On this day, seven years ago, I published by first article on what was a very primitive Double Glazing Blogger.

It began as a place to air my frustrations with the industry. After seeing the Renegade Conservatory Guy website, I thought that I could could create my own corner of the web where I could vent my frustrations and get some fenestration things off my chest.

A few feather ruffling posts and a mention on RCG later, the ball got rolling. Not that I thought this would be the end result.

Seven years later and DGB has become one of the most read industry focused websites. It has a wide range of sponsors, draws large amounts of comments by readers and is perhaps the most engaging fenestration analysis and opinions site.

Chart alert…

Numbers, facts and stats are often the best way to illustrate the growth of anything. And you all know how I love a good chart and bunch of stats and figures. So, I have created below a chart which shows DGB’s growth from it’s very early days in 2009 up until the end of 2015. It’s worth a look.

When I look at that chart and see those lines rising, I am still surprised that a site like this has lasted so long, never mind grown in the way it has in those seven years.

I am of course incredibly grateful for everyone’s support and readership during that time. Without you guys, this site would be nothing. So thanks!

Growing up

For those who have been reading DGB since the very early days, you’ll know that it was simply a space to vent, to rub a few people up the wrong way and to spread a bit of gossip. But, I realised that if I wanted people to take it more seriously, and for it to grow properly, I had to change the content being published.

Instead of inflammatory and pushy articles, I knew I had to start producing content that would appeal to a much wider audience. So out went the gossip, and in came the analysis, the balance (sometimes!), the reviews and occasional live features.

I was not a writer though. I had not studied it during my school years, so it has just been a case of learning as I go. I looked at some of the established tech and business sites such as Bloomberg, Business Insider and The Verge for inspiration and tips on how to apply that type of writing to DGB.

I haven’t always got it right. I’ve put out some garbage posts. Some of the early stuff is a bit cringe-worthy. I’ve just had to keep tweaking and improving as I have gone, and I’d say that I’m pretty happy with the content I have been putting out over the past 18 months.

The future

So what does the future hold? Well, I would at least like to reach the ten year mark. To be able to say that DGB is a decade old would feel a bit nice.

The day to day stuff won’t really change. I’ll continue to focus closely on making sure the content comes on a regular basis and is of interest to as many readers as possible. I will of course be working hard to ensure DGB continues to grow year on year. Tweaks to the layout and image of the site will continue, to make sure it looks fresh faced at all times.

I want to give a personal thanks to all those that have supported the site, and contributed to it in the various ways you have. A big thanks to the sponsors – your support and backing helps me to keep this going and reach even more industry readers.

Lets keep the conversation going everyone!

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