Sorry, it’s a little belated! Every year I make New Year’s resolutions and use them as my goals for the year. Sometimes it works and sometimes, not so much. 2012 was a great year for me and for Life’s an Adventure 2. I’m absolutely thrilled at the success of my blog, the possibilities for moving forward and all the lovely readers I’ve had the chance to chat with. But there’s still more to do so of course, I have new “resolutions” or goals for 2013. This will be the third year I’ve posted them here and tied them so closely (for the most part) to the blog.
What happened in 2012?
2012 started off with a bang as I was interviewed by CBC’s The National about New Year’s resolutions (no joke, it was my first full-on, on camera TV interview – nerve-wracking but informative). Funnily enough, it was just one of a few TV and newspaper interviews that I did in 2012 (well, the one for the Toronto Star was in December 2011). They included one for Arirang Korea, a 30 minute Korean culture TV program that airs on ONMI2 in Canada about my Korean culture blogging/love; a group interview on The National again with three others about the popularity of Psy & Gangnam Style; an interview for a documentary on Hallyu for AllTV that was unfortunately cut; and one with The Globe & Mail, again on Hallyu that was also cut. All in all, it was fabulous exposure for Life’s an Adventure 2. Plus it gave me valuable insight on how to both be an interviewee (without stressing out too much) and how to be a better interviewer.
I was also privileged to cover several wonderful Korean events in Toronto. 2012 definitely saw an increase in both the quality and quantity of Korean cultural and Hallyu events (can’t wait to see what 2013 brings). Some of the events included: Arirang Korea Smartphone Film Festival, Rendezvous Korean Cuisine 2012, Toronto Korean Film Festival, North Korean Human Rights Film Festival, Super Wave Korea 2012, Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival, the Pop! Goes the World! parties, and HallyuCon 2012. Plus we covered some great K-pop/Korean music concerts, including: 2012 Toronto Beatbox Battle presented by KRNFX, 2K12 Korea Night, Lee Juck and Apollo 18. Yay, it was so much fun to attend them and write about them.
Readership exploded (20,000 in 2011 to 150,000 in 2012 – I know I’m bragging but wow, it’s just so amazing that I can’t stop saying it) and I can’t thank you all enough for that. I’m so excited to bring you more articles, writers, and fun in 2013. Look for a new look starting in February 2013 (I was hoping for January – new year, new look – but it’s taking just a little longer to work out all the details).
As for my 2012 resolutions, I accomplished two of the five with flying colours. Another one is a work-in-progress but I expected it to be as it’s a part of my five-year plan. One completely fell off my radar, I just didn’t have time (boo!) and the final one I started late in the year and will continue working on it in 2013. All in all… not great but not bad either.
2013 New Year’s Resolutions for Life’s an
1. Rebrand and promote Life’s an Adventure 2 as an online Korean culture magazine. I started the process in late 2012 so the ball is already rolling on this goal but this is definitely my number one goal for 2013. I want to bring you more and better content while keeping the personal vibe. Surprisingly, the name has been the most difficult change. Stay tuned for the online magazine launch in February!
2. Continue the growth of readership. This is pretty much a standard goal for every blog and website. We want people to stop by and read our articles. And of course, the best way to encourage more readers – and more regular, repeat readers – is to have great, regular content. So look for new stories and writers, as well as a more consistent posting schedule, but the same personal style and focus on Korean culture in 2013.
3. More videos. This has been something that I’ll been bad at in the past and for that I apologize. You see, videos means cameras and I’m not entirely comfortable in front of the camera. But they’ve been requested by you, my lovely readers, and I know they are great for promoting the site so I’m going to push my boundaries and create more videos for you. In fact, I’m already working on a couple of ideas.
4. Doing more Op-Eds and revitalizing Friday’s Korean culture posts. I read a lot of other blogs and online magazines, both for pleasure and for research. One of the things that I noticed is that some of the most interesting posts come from readers’ comments or are in response to another article. So I’m going to open a Korean culture question section where you can ask questions about Korean culture that I (or one of my other writers) will answer. We are also going to do more Op-Eds (opinion editorials) to spark discussion. Never be shy about commenting or disagreeing with us – discussion is great!
5. Finishing & publishing Love in the Land of Morning Calm. It still amazes me that this little story I started working on turned into my first novel (well, it’s still a work-in-progress but it will be a full on novel once I’m finished). And all your kind comments have encouraged me so much. I’ve been steadily working on it and plan to finish the writing by the end of the winter. After editing, my “resolution” or goal is to publish and have it available for purchase on the site (as an e-book) this summer.
Those are my resolutions for 2013 – or at least the ones that are specific to Life’s an Adventure 2. What do you think? What are your 2013 New Year’s resolutions? Do you make them?