InspireMari.nl has been around for a long time… almost 15 years now! Unfortunately, not many people know of my website, because it has underwent several hiatuses from its birth in 2009 until around 2016. After 2016, the updates and uptime of my blog have become far more stable. Unfortunately I could not import my old database so I had to start over. :(
Now, I work hard almost every day to create new content, update older content, make the website easier to navigate and so forth.
Running a website all by yourself is not easy… especially when you can’t always focus all of your attention to it. Also, the internet landscape has changed a lot since the beginning of my website. Back in the day, it was so easy to hop from personal blog to personal blog, commenting and befriending other ‘webmasters’ as we used to call ourselves back in the day. We would link to each other using 88×31 pixel buttons either in the ‘Links’ section of our website, or the ‘Affiliates’ section, typically to be found in the sidebar. Yep! Affiliates weren’t always paid promotions. :D
Now, most people have moved over to social media. And typically, they stay there. Getting spoiled with a literal endless stream of new content every second (“endless scrolling”), why would anyone go to a blog and manually explore seemingly static content?
To be found, your website requires serious Search Engine Optimization (SEO). Back links. Guest posts. Domain authority. There was a lot for me learn, to adjust to and keep up with.
Purpose of InspireMari.nl
My website is first and foremost my “baby”. It’s been around for so long, it functions as a diary, notebook, portfolio and safe haven for myself.
With my website, I also want to kind of bring back that ‘old internet’ a little bit. I’m trying to mix in some old with the new, and I like to create nostalgic content as well.
Generally speaking, the aim of InspireMari.nl is to serve as inspiration for people. Whether it’s kawaii art you want to see, pretty visuals, art tips or Blender tutorials, free graphics, adoptables and lineart or maybe you just want to have a look into my personal life (and that of my cats) – InspireMari has all of that!
Most Popular Posts
Over the years, I have created many posts. Some informative, others for your viewing pleasure. These are some of the most popular posts as of writing this article:
Animal Rescue in Indonesia: The work of Umar
When I stumbled upon Umar‘s YouTube Channel, I contacted him to ask if he wanted to collaborate on a blog post to highlight the important work he is doing for animals – especially cats and kittens – in Indonesia. Before traveling to Eastern Europe, I had never experienced before how pets get treated in some other countries. Living in Bulgaria now, I can understand that Umar is fighting an uphill battle against animal neglect and animal cruelty. A lot of money is needed to fix the problems caused by careless people. If you can help, please do.
App Review: Animal Evolution
Wow, this blog post has over 20k views! It is my most popular blog post so far. I uploaded it in 2017, so it’s one of my older posts. I played an Android app that I liked back in the day and decided to review it. I’m glad to see people found their way to it! At the end of the blog post, you can find an embedded YouTube video showcasing the game.
Unfortunately, I was unable to find out if the game still exists today. Sadly that’s what happens to some apps…
Blender: How to add transparent texture image to an object
This post has 8000 views already! It’s actually also my most popular Blender video on my YouTube channel (with ten times as many views: 80k!). A lot of people seem to have benefited from this and I’m glad I was able to help them!
As Blender keeps getting updated though, some things and features might change and older guides or tips don’t work anymore. When I stumbled upon the same issue in a new version of Blender and I’m able to fix it, I will definitely post an update!
Watch out for fake animal rescue videos on YouTube
It was in 2020 when I started watching animal rescue videos on YouTube. Understandably, the algorithm started recommending me more to watch. Upon viewing some of them, I realized something was off: the animals in some videos are deliberately put in dangerous or even deadly situations only to stage a fake rescue video. People, not knowing that they were watching a fake video, showered these creators with praise, likes and even donations. The amount of fake animal rescue videos has since EXPLODED as it appears to be a very lucrative way to make money. Some animals are actually killed for the content, where the “aftermath” is actually a video that was recorded before. There are channels that repeatedly use the same kittens, cats and dogs for content. I’m happy to see 8000 people already found their way to this blog post.
Fun Facts about InspireMari!
More than 5000 hours worked!
If we would say that I have worked for one hour on inspiremari.nl every day since the beginning of my personal blog 15 years ago, and I think that is a fair estimate, I would have worked a total of 5475 hours on my blog til date! That doesn’t include the time spent drawing and photographing things to add as content, though… I think we could easily triple this number!
Did InspireMari live longer than Vine?
Uh-huh! Vine was originally launched on January 24, 2013, by Vine Labs, Inc and Big Human. Bought by Twitter, Inc. in 2012 before its launch, the service was shut down on January 17, 2017.
Is InspireMari older than Instagram?
Yes! The domain name for inspiremari.nl was registered on September 2, 2009, whereas Instagram was launched on October 6, 2010.
Plans for InspireMari.nl
I actually have a lot of plans for my personal blog. I want it to grow into a sort of catalog – with preferably daily new updates! New art, free graphics, pictures of the Backyard Cats, a bunch of browser-based mini games, guides and tips for artists… and the occasional personal post.
In fact, I have a lot of content in the making. But again, it’s just me alone. I manage this website all by myself – it’s MY website and everything happens my way. All my posts are real. My opinions are honest. I hope to find an audience who appreciates this. An escape from the endless scrolling and waves of short bursts of video content that we are exposed to on a daily basis. Don’t get me wrong, I love browsing through Instagram reels. I just think it’s nice if there’s a bit of the old fashioned internet left to explore. And that’s what I’m trying to achieve with inspiremari.nl. :-)
