one of many grateful for what you do, how you write, and who you are. Thank you. Keep writing the good fight.
Thank you for doing 7QT for so long. I have always loved it and still prefer reading blogs to social media posts. But… onward and forward… Thank you