Thursday, January 22, 2009

One Year Blogiversary: Thank yous

One year ago today, I started this blog as a place to ramble about my quest to become a hockey goalie, along with whatever other hockey stuff came to mind.

I honestly didn't expect anyone to read it, unless maybe there were other 32 years olds out there who didn't know how to ice skate, yet suddenly had an all-consuming desire to become a goalie. It's a niche market for sure. In fact, I have yet to run across anybody else in that situation. That probably should have been a sign, eh?

But that focus certainly evolved. During the summer, I found the silence deafening. It's like the Aeros got knocked out of the playoffs and then... *crickets*crickets*crickets* And yet, there was stuff going on and plenty to ponder!

So, I started writing more about the Aeros and more about the Wild in relation to the Aeros and vice versa. And then I got involved with ProHockeyNews and added some legit writing to my arsenal, finally putting that journalism degree to some use.

And now here we are at the All-Star break again and Ms. Conduct-The Blog, is getting pretty healthy traffic, really nice props from the blogosphere, and has generally become what I wanted it to be when the season began.

Frankly, I couldn't be having more fun if I tried. Like, so much fun, I feel guilty sometimes. The community of hockey fans I've had the pleasure of getting to know over the last year never ceases to amaze me with the level of intelligence, wit, passion, and generosity it exhibits. What a blessing. Seriously.

Huge shouts out to:

  • All y'all who read on a regular basis, especially those who speak up occasionally in the comments or send me little tips or links or other good stuff. More more more! I have the best readers ever.
  • The many female hockey bloggers I've "met" this year, who cover their teams and the game with more humor, passion, zeal, and just as much knowledge as most male bloggers. You gals paved the way. The best I can do is continue to keep my little section of the path well lit.
  • John Royal and Andrew Ferraro and the Aeros PR folks for letting me tag along and learn from them and do my thing with gleeful abandon. And Mr. Awesome, Fred Trask, for sharing his gift with me at times when words alone aren't enough.
  • The few folks who actually read my personal hockey/goaltending stuff. I really do just write that stuff for the catharsis of getting it out of my swirling mind, but it's nice to know that when I'm wrestling with something, you guys will come to my rescue with advice or commiseration.
  • Blogger.com... I can't believe this shit's free and so reliable. What a wonderful world!
I'll be dropping some posts throughout the day looking back at a few things from the year and just generally wallowing in self-absorption. (What else is new, right?)

10 comments:

hollcan  January 23, 2009 at 7:31 AM  

Happy Anniversary and keep up the great work. If it weren't for you, John, Andrew and Royal we'd never get any Aero news up here in the Great White North.

R. Albers

BReynolds  January 23, 2009 at 8:50 AM  

Congrats on one year! I wish I had a seperate log-in for The Times and Hockey Wilderness so I could say congrats from both sites...

So, congrats from both sites, and specifically from me.

Truly one of the best reads on the web.

Anonymous  January 23, 2009 at 9:08 AM  

Happy Blogiversary!! Thanks for the Aeros updates & you do a great job here.

Robbie  January 23, 2009 at 9:27 AM  

hey, i check in on the blog now periodically for news on my homeboy mitch love, and wanted to say congrats.

though i did notice your shout out to blogger. just wanted to plant a seed that wordpress can rock bloggers socks off. i am sure you have no intention of just moving your blog because i say so, but check it out sometime. the free hosted version is still much more robust than blogger, and you can always install it on your own server if you have a hosting plan. then you can really customize the blog/site to do lots of cool things.

once again, just want to plant that seed in your mind! and congrats again on the blog. i know how fulfilling it is when you have a personal site that takes off in popularity!

Ms. Conduct  January 23, 2009 at 9:41 AM  

Thanks you guys!

Robbie, thanks for the tip. I've been wishing for more robust layout tools as I'm a bit bored with the look of things, but my 1997 HTML skillz are of little use in spiffing up the templates they provide. And at this point, changing my address would suuuck. But I didn't know there was a free version, so that's helpful. Maybe a summer project. :)

Jennifer Hammer  January 23, 2009 at 10:48 AM  

Yay for female bloggers!

Yay for keeping me informed about all thing Clayton Stoner!

I love your site, Happy Blogiversary!!

Nick in New York  January 23, 2009 at 12:21 PM  

Congratulations on a great year!

As a reader I will tell you that your blog enhances my hockey experience and that's all I can ask for.

As a blogger I will tell you that your blogging is motivating to me.

As, I'd like to think, a friend, I will tell you that I am very happy for your success both on the ice and in the blogosphere.

Looking forward to another great year!

Ms. Conduct  January 23, 2009 at 12:43 PM  

Shit, Nick, you're gonna make me cry! Thank you! The warm sentiments are very much mutual.

BReynolds  January 23, 2009 at 5:41 PM  

Nick has that affect on a lot of women...

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