A year ago I sat on a flight from Florida sketching out a word cloud of Universal Orlando touring tips. Returning from my third visit to Orlando’s parks in four years, I was now the expert among my friends. Frequently asked for advice, I spent a lot of time writing long emails describing the line-hacks my daughter and I had developed. And I loved doing this – it gave me the chance to imagine being there again.

I’d long toyed with the idea of posting this wisdom to a more permanent place in cyberspace, but had no idea how to do it, or whether anyone would ever read it. But I liked my word cloud and knew I could expand upon it to help others plan their trip to Universal. As I did the research I realized I really could start a website.

A year later, over 6500 visitors have read the post based on that word cloud – 33 Things To Know Before You Visit Universal Orlando . Within a few months I had also posted advice about Disney World, Universal Orlando Resort, Hawaii, and Bonaire. Then we had a major flood in our house and I stopped writing for six months.

When I returned to goinformed.net, to my great surprise and delight, most of my articles popped up in the top of Google’s search rankings. I guess it turns out I do have advice people want to read!

As the New Year arrived, I set a resolution to bring more magic into the world, and it’s my intention to share more wonderful experiences with you, so you can go out there and make the most of your vacation.

As I reflect on the progress goinformed.net has had this year, a few words of thanks are in order. Thank you to my husband, Frank, and daughter, Luna, for sharing all these adventures with me. Thanks to all of you who have read my posts. And thank you to my virtual teachers, among them Pat Flynn, Jeff Sieh, Shannon Albert, and Ralph & Carol Lynn Rivera, who provide incredible wisdom and encouragement to those of us working to figure out this online world.

I too have some wisdom to share, to pay it forward to my fellow internet content providers (that’s fancy talk for “bloggers”). Next time you visit a website and find useful information, a great recipe, or some hack that makes your life just a little better – all for free – here are three things you can do to thank the person who posted that awesome content.

The 3 C’s of Webpage Gratitude

Comment

I know it isn’t always easy, but if you take the time to leave a comment on a website you will absolutely make someone’s day. Comments on blog posts are really rare, so we notice when you do it. It is so gratifying to know someone is reading our posts, and if you like what you read or have something to contribute, this is a wonderful way to reach out and say thanks.

Connect

Almost every website has a social media presence. If you like what you’re seeing on the site, look for a link to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest – then go over there and follow the site. Goinformed.net is on Facebook and Pinterest, and I love to connect with readers through these more active and interactive venues. You can also share a post to your favorite social media site and help spread the word to your friends.

Click

See any ads on the site where you just found the most amazing information ever? Take a second and click one. No, you don’t have to buy anything. Many sites get paid for each ad click (often only a few pennies a click), so your tiny action can help support the site and keep everything going.

Most importantly, keep reading! I’m so happy to have the chance to share my thoughts with all of you. Without an audience this would just be a complicated high-tech diary. Thank you for sharing part of your day with me – I can’t wait to bring more magic to you in this next year!

~ Maven

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