Looking back at '06, on to '07

It has surely been an amazing year for blogs, the Internet, The Last Word, and me. Looking back now, I'd really like to chronicle all the things that made a difference and I'd like to share with everyone.

What started off as a relaxing 'try-out slowly became a lovely and fulfilling hobby. Yes, The Last Word graduated from humble beginnings, as a way for me to share my thoughts with friends and people who bumped in, to a full and complete review and reflection (thank you Jen) blog through which I now share everything I think and know about the Internet world around me, programming and designing. I have introduced quite a few hacks and user-scripts [Pg 1 & 2] which have been implemented and used by many people. Just knowing that someone out there is benefitting from my work is enough to make me work for 'one' more hack :) Nothing like a little encouragement to keep you going!

Towards the middle of the year, when the old blog surfaced as a mainstream blog thanks to inputs and help from Avatar, I didn't expect to get so much viewer-ship and support from people. I guess I chose a more lucrative path of becoming a 'hacker' for Blogger, which made it easier to be spotted on the radar. I quickly took the opportunity to convert a generic blog to a theme related one. I had to give up the freedom of writing anything on my mind for that, but now on looking back from here, the change was nothing but a necessary growing step, which I'm glad to have taken at the correct time.

Through codes and scripts, I came to make friends in the community who are now my good friends over the Internet. They know who they are, and my sincere thanks to each and every one of them for making the year such a wonderful learning experience, and taking me from being just a kid with a penchant for codes to the status of 'Young gun' (thank you Phydeaux3!). I formed a satisfying partnership with Stephen and we created quite a few innovative hacks together. Now that we're both in college, we don't get to brainstorm like the good ol' days anymore. But I sure hope to reach the same peak of ultimate hackery with him in the future.

I learnt that certain methods work, and certain don't, when it comes to getting your point out to the world. But nothing works if you talk without any authority on your subject. I learnt how to write 'to' the people, something which I didn't know. I was too used to writing for myself. This was again explained to my by Avatar. Subtle changes brought more people to read my blog for articles, and not just a new hack. Even now as I check my statistics, my feed subscriber-ship shows a solid 140 subscribers. So close to new years, and many people out enjoying with family, it is a very encouraging number :)

My attempt at going commercial ended in quite a big thud! I wanted to take up designing for people as a small side-profession, but I guess I lack the creativity to generate a lot of innovative content quickly. I might try my hand at it again in the future, and hope to have more encouraging results then. But at the moment, there are no prospects of me taking up anything related to the Internet as a profession or a commercial hobby.

Together with Avatar, Bloggeratto came into existence. Although he gives me credit for the quick development of the blog, plus a permanent link to here, it has been completely his brainchild and hardwork which has put it where it is today. I did nothing more than place a few codes, and give him a few CSS tricks to put in! I wrote some codes specifically for Bloggeratto, which are now lying tattered and broken, begging for a rework. The task rests in my 'To-do' for the new year! More so now because Bloggeratto will be resurfacing soon in a new avatar! :P

The biggest turnaround was the onset of the new Blogger, and my hiatus from blogging. I entered college, and things became hectic. I left at a time when the magic was just beginning, and sadly missed the best part of it. But still, the moment I got a chance to make a return, I took the opportunity again. Trust me, there was a time where I had decided not to return to blogging, because I realised how much of my time it was eating up. Even now, as my examinations are going on, I take every break time I get to write out a little bit. But again, encouragement and questions with ideas from Avatar and many people out there who had implemented my hacks compelled me to make a fresh start. What better way than to switch to the new Blogger, and design a completely new blog?

The new year seems promising enough. Hopefully Blogger will keep things rolling at their end, and I will continue to share my thoughts and articles with you the way I have all of last year. And hacks! They will pop their heads every now and then to make your blogging experience simpler and more fun!

Hello 2007!