The FilAm at 2: The rocks and the horse in our blogging life
My niece Aris Pastor at 2
The FilAm turned 2 on March 15, a blogging toddler that is starting to come into its own. Ours is a modest growth. Just like my niece, Aris Pastor, who when she was 2, was just starting to form words.
Our gains in the last two years mirror the development of my little niece who lives in Pittsburgh. At 2, Arienne Therese was starting to assert herself, was very observant, and quite content playing by herself in one corner of the house. She was a calm and independent kid who fixed her own bowl of cereal whenever she was hungry. She would quietly pull up a chair, get on it and reach for the box. There would be the occasional spills, sure, but nothing that would alarm her mother to the point she would stop her from doing things on her own.
The FilAm’s growth may be measured, but it’s steady and consistent. The FilAm currently registers about 15,000 monthly views, has advertising placements, and has branched into The FilAm San Francisco as its first partner site. Running in the background is this stream of kudos from our readers.
Aris liked to collect rocks, says her mother, Dezza who is married to my brother-in-law Bam. With those rocks, she marked the happy milestones in her life: The rock she picked up when she was at the state park, the rock outside the local library, the rock by the garden to her friend’s house.
The FilAm has its own milestones too and celebrates them with a collective of friends in real life and on social media:
Our first journalism awards:
• Plaridel Awards: first prize in the Youth Voice category for Laurel Fantauzzo and honorable mention in Outstanding Reportage for Cristina DC Pastor;
• New America Media’s Youth Voice award for Ryan Gajudo Macasero
Our first partner site: The FilAm San Francisco. Thank you, Viv Fuentebella Sanchez, for your earnest, continued trust.
Our first ads: Xocai Chocolates and Fantasia Floral Design. Thank you, Melissa Alviar and Dennis Josue, for trusting us to carry your message to our readers;
Our readership nearing 300,000 views, not to mention the multiple pass-around ‘shares.’
Aris, who is used to playing with stuffed animals, began to fall in love with horses. She did not get to ride one until six years later when she is old enough to balance and steady herself.
The FilAm would love to ride its own horse, someday, and become a premiere site for Filipino American stories that inform and inspire. Who knows when we will get there. For now, we take pride in creating our own little space where we can express ourselves and remain independent doing so.
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I would like to salute The FilAm on its 2nd anniversary celebration. Best wishes goes to Ms. Pastor, Elton Lugay and contributing writers.
[…] The FilAm would love to ride its own horse, someday, and become a premiere site for Filipino American stories that inform and inspire. Who knows when we will get there. For now, we take pride in creating our own little space where we can express ourselves and remain independent doing so. – The FilAm […]
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