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Monday, August 2, 2004
myOtaku.com's One Year Anniversary
If you've been living under a rock for the past few days, you may not be aware that myOtaku.com recently celebrated its one year anniversary.
To mark the occasion, Adam finally opened his own blog to the public here at myOtaku.com. That's very cool. I've been bugging him to start one for a long time now. ~_^
It's kind of popular to talk about the history of this network at regular intervals. And why not? The entire network has existed, in some form or another, for something like six (nearly seven) years now. It makes me wonder if we'll be celebrating 10 years of Otaku one day in the not too distant future.
In terms of the Internet, that's a pretty remarkable achievement. Many sites come and go, but this network has remained in place for so many years now, despite the ups and downs.
myOtaku itself still feels like a recent invention, really. Despite the fact that it's now sitting on its second version, it really feels like this place was launched only yesterday.
But here we are...one year later and almost 40,000 members strong. And to think that our best days are still to come.
I have to admit that I never thought I'd be around this long, personally. I had thought that once my classes began in 2003, I'd have a lot less time for this stuff.
The truth is, while I tend to have less time during classes, I still invest as much time as I can in online work. Even though it has its frustrations and challenges, it is nonetheless very rewarding to get your work out there and to have people enjoy it.
Internet-based work has also gone from being more of a hobby, to being something that I take very seriously.
When I look back at my actual paid work over the last few years, I can definitely trace all of it back to the Internet in one way or another.
I mean, had I not begun writing articles for theOtaku.com, I'd never have begun writing for N-Sider. If I hadn't begun writing for them, I'd never have written for Nintendo Gamer Magazine or IGN. And if I hadn't begun writing for NGM/IGN, I wouldn't be [insert cool new future job here]. ~_^
Online work is really important, particularly as it relates to the game industry (whether it's game journalism, animation, programming or whatever else). The ability to put your work out there is something that I just wouldn't have had without Internet access. So, online work has affected me in a very real way since I began doing it, in 2000.
So, while I have contributed countless hours of work to this network over its lifespan (whether strictly in design or the long and painful process of lifting OtakuBoards out of the gutter), the network has in turn given me a great deal of opportunities.
And in addition, I've seen some staff members of the network who have also benefitted from the experience here. For example, I actually wrote a job reference for an OB staffer a while ago, which apparently helped them out. They had told me that their experience on OB had actually assisted them in the field they were interested in (I won't mention who they are here though, as they may not want that).
So, I can say that for those of you who are lucky enough to have had some time with the network as a staff member...this is something you should value very highly. And those who have an interest in working within this network one day, the same applies. Getting good experience and contributing to a place that is famous for its quality and innovation will only serve to help you in the future.
Above all else, it's simply great to know that I've had a role here. And I'm really excited about the future, too. Even though big events like OBv7 and myOtaku.com are behind us, there's so much more to look forward to in the future. I don't think we'll ever stop moving, as long as this place is alive.
Edit: I really need to try and come up with characters for RPGs sooner. Anime Stereotype Highschool is just way too awesome. I hope there's going to be another one at some point in the future. ^_^''
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