An End Of Year Thanks To Our Extended Community
I have a follow-up crowdsourcing article (following this one) almost ready to publish (watch out for that next week) but this week I wanted to say a quick thank-you to our extended community…
A Quick Look Back On 2012
With the Olimpycs and the Queens Jubilee among other things, 2012 was a really big year here in the UK… but it was a really big year for us because we weren’t supposed to be here.
We had only planned one year in the countryside before moving to France, but in 2012 we decided to stay – and in that time, a few of our little projects grew, Life’s Too Good being one of them.
What started as an experiment to learn a bit about the internet and ‘blogging’ has now become something more substantial, we have learned an awful lot along the way and have been able to remove some of the separations between our business interests and this website. We’re still in the process of refining the website and integrating the business aspect of what we do further so that it’s more accessible without being ‘in your face’ and we still want to provide as much free information as we always have (in fact more) – but we’re not in any particular hurry, so we’ll be continuing to make small changes here and there and fine-tuning what we have.
On the business side of things, we only have a few clients, a few courses and a few products. That’s very deliberate and just the way we want it.
In the meantime, Life’s Too Good as a website has grown, whilst being fine tuned to remain as minimal and focused on our key message (around efficiency and getting better results) and for that I’d like to say a brief thank you here.
Thanks For All Of Your Re-Tweets
It would be too long and too difficult to thank everyone who ever tweeted any of our stuff though I’d really like to. I just want to say thanks here if that’s you – if you have ever shared any of our articles on twitter, thanks. I really do appreciate it. There are a couple of people in particular I’d like to thank though: @Clewless & @palespruce, thanks so much for championing Life’s Too Good – I really appreciate your support & RTs.
Thanks To Our Extended Social Media Community
Thanks to everyone who has liked, +1’d, Pinned and otherwise shared our content via the various other social media platforms. Thanks in particular to Annie, Allie, Steve, Andrew, Andy and Dounia.
P.S. If you haven’t already and want to connect with us, you can use the buttons at the bottom left of the footer to do so (it’s all free).
Thanks For Your Comments
To everyone who has commented on our site this year, many thanks – any kind of comments are always appreciated and often add a lot more to the articles by way of your experience. We’ve had some great links and further examples shared via the comments this year. Last year we compiled a list of all of our commenters to say thank you giving backlinks and a link to their latest articles and/or websites as appropriate.
As with the tweets, it would be a little too much this year to list ALL of our commenters, but if you have commented at all, thanks we really do appreciate every single comment we get.
So we’ll do the same again but this time the list below is a list of regular commenters – people who have re-visited the site and left multiple comments.
- Adrian McGinn – thanks for the comment & the link Adrian!
- Adrienne Smith of http://adriennesmith.net/ latest post: Ho Ho Ho Merry Christmas
- Alison Golden of http://www.paleononpaleo.com latest post: The Paleo Mom: Is the Paleo Autoimmune Protocol Too Hard? You Decide
- Allie of http://www.ramblingsofawahm.com latest post: Happy Holidays!
- Ana Hoffman of www.trafficgenerationcafe.com latest post: My Favorite Bite-Sized Web Traffic Tips: Reader’s Digest Version
- Andrew of theshynesscure.com latest post: 14 Reasons You Always Give Up New Year Resolutions
- Annie Andre of http://www.annieandre.com/ latest post: Merry Christmas From France: How we celebrated as expats abroad
- Anna – thanks for all the comments Anna, I don’t have a surname or website for you but thanks for the comments anyway 😉
- Bethanny Parker of professionalseowriter.com latest post: How to Write an Article for SEO
- Carol Walden of homeofgoinggreen.com latest post: Going Green Tips
- Cathy Taughinbaugh of http://treatmenttalk.org/ latest post: How to Find Peace This Holiday Season
- Charles W. James of nutritiongang.com latest post: Superfoods – Vital To Nutrition & Safe Weight Loss
- Crystal of healchroniclyme.com
- Corky Swanson of bongotronics.com latest post: Seasons Greetings
- Cristina Ansbjerg of http://optima-lifestyle.com/ latest post: Why Amazon Will Rule the Publishing Industry For a Long Time
- Daow Huber of http://www.happyfood.ch latest post: Banana Fritters
- Deacon Bradley of http://lifestoked.com/ latest post: http://lifestoked.com/the-work-only-you-can-do/
- Debbie English – thanks for the comments Debbie!
- Debbie of http://www.motivatingmum.co.uk latest post: http://www.motivatingmum.co.uk/wp/2011/12/review-of-baby-swap-or-shop/
- Dille Gunia of http://www.livingmybestlifenow.com latest post: http://www.livingmybestlifenow.com/category/life/
- Everton Elliott for lots of great comments – Do you have a website yet we can promote Everton?
- Fran of http://www.flavorfulfork.com latest post: http://www.flavorfulfork.com/2011/11/thanksgiving-fun-family-scavenger-hunt/
- Gabriel Maties – thanks for commenting Gabriel, you still don’t have your own website either?
- Gary Shouldis of thesmallbusinessplaybook.com latest post: Small Business Toolbox – December Twenty Second
- Greg of tinybitbetter.wordpress.com latest post: A Tiny Bit of Gratitude – 35
- Hajra of hajrakvetches.com latest post: Inspiration, Laziness, Secrets
- Hamish of http://www.ebookreaderscribblings.com/ latest post:
Is Barnes And Noble About To Go Global With The Nook? - Hany Choueiri of http://www.attrapartners.com/
- Howard of http://guestdietblog.com latest post: 8 Healthy Tricks to Try Today
- Jay Gumbs of http://www.honestinternetcash.com latest post: 2012 Black Friday Internet Marketing Deals
- Jeevan Jacob John – thanks for your comments Jeevan – let me know when your site is back and I’ll put a link here
- Jennifer Fay of jennyjofaypaperdolls.blogspot.com latest post: Who is Shopping Day after Christmas?
- JLLopez of http://livesimplylivethriftylivesavvy.com/ latest post: Review: Entrust Your Kids with Freedom to Make Online Purchases Safely with Virtual Piggy
- John Ernest of mitprof.com
- Josh Sarz of http://sagoyism.com/ latest post: 5 Blogging Mistakes That Make You Sound Like A Jerk
- Julie of caucusrace.wordpress.com latest post: THINGS I SAW & LIKED: SFMoMA edition
- Justin Mazza of mazzastick.com latest post: Why Is Time Speeding Up and Pole Shifts
- Laura Schenck of http://lauraschenck.com/ latest post: Mindfulness During the Holidays
- Lenia of yourlife-yourchoices.com latest post: What To Do When You Lose Your Hope?
- Lindsay Gattis – thanks for the comments Lindsay!
- Lisa of inspiretothrive.com latest post: Social Websites to Ditch in 2013 to Save Time
- Lisa McLoughlin of greenaldercoaching.co.uk latest post: Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
- Mark of efficientdiy.com latest post: Geospring Hybrid Water Heater
- Mary of http://heckmatesystem.com latest post: A few tips for dealing with leftovers
- Michael Belk of ethicalbehaviorboy.com latest post: Is Facebook selling your privacy for 1.00 dollar?
- Mitch Mitchell of imjustsharing.com latest post: Happy Holidays From I’m Just Sharing
- Nancy of http://www.tidallife.com/ latest post: Water Photo of the Week: Sunshine’s Sails Aloft
- (Nomadic) Samuel of nomadicsamuel.com latest post: 7 Ways I’ve Learned To Save Money While Traveling
- Pete of http://www.m2kn.co.uk/
- Razwana of http://yourworkisyourlife.com/
- Ruan of freelanceblogginglife.com latest post: Why It’s Okay Being Rejected To Write For Copyblogger
- Shalu Sharma of howtomakemoneyonlineideas.com latest post: Link earning in SEO
- Shani of http://www.dontwastelife.com/ latest post: Relaxing in Roatan, Honduras
- Sharon of http://www.healthylivingboutique.com/ latest post: http://www.healthylivingboutique.com/2011/11/07/superfood-or-super-myth/
- Sharon Knight of http://www.sharonknight.net latest post: http://www.sharonknight.net/blog/2011/11/awakening-the-heros-heart/
- Sherri of http://www.glutenfreecritique.com/ latest post: Happy Holidays from Gluten Free Critique
- Sian Wood – thanks for the commenst Sian!
- Sire of wassupblog.com latest post: A Christmas Poem
- Sophie of http://www.forextradingtrust.com latest post: http://www.forextradingtrust.com/forex-robots/automated-trading-robots.html
- Steve of dosomethingcool.net latest post: 7 Rules for Trying Your Best
- Stuart Shaw of tai-chi-wizard.com latest post: Yang Cheng-fu Tai Chi Form by Erle Montaigue
- Sylviane Nuccio of francetravelandfood.com latest post: My Christmas Chocolate Delights – Three Chocolate Dominoes and Truffles
- Vicki of hongkongshopper.blogspot.com latest post: Sofie’s Valedictory Dress
- Vipin Tomar of rancorinfotech.blogspot.com latest post: What is Multi Level Marketing (MLM)?
- Will Smith of http://commoditymodels.com latest post: http://commoditymodels.com/2011/06/07/commodities-on-uk-tv/
- Yvonne Root of journalinabox.com latest post: Trim Tip #12
extra thanks: Thanks for the great interview Alison
extra thanks: thanks for letting me guest post (Do You Commit Any of the 7 Deadly Sins of Online Networking?, 5 Tips to Make Your Work-at-Home Business as Professional as Any in the Corporate World, Why Strong Relationships Are Important) on your site Allie
extra thanks: Thanks for letting me guest post (Why You Need To Lead) on your site Ana
extra thanks: thanks for a great interview
extra thanks: Thanks for the guest post (Grow Your Own Vegetables (Wealth Tip #45)) Carol!
extra thanks: thanks for letting me guest post on your site (How To Pick Your Office Battles, GOALS: Why SMART Is Just Not Smart Enough…) Gary
Extra thanks: thanks for the fantastic guest posts Laura!
Thanks To Our Readers
Last but not least, a big thank-you to all of you who have subscribed to our email list and provided feedback, questions, thanks and messages of support.
We have a great interaction with people on our email list and I really do appreciate your support and enjoy connecting with you. Our list has grown quite a bit in 2012 and hopefully will continue to do so even more in 2013.
A Look Ahead to 2013
I reckon 2013 is going to be an even better year than 2012 was. No I’m not just saying that. For me, the work is going to be a little harder and it is probably going to look a lot more like work and less like playing around next year – that’s because it’s very clear what we need to do. I still think it’s going to be very enjoyable work though. That being said, we’re of course going to stay true to our values and keep it all in perspective (aka not work too hard ;-)).
From a readers point of view what you should see is even more consistency and small improvements in the site without any major changes in our brand or message. More products and services being available but without these being ‘sold’ to you and lots more of the same actionable content that you are used to seeing.
Thanks again for reading our site & very best wishes for the coming year!!
Wow Alan! Thanks for the mention and all your support!! You know, your post about why relationships are important brings me a lot of visitors. I hope in turn it does you also.
I enjoy being a part of your community here and plan on being here for 2013 and beyond.
Cheers Alan!
~Allie
Hey Allie,
actually I don’t think it does, but that’s cool – I’m glad it’s bringing you visitors at least.
I think these days people on the internet have a really short attention span – they probably just get to the article (the traffic you’re seeing), read a bit, then leave. How dare they! 😉
Actually I think I made an offer in that article for free consulting. I need to talk to you about that with a view to revising it as I’m not sure I put a time limit on it but I should have (I’m struggling to keep up with my paid consulting at the moment so if traffic were coming through, I’d struggle to fit in any free sessions).
I’m sure 2013 is going to be a great year for both of us and also interesting in the fast moving world of platforms, internet and technology – who knows where it will take us? I’m really looking forward to it…
Happy New Year, Alan. I think I can still say that even though it is the 9th. Whatever, I’m a little behind right now. Just like you, I took some time off at the end of the year. However, mine was due to an illness. In fact, I’m still recovering, but it’s a good sign that I’m reading blog posts again and making comments.
I’m glad your site has been growing. You put out so many great posts that I’d be surprised if it wasn’t. It sounds like 2012 was a great year for you so I hope you make 2013 just as good or even better.
Have a great new year!
Steve
lol – you can say it any time you like my friend – well perhaps after Q1 it would just be Happy Year, still it’s the sentiment that counts, isn’t it?
I’m really really sorry to hear that you’ve been unwell. I always think of you as the most super-fit guy on the planet. That’s what you look like in my mind anyway. is it something you caught in Morocco? No worries if it’s private by the way or not something to answer in comments/public – in any case drop me a mail or ping me if there’s anything I can do to help, to answer that if you’d prefer to privately or if there’s anything else I can help with, even if it’s something small but that helps you catch up after being away.
The site has been growing – slowly but steadily which I happen to think is the best way. ‘Spikes’ for a number of reasons I no longer see as anything to get excited about. In fact they can be bad for business in my mind – what I’m really interested in is steady growth, both so that it’s genuine (I think steady growth probably is more genuine than rapid growth or spikes) and that I can keep close to it (same reason I have a strict rule to never take on more than 3 consulting clients at one time). Small and manageable all the way dude… 😉
… but it looks like I’m rambling again…
Anyways, thanks for the comment & the kind words (p.s. you know I love everything you write too) I wish you all the best for an amazing year in 2013 & I hope we get the chance to catch up soon!
Alan, I had my own little end of year offline break, but now I’m getting back into the swing of things. Thanks for putting together the site and providing helpful information. Looking forward to the new things you’re working on for 2013.
Yeah, it’s pretty cool to go offline once in a while.
I love the idea of being off-grid but I’m also such a geek and am fascinated by technology and what’s possible these days, so I’m kind of conflicted in that way.
Never mind, it’s all good fun.
Thanks for your continued support Andy – very much appreciated & I wish you all the very best for 2013.
Hey Alan!
Thanks a mill for the mention buddy! As with the others, I was quite pleasantly surprised; haven’t expected it at all. 🙂
2012 surely was a year of many changes for my business as well as my personal life, with the best probably being me pursuing my new freelance blogging career.
All the best for 2013! I trust it’s going to be an exciting new year for all of us. I believe it’s going to hold even more surprises and most certainly some very exciting growth we all hope to see!
Hey Ruan,
no problem and you are more than welcome.
It looks to me like you have lots of exciting projects for 2013 so best of luck with everything – I think it’s going to be a good year,
take care & best wishes,
Alan
Yes, thank you for the mention. This post really took some time for you to compile 🙂 I’ve enjoyed finding your blog and hope to visit more often in the coming new year. Have a Happy and Healthy 2013!
Hi Lisa,
yes it did though having said that it was pretty straight forward once I got going 😉
Thanks also for the well wishes and the same right back to you – thanks for your comments, for visiting & I’m sure 2013 is going to be a great year for all of us,
take care & best wishes,
Alan
Alan,
I hope that all is well.
Thanks so much for sharing my latest post. Best wishes to you and the wife for a happy, healthy, and safe 2013 filled with many good things. 🙂
Happy New Year!
–Jennifer
Hey Jennifer,
I hope all is well with you & you’re most welcome.
take care & very best wishes for 2013,
Alan
Hello Alan,
Just as Sylviane has already mentioned, I was also pleasantly surprised by the mention here. Thanks so much for that!
I’ve bookmarked Life’s Too Good quite a while ago, and I’ve found some really valuable articles here. One of the very few out of the very many blogs I read, that I actually remember about. And being memorable is definitely one of the qualities a successful blog / community needs!
I’d like to say thanks for what you did so far, and good luck further achieving your goals!
Here’s to an even more successful 2013! Cheers!
Hey Andrew,
thanks & I’m glad you enjoy our site – you left some really useful comments which are always appreciated. Often a good article is made even better when you get different opinions and perspectives on it.
very best wishes to you for the coming year!!
Alan
Hi Alan,
Thank you very much for the mention here. I was quite surprised 🙂
I’ve been here a few times before, but I’ve got to try to come more regularly as your posts are right up my alley. I really enjoyed your collection of blogs here and I’m going to bookmark this.
Have a very Happy New Year!
Hey Sylviane,
no problem, you’re more than welcome. We probably have quite a bit in common via the French connection – we just had a kind of double XMas celebration – with a traditional XMas eve supper (followed by 13 desserts) and then typical British Xmas day – I hope you had a great XMas & best wishes for 2013!