It dawned on me a few minutes ago that my humble little blog, Jsays.weebly.com, is one year and three days old. Curious to see how well the site has done over the last year, I reviewed its stats. I’ve had nearly 4,000 visitors and 7,000 page views from every continent. There are only a hand full of countries that J.says has not gotten a hit from (see a picture of the visitor map below; I’m so excited and proud). The site’s associated YouTube channel has gotten over 20,000 video views and the Facebook page (facebook.com/jsaysFB) has 67 fans currently since its February start. Now, in the big scheme of things, especially in comparison to blogs like “Just Jared” or “Crunk and Disorderly,”J.says’ numbers are meager, but that’s ok; I’m beyond appreciative for the support and attention the site has attained so far. There’s room to grow, and it will get there.  

I’ll admit that I’ve gotten discouraged along the way, and have considered closing the site before; especially when I was overwhelmed by a personal obstacle. The silver lining has been the response that I’ve gotten from visitors. From the beginning, my goals for the site were to vent, share my love of music and encourage consumer awareness of the industry, bring attention to societal issues and the “quarter-life crisis,” and provide a constructive criticism forum for fans of Beyonce`.  So far, I feel like the goals have been met. Countless 20-somethings have told me the “J.Says
& The Quarter-Life Crisis” section provided an entertaining and relatable
space where they realized they weren’t the only ones confused and stressed about their future. Music nerds enjoyed the industry perspective. Fans of Michael Jackson and Aaliyah were touched by the memorial pages featured. Readers of “The Person You Become When You Die-The Aftermath ” post (http://jsays.weebly.com/9/post/2010/05/the-person-you-become-when-you-die-the-aftermath.html) found comfort and a different outlook on grief. Others appreciated a healthy debate and discussion or coming across someone with similar views. A few supporters have now started their own blogs :)

I’ve learned a few things while operating this blog. On the business side, I’ve learned a lot about marketing and promotion. On the personal side, I’ve gained broadening insight about others my age. As the site goes into its 2nd year, I hope to continue to reach my set goals and maybe add some new ones. As long as I have something to say and feel like this site is productive and purposeful, it will be active. Thank you all for the well-wishes & support and I hope you stay tuned. Here’s to the 2nd year! 
To apply to be a co-contributor for any of the sections on the site, hit the
“Contact/Info” tab and shoot me an email! ;)

Love and Awesomeness,
J.Says