Since today is the last day of the year, and my first blogging year, I think I will make a post early today (erm… 5:46am) and then get on with the day with my other stuff.
Its always good to do a sum up and look back at the year 2006 – not that it should be done only once a year, but, I guess new years always brings the feelings of new beginnings, so its a great time to restart.
I’ve written my stops, starts and continues, and I’ve written my focuses, I’ve got my schedule for the new year… so I’m ready!
I’ll use the method of evaluation we’d always use in training sessions.
What went well?
I think starting this blog was one of the most brilliant things I’ve done in this year. It was a whole new experience for me, to be talking to so many (and I’m sure there will be many more) in the blogosphere. Its been great knowing every one of you! I’d particularly like to thank Easton from BusinessBlogWire, because he was the one who really reached out to me, and got me in (through a comment). Before that, I was just “publishing information”. 🙂 Thanks, really!
To be frank, this year was a year of struggles. I struggled through my life in university, and finally made a decision to quit and pursue my dreams and get this blog marketing stuff started. I still think it is a right move. (I have no way back now anyway, so even if it was wrong, I’d to fix it) Things are going well, and its been exciting everyday since I made the choice to steer away from the typical path of least resistance, and build my own stream where I ventured alone. Great stuff.
I think it was a good thing for me to venture out to other blogging platforms, to learn how they work – hands on. You know, I can read the whole Typepad, MovableType, Blogger and WordPress manuals (if they exists in the first place), but nothing beats getting down, creating a blog and posting some articles.
What could have been done better?
I felt I could have been more focused on this blog, to keep my ramblings about the news of the blogosphere aside (not that they are not important) to make more time for deeper thought which would probably result in better articles.
I felt I could have spent more time doing more Fortune 500 blog reviews, to have more case studies to talk about in my workshops next year.
I felt that I could have also worked on my RSS to Email series better. I strayed away. I was supposed to do a couple more reviews, but I strayed.
I felt that I could have been more stringent in my discipline in developing things in the backend. My e-course is still not done and my book too. When I start to get busy with blog posts, these “important but not urgent” projects often take a backseat because blog posts seem to be more urgent! The bad thing about exploring the other platforms was that less time was spent on this blog. Even though I had schedules to update those blogs like only once a week, they all add up to my hectic schedule.
What did I learn?
I think I’ve learn a lot from you people, learning from those who have been here before me, about writing well, about promoting my blog, about corporate blogging, about blogging ethics, about authorship, creating conversations… its simply so magical. They never teach such stuff back in school.
I’ve also learnt from those who have just got started. Sharing experience and advice is one of the best ways to learn. If you have a question about blog marketing and optimization, corporate blogging, making money with blogs, and tools for blogging… please, get in touch. I want to help you answer them because I know that it will not only help you, but I will learn in the process too.
Well, on a thought, I think I should say this instead… Add me to Skype! My ID is tan_kian_ann. Even if you have no questions, I want to get to know you better, just chat about things and share tips.
Before I close shop for this blog for 2006, I’d like to leave you with a quote. I don’t know who has a similar quote to this, but this is off my head.
“Mastery is not being the best in world. Mastery is about practising fundamentals every single day, and being better than who you are yesterday”
So, I’ll see you people next year (I’d probably give myself a break from blogging on New Year’s Day!), and may you have a brilliant, prosperous, profit reaping, visitor swarming, traffic bursting new bloggy year ahead! 
Hi Kian Ann,
Wish you a very Happy New Year. I really congrat you for the great work you have done to this blog. Although you had really start blogging seriously not too long ago but the result that you have was good.
So continue to work hard and smart for year 2007. Indeed to be successful for anything, we need to be focus on our goal and don’t let the “sidetrack demon” come on us :).
So I should end here by wish you that you bring your blog to the next level. All the best to you!
John
Thanks John! Lets all work hard for the year 2007, and make it our year!
Happy New Year Kian Ann!
Your Alexa ranking is doing great. This blog should reach 50K by Chinese New Year.
And your reflections actually helped me to reflect mine too. Thanks for all your help.
Can I Get More in 2007? 😉
Hi Shi! Thanks! Actually I think we should reflect more often. Once a year is far far far too long! Things don’t get done!
I think for once a month would be good – for strategic and marketing plans 🙂 Sure you will get more of it in 2007!
Hi Kian Ann;
To my surprise that you quit your uni and going for fulltime blogging ? I guess it would be good doing a part-time blogging 😀 Isnt it the uni’s coursework is too heavy till u have no time to blog ? U are not like those posting a dozen posts a day ? Aren’t u ? I think it’d be good for u to take up a uni degree related to Internet/blog marketing, which you can then apply your study on this blog 🙂 I guess all bounce back to time-management, i.e how you can manage your study and blogging together. Well, the decision is urs, since u have made up your mind 🙂 . Anyway, I do find your blog a bit hard-to-read, seems like going no direction, staying focus is important. I’m wondering why you wanna get urself well-versed with all other blogging software such as TypePad, wordpress, movabletype ??? To me, they are all similar :), isn’t it u just need2 know the blogging concept?
Great job Kian Ann and thanks for the kind words. I’m sure you’ll have success in blogging this year if you just stick to what you’ve planned to do.
Thanks Easton! 🙂
Hey KetYung,
I’m not doing only blogging, but also training, and reaching out to help individuals and companies to get started with blogs… So I hope you understand it is not about learning the concept of blogging, but really working my way towards mastery.
Blog optimization for search engines would be different for each platform – each have its own challenges.
The decision about letting go of my studies goes back a long way. 🙂
My university does not teach me what I want to learn, so I told myself to pursue what I really want. That, I think, is what living is about.
I think the key thing about time management is not about discipline and balancing time between different activities – its is about doing only the things that add value to your life. 🙂
Hey Kian Ann;
Anyway good luck for everything and have a Happy New Year and wish you a big success for this new year. Perhaps one day you can get back to the uni and kick thier ass and teach them a lesson what they should offer as the best or most demanded courses that meet the industry and modern days. All the best!
Hahah..
thanks.
This could be the first original essay on Mastery
Nelson – very inspirational read! Mastery is really the competition within yourself. Even if you had no competitors you would worked just as hard and enthusiastically.
Wonderful!
Hi! I read that you quit uni, that’s brave of you but also yrs wasted. Anyway, I also feel like quitting uni. I’m doing Engineering and it sucks full time. I thought it’d b a hands on course but ended up super theoretica. I couoldn’t even make gd friends there as everyone is so competitive. They teach me things that i dun wanna learn and it’s so stupid. My passion is actually art and design but uni had no such courses at that time. Singapore unis suck full time, u know. It’s all crap. So no matter whether u succeed or fail, u’l always hav my support.
Hey Noel,
Thanks for your comment. If you’d ask around – a lot of people don’t know what they are studying for. I, too, am a more hands on type of person, and sometimes the theories just do nothing but dowse all the fire and passion I have for the topic.
I feel better and happier today, even though I may end up earning lesser in the future. At least, I know I am doing what I like! 😉