The New Blueprint

Thinking about everything that has happened, it honestly has brought tears to my eyes. There have been countless nights where I laid awake wondering if I should walk away from the site, to leave it as another failed project in life, to pursue something else. I then wake up to "ping" and "cherps" from my iPhone and/or iMac letting me know I have e-mails. I read such things as:

"I chose to spend a year in France; a daunting experience, staying in a school abroad for a year, as I was then fifteen and had a pretty base level of french.
 
Right, so why am I telling anyone this? I began listening to your podcast at episode 6, the one where you and Aaron seem obsessed with Brick Break. I had tried for some time to find a good pokémon podcast. WTPT was waning, and PUCL just didn't fit. I began, as I said, at episode 6 and continued to 7 and 8. However (and finally my previous spiel is becoming relevant), I left for France just as I was really getting into the podcast on the 1st of September 2010, with little but my iPod, packed full from episode 1 to the most recent episode 8 at the time.
 
Needless to say the beginning of my stay was the most difficult and these podcasts were of great comfort (people I could understand), and these eight episodes are now easily the most played on my iPod, and they kept me going through some rough times.

This email is simply one of thanks and is meant to be a testament to the hard work you and the PKMNcast team invest daily to create such a brilliant network of informative, professional, and most of all enjoyable podcasts.
 
Hoping I still qualify as a long time listener to one of the best podcasts out there, and looking forward to more to come.

Stuff like this is so warming to one's feelings. Or something like:

"I have been listening to your podcast from near the beginning and you guys have only been getting more amazing with every episode. You never fail to let me down. I love how you manage to update regularly and frequently; I think that's something you have against most other Pokemon podcasts on the web, which seem to disappear for long stretches. (Or in the case of Pokemon Monday, are just too short!)

And the hosts and guests are wonderful people. It is so awesome to actually hear people my age talk about Pokemon, and you just have great personalities I adore listening to. I wish I had friends like you guys!

To be honest I am super shy and I have NEVER written in to a poscast or any website at all like this before. So that just goes to show how much this means to me to gather up the courage to write in. I know you get a ton of fan mail but I wanted to contribute. I want to make sure you know how much your hard work is appreciated.

Thank you so much for everything you do. Please never stop! Can't wait for Leftovers!"

These are two examples from the hundreds of e-mails that PKMNcast have recieved over the last year. The only reason I kept putting one foot before the other was because of all you. Thank you all so much!

The site is so much work to run and maintain, but you all make it a pleasure to do everyday. I could be spending my free time working another job that pays or catching up on my growing pile of PS3 games... maybe even dust off a book... I dedicate almost 40 hours a week to the site itself. 

I think one of the main reasons that I thought about quitting the site was the overload in traffic and response I got. I didn't expect for this to blow up as amazingly as it did. It was a lot more then I signed up for, but at the same time, it is flattering. 

I'm so proud of the communitiy here. While other sites may get more traffic or have more fans, it really shows how amazing this fan base is. From helping Kenny's girlfriend out, to helping breed and trade Pokémon for each other, and even to helping me on a personal level, I can't express how importantly all you are to me. 

With that being said a few new things are coming down the pipeline for this new year. Just like how Johto enhanced Kanto, PKMNcast are doing the same. 

Your probably wondering what your member accounts have been for? Well the first new feature is that we will be having a new page (name in works) where fans can write, post, and share articles*. There has been a lot of you that have expressed articles with me. While all amazing ideas that should be shared, now we have a chance to do it together. Starting soon, you'll be able to sign in and submit your article. It will be placed in a queue for one of our editors and/or I to read over for approval. If your article is liked, more posting by you will be pushed through! If you become famous, we will upgrade you to an editor! Pretty cool right?

Feature two is great too. I've known for a while that the Podcast page on the site has been broken. That will recieve a huge overall in the next month. Soon you'll be able to listen to the shows on the site directly! No more trying to find the RSS feed. iTunes will always be the main place to find our podcasts, but for those of you at work or computer that prefer RSS and site stuff, stay tuned for this feature. 

Finally, we have added TCG stuff to the site thanks to Vinnie and Kidd. Please stay tuned since both these guys are on there way to teach you how to play and rule at the card game. 

Three brand new things to kick off Year 2. I think it's a great start. 

Also - Thank you Whimsy Tackle Crew for the Surprise birthday party!

Again, thank you everyone for supporting the podcast and site. Please leave your thought below since I want to hear from everyone!

To Another Amazing Year,

Steve Black Jr. (aka SBJ)
PKMNcast Creator & Founder