Here is the article on yesterday’s papers!

Okay, let me do some “shameless self promotion” here.

Get The New Paper tomorrow (1 February 2007)!

Why? I have 7 great reasons for you!

1. Because I’m featured in it!
2. Because I’m featured in it!
3. Because I’m featured in it!
4. Because I’m featured in it!
5. Because I’m featured in it!
6. Because I’m featured in it!
7. Because I’m featured in it!

Heh! Oops, I’ve leaked my childish self once again. 🙂 *Ahem*

But seriously, do spare 70 cents tomorrow and grab a copy of the new paper tomorrow ok? Besides, tomorrow’s paper will also feature the news for the Singapore-Thailand Asean Football Championship finals game tonight! 😉

But of course, the main feature must be me, right? Well.

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!

Problogger Darren Rowse urged us to find an elevator pitch for our blog, to describe our blog in less than 10 words, as he followed from Business and Blog.

After much thinking, I decided my ideal was “Marketing and optimization strategies to help bloggers succeed”.

Having done that, I realised that I have really strayed away from my original intention of the blog only after four months! And I think this could well be why this blog, while considered successful among my immediate peers, still does not have as many visitors and feed readers as there could be.

So, focus is key.

Here are the topics I want to focus heavily on for 2007:

1. Blog marketing and optimization tips and strategies
2. Issues related to corporate blogging
3. Issues related to making money from blogs
4. Tutorials and tools for blogging

Of course, there will be the occasional “What’s going on in the Blogosphere post”

Please help me – give a nudge when you think I start straying again.

You should do this too. How would you describe your blog in 10 words?

Heh! Nope… it should be HO HO HO!!! Its Christmas!

Wishing all of you my readers out there a merry merry Christmas and may all your wonderful wishes come true. Have a good one!

You better watch out
You better not cry
You better not pout
I’m telling you why
Santa Claus is coming to town
Santa Claus is coming to town
Santa Claus is coming to town!!!