Thursday, March 31, 2005
The first blogiversary
So...
It has been one year since Chrenkoff declared the beginning of major combat operations while addressing a small group of close friends onboard the aircraft carrier Australia.
It's hard to believe that I wrote this a year ago, 31 March 2004, at 11.37 AM to be more exact:
It has been a great ride - nah, a fantastic ride for these past twelve months for this Polish-Australian nobody, far beyond what I could have foreseen or hoped for. 1,734,900 visits to my blog so far, and average of about 7,500 visits daily, countless links and appearances on other blogrolls, cracking the Ecosystem's Top 50, a few radio interviews, "Good news from Iraq" and "Good news from Afghanistan" series becoming a regular fixture and crossing over into the mainstream media thanks to James Taranto at the "Opinion Journal", 385,000 mentions of "Chrenkoff" on Google, as opposed to just a two or three dozen BB (Before Blog).
But by far the greatest thrill of it all has been the chance to (virtually*) meet so many great people, bloggers and readers alike. Internet is a true miracle in motion, and I'm so glad that Al Gore had invented it, as without it we are unlikely to have ever met. You're all my very extended family spanning all continents and all time zones around the world.
(*I did manage so far meet Tim Blair and a large contingent of Brisbane bloggers in person)
Thank you, thank you, thank you
There are so many people to thank that I shouldn't even try to name them individually, as for every one I might mention there will be at least a dozen who also should be. So please accept my collective thank you for your support, comments, suggestions, stories, ideas, links, publicity, Paypal donations and general blogospheric kindness.
But specifically, thanks to Mrs Chrenkoff for patiently tolerating her husband's strange obsession.
Two Australian blogs were the first ones to put me on their blogroll: Niner Charlie and Slattsnews. Powerline was the first "big league" blog to do me the honor (thanks heaps, Deacon, Big Trunk and Hindrocket!).
Believe it or not, Andrew Sullivan was the first major blogger to link to me, twice creating huge spikes in my otherwise very flat traffic in my first two months in the 'sphere. Tim Blair and Glenn Reynolds weren't too far behind. Joe Katzman, of course, invited me to the Winds of Change family to cross-post my good news segments. "Thank you" or "Dziekuje", just to confuse you.
Other big thanks for support go to James Taranto at Best of the Web, Matthew from Blackfive, Dean Esmay, Omar and Mohammed from Iraq the Model and Ali from Free Iraqi, Mr & Mrs Greyhawk from Mudville Gazette, Michelle Malkin, Roger Simon, Steve Green at Vodka Pundit, Charles at Little Green Footballs, Bill at INDC Journal, and Kathryn at the Corner.
I really should just republish my blogroll, shouldn't it? Just a few more long-standing supporters: Joe Gandelman at the Moderate Voice, Bill Roggio at the Fourth Rail, Bill at Pundit Guy, Chester at the Adventures of Chester, John Hawkins at Right Wing News, Fausta at the Bad Hair Blog, Franco Aleman at Barcepundit, Francois at Un Swissroll, Clayton Cramer, Peter Schramm at No Left Turns, Lorie at Polipundit, the crew at Silent Running, and everyone at Homespun Bloggers.
And outside the blogosphere strictly speaking: Andrew Bolt, Jeff Jacoby, Mark Steyn, John and Tom at Real Clear Politics, Michael Ladeen, Jim Robbins, Radek Sikorski, Victor Davis Hanson, Sophie Masson, Margaret at Metrolingua, the frequent guest blogger and links forwarder Dan Foty, email correspondent Mike M., Major Tammes at the Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan, our special correspondent and tireless translator Haider Ajina, and friends at CENTCOM, various embassies and ministerial offices, who have to remain nameless.
Then there are the comments regulars who make the discussions so interesting and chase away all the moonbats: Dan, Ninme, Bruce Chang, Brian H, Kate Shaw, Egbert Souse, zeppenwolf, PacRim Jim and many, many others.
God, it feels like the Academy Awards.
Want to contribute to Chrenkoff?
As you know, I'm always keen to publish material from guest bloggers. So, if you are in the military, foreign service, business, politics or anywhere for that matter, and have an interesting story to share with the world (or that small section of the world that reads this blog), I'm more than happy to provide you with a forum. Confidentiality assured, and only three small conditions: no classified material, no defaming people, and keep it civilized. Otherwise - you too can become a Chrenkoff correspondent.
Also, as per a long-standing policy: there are so many of you out there, and I love you all, but blogging is not my full-time occupation and it's simply impossible to visit even a fraction of you regularly - so, instead, I rely on you to drop me an email and let me know when you've posted something particularly worthwhile, interesting, insightful, original or humorous (in fact many of you are already doing just that). In many case I'll link - so don't be shy!
What's in store?
Hopefully a lot. Not the least perhaps, a long-overdue move to a more professional platform and a more professional look. The timing, however, will depend on several other elements in my life sorting themselves out in the near future.
In the meantime, stay tuned for a lot more chrenkin' off.
|
It has been one year since Chrenkoff declared the beginning of major combat operations while addressing a small group of close friends onboard the aircraft carrier Australia.
It's hard to believe that I wrote this a year ago, 31 March 2004, at 11.37 AM to be more exact:
"Welcome to the Chrenkoff Blog. After years of inflicting my opinions on long-suffering family and friends, first face to face, and then increasingly via email, I decided it was time enough to join the revolution. So stay tuned for unashamedly biased opinion, commentary, late-night musings - pure unadulterated 100% 'Chrenkin' off' about politics, international relations, culture and whatever else takes my fancy - always from the Right side."Little did I know - or hope - where it will all lead.
It has been a great ride - nah, a fantastic ride for these past twelve months for this Polish-Australian nobody, far beyond what I could have foreseen or hoped for. 1,734,900 visits to my blog so far, and average of about 7,500 visits daily, countless links and appearances on other blogrolls, cracking the Ecosystem's Top 50, a few radio interviews, "Good news from Iraq" and "Good news from Afghanistan" series becoming a regular fixture and crossing over into the mainstream media thanks to James Taranto at the "Opinion Journal", 385,000 mentions of "Chrenkoff" on Google, as opposed to just a two or three dozen BB (Before Blog).
But by far the greatest thrill of it all has been the chance to (virtually*) meet so many great people, bloggers and readers alike. Internet is a true miracle in motion, and I'm so glad that Al Gore had invented it, as without it we are unlikely to have ever met. You're all my very extended family spanning all continents and all time zones around the world.
(*I did manage so far meet Tim Blair and a large contingent of Brisbane bloggers in person)
Thank you, thank you, thank you
There are so many people to thank that I shouldn't even try to name them individually, as for every one I might mention there will be at least a dozen who also should be. So please accept my collective thank you for your support, comments, suggestions, stories, ideas, links, publicity, Paypal donations and general blogospheric kindness.
But specifically, thanks to Mrs Chrenkoff for patiently tolerating her husband's strange obsession.
Two Australian blogs were the first ones to put me on their blogroll: Niner Charlie and Slattsnews. Powerline was the first "big league" blog to do me the honor (thanks heaps, Deacon, Big Trunk and Hindrocket!).
Believe it or not, Andrew Sullivan was the first major blogger to link to me, twice creating huge spikes in my otherwise very flat traffic in my first two months in the 'sphere. Tim Blair and Glenn Reynolds weren't too far behind. Joe Katzman, of course, invited me to the Winds of Change family to cross-post my good news segments. "Thank you" or "Dziekuje", just to confuse you.
Other big thanks for support go to James Taranto at Best of the Web, Matthew from Blackfive, Dean Esmay, Omar and Mohammed from Iraq the Model and Ali from Free Iraqi, Mr & Mrs Greyhawk from Mudville Gazette, Michelle Malkin, Roger Simon, Steve Green at Vodka Pundit, Charles at Little Green Footballs, Bill at INDC Journal, and Kathryn at the Corner.
I really should just republish my blogroll, shouldn't it? Just a few more long-standing supporters: Joe Gandelman at the Moderate Voice, Bill Roggio at the Fourth Rail, Bill at Pundit Guy, Chester at the Adventures of Chester, John Hawkins at Right Wing News, Fausta at the Bad Hair Blog, Franco Aleman at Barcepundit, Francois at Un Swissroll, Clayton Cramer, Peter Schramm at No Left Turns, Lorie at Polipundit, the crew at Silent Running, and everyone at Homespun Bloggers.
And outside the blogosphere strictly speaking: Andrew Bolt, Jeff Jacoby, Mark Steyn, John and Tom at Real Clear Politics, Michael Ladeen, Jim Robbins, Radek Sikorski, Victor Davis Hanson, Sophie Masson, Margaret at Metrolingua, the frequent guest blogger and links forwarder Dan Foty, email correspondent Mike M., Major Tammes at the Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan, our special correspondent and tireless translator Haider Ajina, and friends at CENTCOM, various embassies and ministerial offices, who have to remain nameless.
Then there are the comments regulars who make the discussions so interesting and chase away all the moonbats: Dan, Ninme, Bruce Chang, Brian H, Kate Shaw, Egbert Souse, zeppenwolf, PacRim Jim and many, many others.
God, it feels like the Academy Awards.
Want to contribute to Chrenkoff?
As you know, I'm always keen to publish material from guest bloggers. So, if you are in the military, foreign service, business, politics or anywhere for that matter, and have an interesting story to share with the world (or that small section of the world that reads this blog), I'm more than happy to provide you with a forum. Confidentiality assured, and only three small conditions: no classified material, no defaming people, and keep it civilized. Otherwise - you too can become a Chrenkoff correspondent.
Also, as per a long-standing policy: there are so many of you out there, and I love you all, but blogging is not my full-time occupation and it's simply impossible to visit even a fraction of you regularly - so, instead, I rely on you to drop me an email and let me know when you've posted something particularly worthwhile, interesting, insightful, original or humorous (in fact many of you are already doing just that). In many case I'll link - so don't be shy!
What's in store?
Hopefully a lot. Not the least perhaps, a long-overdue move to a more professional platform and a more professional look. The timing, however, will depend on several other elements in my life sorting themselves out in the near future.
In the meantime, stay tuned for a lot more chrenkin' off.
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