Exactly one year ago, I began my blog, diary of this girl. I had been reading a fellow Gonzaga graduates' blog and thought "hey, I could do this!"

While I knew nothing about starting or maintaining a blog, it seemed like a great creative outlet. Do I occasionally lack ideas on what to post about? Yes. Did I understand blogging jargon, such as HTML codes? No. Do I understand HTML coding now? No. Could I design my own webpage? No (but I know how and where to reach out to people who can).

However, I do possess an immense passion for writing and aspire to learn more about the blogging process.

In the past year, I have learned a great deal.

I have learned the importance of posting on a consistent basis. I have received blogging tips and feedback from fellow bloggers. I learned that it is best to include pictures within your post. I have begun posting links to my blog on various social media sites. I have been given recommendations on what to write about. I found new blogs to follow.

What has been most fulfilling, however, are the relationships I have established through blogging.

You might ask, "how does one form a relationship via blogging?" Interestingly, it is easier than you might think. Bloggers are very honest people, you see. You can learn a great deal about the writer or blogger through their postings. When you read about someone's life a few times each week, see pictures of them with them, their friends, and their family, you begin to feel as though you know them on a personal level.

One of the qualities I believe makes a "good blogger" is one who interacts with their readers. Answering a reader's question, responding to a comment they have made, or leaving a comment on the reader's blog are examples of ways in which this can be done.

The relationships I have formed through blogging are unique; I feel as though I have a handful of new friends despite never having actually met the bloggers. Is this strange? Perhaps. But I find these relationships fulfilling, and I hope to someday meet these women.

And now? It is time for me to start drafting a new post. Happy blogging!