Wednesday, January 1, 2014

2013 - The Year in Review

So 2013 has come and gone.  I thought that 2012 was a good year, but 2013 has blown it out of the water!  I believe that the amount of money that I spent more than doubled compared to last year.  That has certainly given me some pause.  I was trying to search for a theme in my purchases, and there doesn't really appear to be one.  Certainly, I could argue that this year was the year of the Masterpiece figure, as I managed to get Soundwave, his cassettes, Tigertrack, the Datsun brothers, and Acid Storm.  I could also call this the year of the gestalt with my additions of Anime Devastator, Abominus and Monstructor (reviews on him to start January 13th, 2014!).  I guess the theme to the year would be that there isn't a theme.

I'm very proud of what I've accomplished with my collection, but I'm more proud of what I've accomplished with the blog.  At the start of the year, I averaged maybe 600 visitors a month, and thanks to my presence on Facebook, and my membership in a few groups there, I've managed to get up around 2,500 visitors a month.  It's a mere pittance compared to the big guys, but I'm extremely pleased.  I think that by posting an addition to the collection once a week, I've created some stability.

In the last quarter of this year, I got a little crazy and decided to try for a second posting each week.  I'm enjoying these, even with the navel-gazing and I think I've almost found my groove as far as writing style goes.  Look for those to continue until I get hit by a really bad case of writers block.

I've also discovered a few new blogs this year.  There's the Angry Canadian Decepticon Blog, which is always a fun read, and then there's The Gassy Autobot,  which is hilarious.  If you haven't stopped by to check these out, I highly suggest that you do.

Anyway, that's enough of that.  Let's take a look at my group shots for the year!  If you notice anyone that hasn't had a review, don't worry, they're coming.  Also, sorry for the bad shots.  My new light tent and better lighting system will be here soon.  I hope.

Decepticon Group Shot 1
Decepticon Group Shot 2
Generations Autobots.  Scamper is representing Metroplex
Generation 1 Autobots
Masterpiece, Alernity and Encore.  Cerebros represents Fort Max

I'd like to thank everyone that has stopped by the to read the silly little posts that I do.  I'd also like to thank those who have helped me along the way, whether they read the blog or not, and whether they know it or not.  2013 has been a great year, and I can only hope that 2014 is even better!  See you next year!

8 comments:

  1. Happy New Year Optimal! It's been nice getting to know you and I'm looking forward to seeing what you pick up in 2014.

    Cheers,
    Joe

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    1. Happy New Year to you! I love getting to know other collectors, and I'm certainly glad to have met you. 2014 is going to be a great year!

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  2. Nice wrap up! The Generations Autobots look great together. Happy new year Optimal, thanks for the support. All the best for 2014!

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    1. Thanks! And Happy New Year to you! I'm glad to support you because you have a great blog with some amazing photography.

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    2. Thanks, I really appreciate that! Can't wait to see what you do with your light tent...

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  3. happy new year Optimal. Keep up the good work.

    I like Angry Canadian Decepticon's blog and also Gassy Autobot's too, so definitely with you there in your recommendations of them.

    As long as you enjoy what you are doing, don't get too worried about the number of visitors count. After awhile, it becomes just another number. After blogging for five / six years, my numbers go up and down too, sometimes drastically - some months could be as high as 18,000 and some months they drop to 8,000. Overall, I am happy even if its just my close-knit group of 7-10 closest buddies who stop by and no one else.

    Looking forward to more good stuff dude!

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  4. Bring on the Alternity Fort Max review!

    I'm not a numbers person at all. I guess that's why I was floored when I clicked the Stats button last month. Like HD said, as long as I know "my regulars" are stopping by to see what I have to say I'm happy. Not that I don't appreciate comments by new readers either.

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  5. I don't really pay that much attention to my visitor stats, but I when I jumped drastically, I couldn't help but notice. I'm on the blogger dashboard a few times a day looking for the newest posts by everyone. More than anything, I'm more concerned with getting regular comments to get discussions going.

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