Two Years
I started this site because there were very few comprehensive and systematic written reviews of gear. It was a way for me to organize my thoughts and really write something that, if I were to stumble across it, I would like to read. It was never intended to be anything more than that.
But things change.
Just before Christmas the site had its one millionth view. That is pretty cool, a nice round number. We are average around 80,000 to 100,000 views a month. Blade HQ has been kind enough to send me stuff to review. And the ad revenue and commissions from Blade HQ have powered simply awesome giveaways.
For the second anniversary of the site I am going to give away the McGizmo Haiku Hi CRI edition. I am going to close the giveaway contest at the end of February and then announce the winner in early March. There are quite a few good entries. I am still accepting some, so get them in quick. Even if you didn't get a review in for the McGizmo I still have quite a few nice pieces of gear to give away, so check back on the two year anniversary for details on how to win.
Finally, the big surprise--there is a podcast now. You can find it here: Gear Geeks Live. Aaron over at Practically Everyday and I have teamed up to do a thirty minute podcast once every two weeks. There are two episodes out right now, the initial episode I did, Episode Zero, and then Episode 1. If you subscribe in iTunes you should have both appear on your i Device. If you don't have an iDevice but want the RSS feed you can find that here. The podcast, Gear Geeks Live, will be a quick look at gear. The format for the show will probably change some over time, but right now it looks something like this:
0-5 minutes: Intro and Virtual Pocket Dump
6-10 minutes: News and what we are hunting (gear we are researching/stuff we are waiting on)
11-25 minutes: Topic of the Week
26-30 minutes: Questions
It was very informal, just me talking (Aaron was on vacation). Really, it was just a test for hosting and posting a podcast. Bear in mind, we are doing this on a shoestring budget. The hosting is cheap. We don't have mics (yet) and we are going to just use iChat or Skype. If this works out we'll look at upgrading in the future. Right now, we just want to get started and have something for folks to listen to on their drive to work. You can also find it in the Gear Geeks Live tab in the tool bar at the top of the website.
When I started the site, had a few goals. I wanted a corporate sponsor. I wanted to give away a Haiku. I wanted to have 50,000 readers a month. All of that is done. The only goal I haven't met, is that I want a review sample from Spyderco. I have worked with many of the big companies out there, but Spyderco is still on my list.
The goals for the next two years are pretty straightforward. I'd like to add a writer, someone with knowledge about things I am unfamiliar with--watches and pens, in particular. I'd like the podcast to get a base of listeners and hopefully get picked up by a podcast network (like 70decibels). Finally, some how, I want to give away a Hinderer. I figured that it is the only thing I can reasonably afford that is in the same league as the Haiku.
All of this, however, is not possible without you the reader. Thanks for reading. I work hard to keep up to date, to be honest in my reviews, and put out content on a regular basis. But none of it would be fun or rewarding without you the reader. Keep reading. Big stuff is on the horizon. The week of the site's two year anniversary will be filled with giveaways, totally close to $1000 in gear, so stay tuned on how to win.
But things change.
Just before Christmas the site had its one millionth view. That is pretty cool, a nice round number. We are average around 80,000 to 100,000 views a month. Blade HQ has been kind enough to send me stuff to review. And the ad revenue and commissions from Blade HQ have powered simply awesome giveaways.
For the second anniversary of the site I am going to give away the McGizmo Haiku Hi CRI edition. I am going to close the giveaway contest at the end of February and then announce the winner in early March. There are quite a few good entries. I am still accepting some, so get them in quick. Even if you didn't get a review in for the McGizmo I still have quite a few nice pieces of gear to give away, so check back on the two year anniversary for details on how to win.
Finally, the big surprise--there is a podcast now. You can find it here: Gear Geeks Live. Aaron over at Practically Everyday and I have teamed up to do a thirty minute podcast once every two weeks. There are two episodes out right now, the initial episode I did, Episode Zero, and then Episode 1. If you subscribe in iTunes you should have both appear on your i Device. If you don't have an iDevice but want the RSS feed you can find that here. The podcast, Gear Geeks Live, will be a quick look at gear. The format for the show will probably change some over time, but right now it looks something like this:
0-5 minutes: Intro and Virtual Pocket Dump
6-10 minutes: News and what we are hunting (gear we are researching/stuff we are waiting on)
11-25 minutes: Topic of the Week
26-30 minutes: Questions
It was very informal, just me talking (Aaron was on vacation). Really, it was just a test for hosting and posting a podcast. Bear in mind, we are doing this on a shoestring budget. The hosting is cheap. We don't have mics (yet) and we are going to just use iChat or Skype. If this works out we'll look at upgrading in the future. Right now, we just want to get started and have something for folks to listen to on their drive to work. You can also find it in the Gear Geeks Live tab in the tool bar at the top of the website.
When I started the site, had a few goals. I wanted a corporate sponsor. I wanted to give away a Haiku. I wanted to have 50,000 readers a month. All of that is done. The only goal I haven't met, is that I want a review sample from Spyderco. I have worked with many of the big companies out there, but Spyderco is still on my list.
The goals for the next two years are pretty straightforward. I'd like to add a writer, someone with knowledge about things I am unfamiliar with--watches and pens, in particular. I'd like the podcast to get a base of listeners and hopefully get picked up by a podcast network (like 70decibels). Finally, some how, I want to give away a Hinderer. I figured that it is the only thing I can reasonably afford that is in the same league as the Haiku.
All of this, however, is not possible without you the reader. Thanks for reading. I work hard to keep up to date, to be honest in my reviews, and put out content on a regular basis. But none of it would be fun or rewarding without you the reader. Keep reading. Big stuff is on the horizon. The week of the site's two year anniversary will be filled with giveaways, totally close to $1000 in gear, so stay tuned on how to win.