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Getting bigger & better in 2012

2011 proved to be a turning point in my approach to hockey blogging, and I'm really looking forward to a productive 2012. They say that writing down your goals is the first step towards making them happen, so here we go...

In order to set my goals for 2012 in proper context, I think it's worth sharing some of what got done in 2011:

  • Roughly doubled the readership & traffic levels at OTF compared to 2010, which was honored by the Nashville Scene as Best Sports Blog in Nashville.
  • Added Marc Torrence (@OTFMarc) and Sam Page (@predsblog) to the writing staff at OTF, bringing different perspectives to the table.
  • Went through a redesign of Hockey Gear HQ and dove into the concept of internet marketing, earning just over $900 in revenue for the year. Having published less than 1% of the planned content for that site, I'm extremely hopeful that this can turn into a significant income generator.
  • Published an e-book on my fantasy hockey draft strategy, which, despite some glitches along the way, seems to have helped a number of folks. That strategy appears to be working, as I'm currently in 1st place in all 3 of the leagues where I used it!
  • Started an email newsletter at Hockey Gear HQ which now has over 100 subscribers, who receive updates every week or two about the latest sales and coupon codes related to all things hockey.
  • Dipped my toe into the waters of video blogging by setting up YouTube channels for both OTF and Hockey Gear HQ.
So what are my goals for 2012?
  • Double the readership at OTF again, specifically targeting 5 million page views for 2012.
  • Design templates which clearly present key hockey stats (including advanced stuff) for teams & players, to make their use in OTF articles more useful and accessible for the reader.
  • Publish at least one article per day at Hockey Gear HQ, and earn at least $10,000 there.
  • Revise and expand my fantasy hockey book this summer.
  • Grow the HGHQ email newsletter list to 1,000 subscribers
  • Produce at least one video blog each week, either for OTF or HGHQ.
  • Post at least one article per week here at OTF Classic, touching on issues relating to sports blogging in general (social media, search engine optimization, tips & tools, etc.).
Can I hit these goals? We'll see, but at least this takes care of my OTF Classic post of the week!

By the way, if there are any topics you'd like me to write about here, feel free to let me know in the comments...

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