Welcome to 2008! (The year ahead, announcements and thanks!)

Wishing a Happy New Year to all Blogger Buster readers!

I'm really looking forward to a new year of blogging and have many new projects which I embrace with great enthusiasm. So in my first post of 2008, I'm going to make a few announcements regarding my future blogging exploits, and offer my thanks to those who have assisted in the development of this blog.

Blogger Buster in 2008

Over the past week or so I've been analyzing statistics, re-reading your comments and generally trying to figure out where I plan to take this blog in 2008. My most popular posts are those long tutorials and articles, so this is what I will focus on in the year ahead, with a splattering of Blogger news and ready made templates for good measure! I'm also going to introduce two new regular features which you can read about below.

Blogger Template Design Series

One of my first projects here at Blogger Buster will be a series of articles focusing on Blogger template design. Beginning with some general articles about Blogger templates, you can expect to read a full-blown account of how I design Blogger themes which you can follow step-by-step to create the perfect Blogger template for you!

Readers' Questions (New feature #1)

Since starting Blogger Buster, I've received loads of emails and comments from readers who have questions about the Blogger platform. Many a time, I've thought just how good it would be for other readers to read my answers, either as a case study for a particular problem, or to help deal with Blogger problems they may be facing themselves.

What better way to accomplish this than by posting a new weekly feature: Reader's Questions. This feature will be an invitation for you to send me your questions about the Blogger platform (or blogging in general), and each week I will take answer one question in detail so the community as a whole can benefit from this advice.

In the next few days, I'll make a full explanatory post about this new feature, so be sure to check back soon if you'd like to be involved.

Weekly Review (New Feature #2)

Another feature I've been considering for a long time is a Weekly Review, where I'll highlight any Blogger news, interesting features and great posts by other Bloggers which I've found over the course of the week.

I think this would be a great way for us all to keep up to date of the latest developments in the Blogger community as a whole, rather than simply focusing on the events happening on this site.

Announcements

Now for the New Year announcements...

Techiboo.com - my new site!

As I live a good part of my days online, I learn lots of interesting and useful things which aren't strictly related to blogging. Rather than keep all this useful stuff to myself, I decided to pour this into a new venture; essentially a sister blog to Blogger Buster.

Enter Techiboo.com: a blog about the more general aspects of blogging, social media, web design and internet lifestyle. Featuring a brand new theme and a growing collection of resources, this site is dedicated to those who spend time and effort on their internet presence.

While not strictly related to Blogger, many of the posts at Techiboo will be useful to the expansion and popularization of your blogs. Today is the official launch day for Techiboo so please do drop by and let me know what you think of my new site. As always, your comments and opinions are appreciated as I develop this new venture!

Guest posting at BlogBloke.com!

Today Blog Bloke launched his brand new blog design and domain over at BlogBloke.com, and as part of this great development, he invited me to be a guest writer on his popular blogging resource!

I think my first guest post will appear in the next couple of days, and hope to become a regular contributer of the Blokester team.

If you're a regular visitor to Blog Bloke's blog, be sure to update your bookmarks and feeds to the new domain as Instabloke.com is now redundant. And if you haven't yet discovered all that this prolific blogger has to offer, be sure to head on over there soon and discover a new flavor of blogging about blogging!

Thanks where thanks is due...

As a closing note to 2007, I want to thank some of the people who have helped me develop this site in various ways:

Flair for the advice about template style, and for helping me develop my ideas for the new Blogger Buster design.

Peter, for the blogging advice, sharing ideas and promoting my content.

Blog Bloke, for the invitation to guest post, and bouncing ideas about the design of our new sites.

My Family, for all their encouragement.

And most importantly:

Thanks to all my readers, for sticking with me, for all your comments and emails, and for encouraging me to keep on blogging. Without you, this site would not exist!

And finally...

I hope you have all enjoyed the past few months of Blogger Buster. I look forward to reading your comments on my plans for the future of this site, and hope that I continue to provide you with enjoyable tutorials and useful information about the Blogger platform through the new year ahead.