2006: A Year In Review
2006 was a significant year, if not the most significant year in my life as a young entrepreneur yet. Before, I was still an eBay “wheeler and dealer” looking to sell whatever I could get my hands on. I was very much an impatient person looking to get that quick bit of money or that quick boost of confidence or satisfaction.
2006 was the year when all that changed and I became a blogger, a webmaster and consequently a webpreneur.
I surprisingly remember the day I started my first internet web diary through Google’s Blogger. I had started to read so many entrepreblogs through the different forums which I used to frequent (YE.com being the primary one). Each one had their own different voice – and more obviously, a new income source which I had yet to try my hand in – advertising.
157 posts and 695 comments later, here I am. I consider myself now as a more matured blogger: more patient and willing to sacrifice more time for the greater, long-term cause.
On top of Blogtrepreneur.com, 2006 was also the year where I opened my first forum, my first informational site and my first program related site. Unfortunately, 2006 was also the year where school started demanding a lot more of my time and in general I had less time to focus on these sites – but this will change in 2007.
In a Problogger-like way, Im going to give a month-by-month timeline of my blogging career so far starting from February 2006 and giving some important and well taken posts:
February:
I started my Blogspot blog in this month on the 25th. It took quite a bit of time to get used to all the HTML – I was an extreme rookie at coding and still was trying to learn the ropes.
Important Posts:
- Web Hosting Review – Frozen Webhost
March:
This month saw my increased knowledge of the blogging domain. Adding links to my blogroll here was so vital in my success to be a recognised blogger. On top of this I realised that “Content is King”, so I upped the posting frequency but only by a little (only 7 posts made!). Looking back I would have definitely tried to average one per day especially in the blog’s startup phase.
Important Posts:
- How I make money on the Internet Series
- Battle of The Blogs: Blogger vs. WordPress
(this one’s still pulling me in traffic!)
April:
April also saw a distinct lack of posting (Im pretty astounded about how my blog was neglected so much!). However I recognised the importance of series’ posts in drawing back readers and that was when I started the “Start Your E-Biz” group of articles.
Important Posts:
- Starting an E-Biz – Series
May:
In May I finally stopped relying upon Adsense as my main money earner. At this point it was still making me $0.10 per day and I was sick of getting my hopes up on an income stream which was so unreliable. Text Link Ads and Adbrite were looked at. Commenting was still pretty low (in comparison to the flock of commenters which I am proud to host today!).
Important Posts:
- Blogging Tools Week – Series
June:
Here is where everything picked up. Commenting actually got into double figures and I also reviewed another blogger’s service. Most importantly though, June was the month where I scrapped Blogger. Yep I delved into the domains of my own hosted blog on WordPress with the help of Matt.
On top of this I joined David’s MindPetals Network which was probably the best thing that’s happened to me (blogging-wise). This forced me to write more entrepreneurial posts and I thank David for helping me to find my current blogging rhythm.
I also started polls for better community interaction.
Important Posts:
- Why you can’t have a Blog without a Blogtrepreneur!
- Age discrimination – a reality?
- Poll: How much SPAM do you receive?
- Case Study: Walamu
July:
July again saw a high posting frequency but this may have been due to a long Summer Holiday. I started to write “deeper” posts focusing upon the mind of an entrepreneur. The World Cup and Wimbledon also kept me busy!
I also launched the Blogtrepreneur Forums! Unfortunately they have gradually declined into a cesspit of SPAM – I think Im gonna take them off the site soon.
GolfChum was launched in July but that has also deteriorated. More will be explained in my New Year’s Resolutions post though.
Important Posts:
- To Be or Not To Be Anonymous
- Would I Care If I Made $0.00?
- Young Entrepreneur Tools: Paypal
August:
August saw me hitting the 100 posts mark. I also saw an upsurge in SPAM and combatted it with Akismet. I had an interview with Rex Bowden and managed to launch my forum ChipandChat (which funnily enough ALSO lies in ruin).
Important Posts:
- Entrepreneur Interview: Rex Bowden Jr.
- My First Golf Forum Launched – ChipandChat.com!
- At What Time Can You Concentrate The Best?
September:
I went back to school in September and was greeted with rising levels of homework and diminishing levels of time to write for the blog. However, RSS readership increased with traffic along with commenting which was really pleasing.
Important Posts:
- 5 Ways To Piss Off An Entrepreneur
- The KISS Principle – Keep It Simple Stupid!
- New Poll: I want your Adsense Advice
October:
October – Blogtrepreneur gained a pagerank of 4 which was great for a new domain. My earnings from TLA, Adbrite and Adsense simlutaneously went up (along with post title lengths!) and things looked good for my aim to earn a good living off the net.
Important Posts:
- How Do Firefox Live Bookmarks and Feedburner Work?
- A Long Conversation with an Account Exec. of Adbrite
- A Bumper Advertising Week – TLA, Adbrite and Adsense in Harmony
November:
November – I launched Teentrepreneur.com – my first attempt at an AIS – which is the only site I can say which isn’t sitting in ruin, rather boasting a brand new template! I also wrote a post for ReviewMe which had mixed reactions and I got hacked!
I was the most proud however, of my Most Commented Upon Post!
Important Posts:
- Blogtrepreneur Got Hacked 2 Weeks Ago
- Teentrepreneur.com – My First Attempt at an AIS
- ReviewMe – Another Controversial Income Stream?
December:
Finally last month – December. I did go on holiday for a week which reduced posting but I was extremely happy with the way I managed to get a solid online income.
Important Posts:
- Eight Insider Tips for Turning Your Blog Into a Business
- What Types Of Organisation Are There?
I hope you enjoyed this look back at Blogtrepreneur’s past and continue to follow this blog; I’ve got a lot left in the tank yet! Bring on 2007!
