It’s already the middle of January and I question every day what is going on in this world. While I kicked off the new year with a trip to Toronto, I haven’t felt like blogging much lately. I haven’t been posting regularly to Instagram. Honestly, after being in the blogging space for more than 18 years(!!!) I am feeling a bit lost in this social media focused world.
January Ruminations
When I started my first blog Gluten-Free Fun in 2007, I did it because I had a lot to say and wanted to share my lifelong experience of living with Celiac Disease. In 2011, I started Gluten-Free Globetrotter because I had a gluten-free beer on tap for the first time in my life and I wanted to tell others about it. I joined Instagram in 2014 because of a job even though I didn’t want to add another platform to my portfolio. I tweeted for more than a decade but have since closed that channel. Now, I am just kind of treading water to stay afloat in a world of misinformation and Gen X influencers who don’t seem to care about much more than a paycheck.
I never started this website to be famous. Quite the opposite, I started my blogs to help others in the celiac community. As someone diagnosed WAAAAAAY before the internet was even a thing (1981 to be exact), I was desperate to build the community I never had as a kid. I wanted others in the celiac community to feel a little bit less alone.
When I sit back and think about it, I know I have helped many people across the globe. I have become best friends, both in real life and on the internet, with people that I would never have met without the reach of social media within the celiac community. I have been given countless opportunities to share my knowledge and personal experiences with others. And for that, I am forever thankful.
What’s Next for Gluten-Free Globetrotter?
So as I sit here and try to figure out what is next for my website and my social media, I keep coming back to a one specific thing: Authenticity.
Authenticity. I have always tried to be my true self when posting online. Whether it is my gluten-free travels or politics or advocacy, I post with my whole heart and my emotions. Does it lose me readers? Sometimes. But I would rather keep those who know I am coming from an authentic place and not just bowing down to paid sponsors. I try my absolute hardest to present people with facts when it comes to the things I post. I admit when I am wrong. I have invited others to have a civil conversation with me in real life after getting into disagreements online. I don’t have a separate online persona. What you see is what you get. And that is how I will continue on my Gluten-Free Globetrotter channels in 2025, at my virtual speaking engagements, and in real life.
For now, I will keep treading water in the crazy social media world but will try to post on this website more regularly. I also really want to get my newsletter out on a monthly basis. Make sure you are signed up here!
And if you are looking for me LIVE, find me at my first virtual event of 2025 on January 26. Details coming soon!
Brava, Erin! You have been a source of good, solid information for a long time. Your work and advocacy is much appreciated.
Thank you Laura.
Hi Erin,
Thanks for your “breath of fresh air” email. A world of technology that is filled with social media and misinformation is alien and troubling to many of us. We yearn for transparency, authenticity, and civil discourse expressing our individual and collective truth to power. This is what empowers us and keeps us going.
Your presence is felt and deeply appreciated. Knowing you are there along side of so many of us who learn and emulate the example you taught makes our lives and the world around us better.
Kindly continue with your presence as it is a gift to all.
Looking forward to your Newsletters
Thank you for all of your support over the years, Marianne!
Hi Erin, I love your newsletters and really appreciate your authenticity! Please continue!!!!!
Thank you!