The Last Commenter of the Month of this blog :)

I've been pondering about this decision since last year and after a lot of considerations, I've finally decided to put the Commenter of the Month program of The Beauty Junkee to rest. It's been a wild ride: 12 years of gifting my most loyal readers for being active readers of this blog. It was good while it lasted; it's one of those things that have to end and it is ending on a happy note. :)

Now before proceeding with my goodbye, let me announce the final commenter of the month of this blog. :)

 

Congratulations and thank you, Rhania, for becoming the last Commenter of the month for The Beauty Junkee. I appreciate your support throughout these years. Enjoy your beauty bag. 

I launched the COMMENTER OF THE MONTH program in 2011 as my way of giving back to my staunch and most active supporters. Back then, blogs were huge and the comment box paved the way for interaction between readers and bloggers, something that traditional lifestyle websites didn't have back then. In those little blogs and comment boxes, relationships were formed and communities were forged, which disrupted written media as we knew it and paved the way for the rise and boom of digital media. Blogging is the origin of digital media. :)

I remember the days when my comment boxes were overflowing with comments; I would literally spend an entire day reading and responding to the comments of my readers. It was tiring, but I honestly enjoyed every moment of it because it felt like I found my people who were just as passionate as I am about makeup.

Eventually, as different forms and platforms of digital media have emerged, particularly Facebook, Youtube, and Instagram, online media consumption became fragmented; it also changed the behavior of consumers: a lot have migrated to other platforms and favored more dynamic forms of content and others have eventually become spectators from being engaged consumers simply because there's just way too many platforms to keep up with.

I still think blogs are an important piece of digital media as we've seen during the pandemic and the rise of e-commerce; it's just that it's a different time now and there are so many online communities and platforms now versus 12 years ago. Simply put, there's a lot of competition nowadays and a lot of people have just moved on to other communities.

So this blog has been seeing less and less active viewers though views still remain high. A lot of the ones who were left and have been supporting this program are actually my readers from back in 2010, the year when I founded this blog and there were also new ones who would come every now and then; for all of those and all of you, thank you for the effort, support, and time. I am just happy that there are still some who stayed until the very last moment of this program.

Finally, I just find it so symbolic that the last commenter of the month is Rhania, one of my first- ever readers and who is always there to support my endeavors. She's seen the launch of this program and I think it's just fitting that she'll be the one to close it. Rhania, you're an important part of this blog. Thank you so much for sticking with me all the way. Ending the COM program felt even more meaningful and it will surely end on a very positive note because it ended with you, one of the most valuable supporters of this blog.

I feel more fulfilled and at peace than sad now that this biggest program of my blog has ended. 12 years is a feat and truth be told, I think it lasted long enough than it should have and I expected!

Goodbye, Commenter of the Month. It's been a pleasure gifting my readers all those beauty bags for the last 12 years. I hope that those gifts have made you smile somehow and in the tiniest parts of your memory, you'll remember how The Beauty Junkee has brightened up your day somehow. :)

The same program continues on my social media platforms: Beshie of The Month on The Beauty Junkee Facebook fan page and TBJ Beshie of the month on The Beauty Junkees Unite! Facebook group. The giving never stops so be sure to be part of my other communities to get a chance to be a Beshie of the month. ;)

Thank you all! 

P.S. Not totally closing my doors because who knows? Blogs may come back on top once again and people will start flocking back to blog communities, but for now, it's time to put this program to rest. Until then. :)