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One Year, 300 Posts

February 15th, 2010 - Uncategorized - 22 Comments »

Last week was my blog’s first birthday. We didn’t make a huge deal out of it. I just treated him to a makeover and made him the homepage on all of the computers at the Apple Store. That’s really all he wanted.

It’s been a great first year. I couldn’t be happier with the community of readers that has formed. Here are a couple first-year highlights that I’m most excited about:

+ Since April, tylerstanton.com has had 21,903 unique visitors from 119 different countries
+ There have been 2,173 comments – my favorite part of this entire blog
+ I self-published a book, Everyday Absurdities (due out very soon)

I’ve been thinking a lot about the future of my blog lately, and I think this is as good a time as any to lay out some goals for the upcoming year – some February 15th New Year’s Resolutions, if you will. I want to bring you in on this is because I’m much more likely to follow through if other people know where I’m trying to go with this whole thing.

So, without further ado, here are my BLOG GOALS for the next year:

+ Produce 2 eBooks (I’m already working on the first)

+ Post 5 times per week

+ Create a weekly video segment (Saturdays maybe?)

+ Increase the number of RSS subscribers to 500 (I’m currently at 128)

+ Be more intentional about responding to comments

+ Make $300/month from this blog (I’m currently around $20/month)

+ Guest post on 6 different blogs

And the most outlandish of them all…

+ Sell 1000 copies of my book, Everyday Absurdities (between 2-3 per day)
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This, of course, prompted some other thinking. So, for those of you who care, my non-blog goals are as follows:

+ Run 500 miles, including 2 half marathons
+ Become a more educated wine consumer
+ Take 2 acting classes
+ Wake up at 6am every morning
+ Land role in a national commercial
+ Start and complete P90X at some point
+ Read 1 fiction book per month
+ Create a video with over 1,000,000 views on YouTube
+ Cook a meal for my family once a week

So, 2 things for you:
1. What are your blog goals? What about your other goals?
2. Any ideas for what the weekly video segment could be?

And for those of you who are craving something funny to start your week and are disappointed with the tone of today’s post, check out the Bruce the Funny Dog video from last week’s Weekly Six.
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  • http://www.eyespeak.com benj

    Remember that game, "I love you but i just can't smile"? That should be your video segment. Just go around to random people and play that game.

    Just sayin – I'd watch.

  • http://jaredtaft.wordpress.com jared

    i'm with you on some new goals. mine include:
    - 3 posts/week on my NEW blog (coming soon!)
    - to guest post on tylerstanton.com
    - waking up at 6am also
    - and reading….lots and lots of reading.

    now, start fulfilling one of your goals and respond to this comment.

    • http://intensedebate.com/people/tylerstanton Tyler Stanton

      what's your new blog? no longer "it's jared…not jerry"? can you give us a little sneak preview?

      • your friend dan

        Tyler, don't be silly…..
        Jerry was being funny.
        Right Jelly?

        • http://jaredtaft.wordpress.com Jared

          wrong dan…it's coming soon. very soon.

  • http://alifeaboutme.blogspot.com Andrea

    My blog goals would have to be to post more. I can post from my phone I'm just lazy and don't. And to actually start selling stuff more frequently in my store.

    and for a weekly video.. really anything awkward is great. And there are thousands of ways to be awkward.

  • http://intensedebate.com/people/joannamuses joanna

    For my existing blogs, get more consistent with posting and get more comments.

    For my new project which is about interesting things to do in my city (melbourneexplorersblog.com), I'd like to be posting regularly (at least once every 2 weeks) based on my own visiting the places and also to recruit other writers to contribute about the places they visit.

    • http://intensedebate.com/people/tylerstanton Tyler Stanton

      If I ever come to Australia, I will be sure to check out your blog. I probably won't be able to afford it for another 8-10 years, so hopefully by then you'll have a good stockpile of posts to peruse.

  • http://jacobs3rs.blogspot.com Jacob

    For your video, you should do a short, practicing some of your acting techniques you have learned or are learning. It will be entertaining and give you great practice at the same time. And when you are really into a scene it can be a "to be continued…" that will keep us all wanting more.

    • http://intensedebate.com/people/tylerstanton Tyler Stanton

      I'll tell you right now, there's not much more embarrassing than some of those acting techniques you speak of. I can guaranteed that will not be the video series.

      • http://jacobs3rs.blogspot.com Jacob

        That's why it would be awesome. More embarrassing for you= more fun for us. But if not that, then you could show you reacting to various things during the week (ie- Tyler watches a funny movie; tyler's wife gets mad at him for not picking up his dirty socks; Tyler sitting in a traffic jam caused by a duck in the road, etc) I'd tune in every week

  • Mom

    The last one was the most impressive to me – cook a dinner once a week – wow, now that's impressive in the Stanton family!

  • nate

    i generally don't do new years resolutions, but i made an exception this year for the following resolution:

    to like people.

    originally, it was to like people more, but that felt dishonest. maybe that's a good goal for 2011.

  • Leigh

    Tyler. I very much approve of your goals. I plan on using you as an example for my kids–"See, Tyler Stanton sets goals." Please reach at least 50% so you will not be a bad influence.

    Also, I'm gonna make it my goal to cook for my family once a week as well. That means that minus Totinos pizza rolls and bacon, they will eat a hot meal only once a week. Perfect.

    • http://intensedebate.com/people/tylerstanton Tyler Stanton

      I can't promise 50%. I'll sure try, but that seems steep.

  • http://intensedebate.com/people/LaceyKeigley LaceyKeigley

    I just became RSS subscriber 129.
    I will purchase your book when it arrives.
    Here and now I invite you to be the first guest poster to my blog.

    Now –

    May I compile the list of works of fiction for you to read?
    (Perhaps reviewing them post-read on your blog would be good?)

    Maybe your video weekly should just be you making dinner for your family. Your starving family.

  • http://intensedebate.com/people/tylerstanton Tyler Stanton

    Thank you. And yes, I will guest post. I assume you want something deep and insightful about parenting? I can provide that.

    And yes, bring on the fiction.

    • http://intensedebate.com/people/LaceyKeigley LaceyKeigley

      Deep and insightful?

      If you want.

      Or hilarious and self-humiliating.

  • Jeff

    Your goals are awesome. My favorites are create a video with over 1,000,000 views, run 500 miles, and land a role in a national commercial. I made 3 new years resolutions, one of which has happened, and on the third, I promise this isn't an attempt to one-up you. It's honestly a goal of mine.

    1. Find out where I am attending school next year and hopefully be running in college, with scholarship.

    2. Bring one middle schooler to Christ through WL.

    3. Run 800 miles from the end of track season till the beginning of XC in college.

  • http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/ Steve

    Congrats on making it a whole year Tyler!

    Can't wait to see what this 1,000,000 view video will be. I guarantee it'll be one that you say "this is the stupidest thing we've ever done" before you publish it. God bless YouTube.

    I'm hoping to pack on about 10-12 pounds of muscle, launch my own e-book for sale, start bringing in some other revenue through my site, and successfully build a self-sustaining message board community of people helping other people.

    Got a few other big plans in the works that I can't quite spill the beans on yet, but it's coming!

    -Steve

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  • http://www.faithbarista.com Faith Barista Bonnie

    I just celebrate my 1 year blog birthday yesterday! Your blog was one I read at the beginning. I loved it because it's fresh and it's Tyler that I'm reading. Congrats and hope you're enjoying your second year. I'm with you, the comments make it live and real.

    One of my goals is to continue keeping it fresh. That's a mountain to climb with every post, as you know. So, keep them coming , Tyler.