Thursday, December 23, 2004
The Year in Review
It’s performance review time around the office, and thoughts are turning to the year's accomplishments. Some of that forced self-reflection has spilled over into the blog today. So forgive me, please, while I get all self-indulgently introspective for a moment.
This year saw the launch of From the Floor. I decided to start blogging for two reasons: to give myself a forum for doing more art writing, and to make tons of money and become famous.
I’m happy with how I’ve done with one of those objectives.
The rewards for doing this come in non-financial ways. Today From the Floor hit a milestone for the first time. Over 20,000 unique visitors have viewed the site in the last month. I wouldn’t have guessed that a readership would grow that fast when I started this project five months ago.
To all you bloggers who have driven traffic to the site since it launched, thanks. To those of you who have written in via email with kind (or critical) words, thank you. Those notes keep me encouraged on days when I don’t necessarily feel like writing something new. To those of you who read every day, thanks to you as well. It’s gratifying to know that people are interested enough in what’s going through my head to make a point of visiting the site. If you like what you see here, don’t keep it to yourself. Spread the word by telling friends and colleagues.
This week also saw From the Floor’s first mention in the mainstream art press. The January issue of Art in America contains a boxed item entitled “Art in the Blogosphere” that highlights From the Floor and eleven other blogs.
If you’re new to the site as a result of that piece, welcome. Feel free to browse the archives. (And if you came just to find out how to pronounce Romare Bearden’s name, here’s a shortcut.) But don’t limit yourself to this site. Also spend some time exploring the rest of the blogosphere. The Art in America list, as good as it is, overlooks a number of excellent art blogs. Take a look at my list of recommended daily reads in the right-hand column. If you see something there that isn’t listed in the magazine, be sure to check it out. It, too, is worth exploring.
Thanks again, readers and fellow bloggers, for making From the Floor’s first calendar year a good one.
This year saw the launch of From the Floor. I decided to start blogging for two reasons: to give myself a forum for doing more art writing, and to make tons of money and become famous.
I’m happy with how I’ve done with one of those objectives.
The rewards for doing this come in non-financial ways. Today From the Floor hit a milestone for the first time. Over 20,000 unique visitors have viewed the site in the last month. I wouldn’t have guessed that a readership would grow that fast when I started this project five months ago.
To all you bloggers who have driven traffic to the site since it launched, thanks. To those of you who have written in via email with kind (or critical) words, thank you. Those notes keep me encouraged on days when I don’t necessarily feel like writing something new. To those of you who read every day, thanks to you as well. It’s gratifying to know that people are interested enough in what’s going through my head to make a point of visiting the site. If you like what you see here, don’t keep it to yourself. Spread the word by telling friends and colleagues.
This week also saw From the Floor’s first mention in the mainstream art press. The January issue of Art in America contains a boxed item entitled “Art in the Blogosphere” that highlights From the Floor and eleven other blogs.
If you’re new to the site as a result of that piece, welcome. Feel free to browse the archives. (And if you came just to find out how to pronounce Romare Bearden’s name, here’s a shortcut.) But don’t limit yourself to this site. Also spend some time exploring the rest of the blogosphere. The Art in America list, as good as it is, overlooks a number of excellent art blogs. Take a look at my list of recommended daily reads in the right-hand column. If you see something there that isn’t listed in the magazine, be sure to check it out. It, too, is worth exploring.
Thanks again, readers and fellow bloggers, for making From the Floor’s first calendar year a good one.
