Year Two: What Now?

My blogging anniversary just passed on the 15th and now I'm into Year Two. What now? How can I top Year One? When I think of all of the things that I did to try and set my blog apart from others, I'm unsure of how to try and continue to do so. I guess I first need to analyze the accomplishments of Year One before I can attack Year Two:

Wanda Sykes read my blog

Although I don't have 100% proof that it was Wanda who I chatted with over the course of three or four months, I'd like to believe it was her. I started believing that it might be her when she tweeted photos of her twins (although they could have been Octomom's kids for all I know). The way we crossed paths is that I mentioned her in a tweet about a post I wrote on her. It was about the show she did on the Gulf Coast that I wasn't able to attend because of the ridiculous ticket prices. She replied back to me and ended up reading the blog post. A few DM's (direct messages for those who aren't tweet literate) later and I was one of only 7 people she was following on Twitter. Every blue moon, she'd DM me and ask how The Mrs. and I were doing and it was kind of cool. Then one day, she was gone. No more Twitter account. Months later, she's back with a new account. I never reached out to see if she would even remember me or if she could confirm if it was really her or not. I guess I just wanted to believe that Wanda Sykes read my blog. :)

Formerly TQRS, now T2Q

Those acronyms mean nothing to those who truly don't follow me. TOAR, Thundercat, Chaplain Donna, Sonia, Coach Steph, Angie, Israel, Reckmonster, Lil Pixi, Charli and Tiffany all know what it means though. :)

The Stunner

Although I don't think this was the most creative idea, but it was by far the most successful when it comes to viewership. The Stunner Blogging Tournament brought in almost 30,000 page hits for the month it was active. This competition started as a crazy idea fueled by the NCAA March Madness tournament. 20 bloggers competed in a bracket-styled tournament where people would vote on a submitted blog post. Whoever had the most votes in a set period of time advanced to the next round. This continued over the course of a month until we crowned a champion. It is now something I plan on conducting annually and qualifying rounds will occur in October for those interested. It's invite only and if you're not a commenter, then don't expect a tap on the shoulder from me. I believe in rewarding loyalty. Brandon over there at My Own Private Idaho ended up taking home the title, but not without controversy. This tournament saw everything from substitute contestants, accusations of voter fraud, and a Twitter war between two contestants. Overall, it was a lot of fun for the readers because they got to read some of the best blog posts on the web. Oh, by the way, if anyone needs campaign management, then talk to Lynn, Alexandra, Brandon, or Michelle W. because they were promoting their entries like mad. All of the contestants gained followers and most of them even started following one another. That camaraderie is actually what led to my next crazy idea.

The Blogger Reality Show

This is another crazy idea that I posted with no intention of following through. Except there was one problem: eight other crazies thought it was a good idea. The Real Blogger Shore's Amazing Undercover Idol was born! The "circle posting" idea came while I was on the Yahoo! homepage and I noticed some "news" stories about one or two reality shows and it gave me an idea: I'm going to write a reality show idea about bloggers and pitch it to FOX! Basically, it's about some stereotypical bloggers who are stashed in a posh mansion in Helena, Montana. Why Helena? Because the mansions there are cheaper to rent than Beverly Hills. We're on a budget, you know? This show will be very similar to MTV's "The Real World" which some people call the first traditional reality show. Like "TRW," you need an interesting blend of characters to sell the show.

The next thing I know, the bloggers I had in mind wanted to give it a try. Squatlo kicked things off with an amazing intro to the series of posts that required readers to go from each of our blog sites in order to get to the next chapter of this fictional story. The process of sending readers to a new site to continue the story brought new readers to sites they may have not even been aware existed. In fact, I had some new followers tell me via comments or Twitter that the found my site while reading the different chapters of the story. Crazy idea, great results!

Taylor Corley (Stone) read my blog

Two of my most popular posts are about this young lady. She's a former Mississippi State University cheerleader turned Playboy Bunny. She was the subject of a lot of controversy here in my home state and I kind of felt bad for her. I thought people were wrong for riding their faux moral high horses and thumbing their noses at a young lady who is pursuing a career. The first post gave a basic summary of the situation and how she was being treated. I basically defended her because what she was doing was legal. As long as people are within the proper venues, they can do what they want if you ask me. It's not like she was stripping at Bulldog football games (although that would have increased attendance).

The second post on Taylor discussed her upcoming TV pilot called "Girl Swag." It's a reality show looking to debut on VH1 or MTV. I basically joined the TC Bandwagon at that point and joked that I would represent her as an agent. Well, when I promoted the post on Twitter, she saw her name mentioned and came on over to read my blog post. She then responded to me on Twitter which I thought was pretty cool. Now if I can only get her to retweet my blog site to her followers.

The Android App

Yes, there's an app for that! Wait. That's Apple, isn't it? I get confused. No matter. You can follow my blog on your phone by clicking the link and downloading. This app automatically brings all of my posts straight to your cell. Now you can take me with you where ever you go! (Memo to self: first cell phones, next the world).

So, now, Year Two starts. Let's see what it has in store!