2015 is finally coming to a close. Since I have shared my top Anime for this year, it’s time to reflect back on my blogging and what happened during the year.
For me, 2015 was a year of transition for me. Back in December of last year, I finished my Master’s degree in Information Technology. In short, I had a lot of free time while I tried to find a job. Although I was somewhat upset by the large amount of job rejection letters that I received, I was lucky to get a job relatively quickly. In May, I was able to get a job on the first interview for a database job. With that, I am grateful for the fact that some people are still having difficult time getting a job or still working in low wage jobs.
Since I got a job, I felt that I haven’t accomplished much due to the amount of time taken from the movie and work. As evident with the amount of games and anime I completed this year, I didn’t do a very good job. In short, my backlog, especially in regards to video games has grown. Hopefully next year, I will try my complete more games so I can actually finish some of them and review them.
As for Anime Blogging in general, while the page views remained consistent after the drop from last year, the blog had a good year with 681 comments for 2015 and 170 likes. Yep, engagement was up compared to a previous year despite the drop in search traffic, which is a good sign. Also, Facebook likes and Google Plus follows were also good. Hopefully, the traffic will continue to improve now that HTTPS is fully implemented.
However, there was one thing that really upset me and that is Twitter. This year represents a sizable drop in followers, which caused me to become anxious and upset despite things going well in real life. I have to admit that some of it is partly because I don’t tweet often, especially in the second half of the year because I am busy and I really don’t do life updates. I am not really the type of person who shares every aspect of my life. However, the amount of unfollows shows makes me believe the Anime fandom and the blogosphere has become cliquey and fragmented. This is probably why I tend to prefer forums and comments on blogs over social networking since you can see the messages from everyone and engage with others without having to follow or friend anyone. Regardless, I hope the followers count rebounds next year so that I won’t feel too bad.
Now that I finished what I wanted to reflect on in 2015, it’s time to set the goals for 2016. For one, I want to finally tackle the JLPT (Japanese Language Proficiency Test) N3 now that I know all the grammar and looked over all the Kanji in my flash card deck. While I know a good amount since I started 4 years ago, there is some things I still need to practice in the mean time. I plan on getting the study materials in February and use whatever media I have for supplemental practice so I will be ready to take it next December. Hopefully, it won’t be that bad once I begin studying for it.
As for going to an anime convention, it’s up in the air at this point. Considering that I took a slight hit in pay to get a job, I might not have enough money to go to one this year and I don’t want to get into debt over it. Once I pass my first year in my job and receive a raise, the budget won’t be as tight so I can go without worrying about breaking it. When I go, hopefully it will be fun and get to meet other anime bloggers in person.
With that, I wish everyone a Happy New Years. I’ll see you in 2016!
お正月、おめでとうございます。 ¶
Believe me when I say that you should focus on your other social network areas. Twitter followers can be a pain as they are on and off again. I gain as many new followers as I lose them, which is why of all my networks Twitter is the one I convern myself with least. When I’m not talking about wrestling the majority of Tweets are blog posts and Tumblr images and reblogs.
My point is focus on social networks that do get a lot of traffic. It may not look like it but I too get anxious when negative stuff happens to me online. It’s strange when we think about it.
Anyway here’s to a much better 2016 my friend and always remember that I and others you know got your back dood.
Social networking in general is a mixed bag considering the things of how people are treated online and such. Sure, there are advantages to social networks since it’s a lot easier to communicate with others. Sure, seeing the followers count fluctuate can be frustrating, but in the long run, it will grow. But aside from that, I’m not too worried about it and eventually, I will get out of the rut my blog is currently in.
But yes, Happy new years too and hopefully things will get better from here along with reaching my goals.