So, what do I say here? Well, thank you for starters. For everyone who has clicked, read or even replied, thank you.

Blogging and/or writing full time has been something that has always intrigued me. I’ve dabbled in fiction, poetry, drama in the past and those creative pangs just don’t seem to want to leave me alone.

At the same time, I have a wife and kids and RL expenses that frankly aren’t going to get paid by a WoW Gold Making blog, that’s just the plain reality. I’ve enjoyed every minute of it, though, so that’s why I intend to keep on going until I find something else to write about.

I’ve learned a lot over this past year. About the blogging platform, about the industry, about the gaming niche, about online communities, about branding/marketing, about myself.

Stede and I have thrown together some ideas for this book I had mentioned before, and I think this is going to be another cool experience.

Thanks for reading, and thanks for sticking around. Thanks for being such well-behaved guinea pigs. It wouldn’t have been the same without you.

-Kathroman

Consortium Total Goblin System

While the intention for this application was that it would be easily customizable and expandable, there is still a lot in terms of “base features” that need to be added. The installation needs to be tidied up, and there are a few features that I had originally planned for, but didn’t get around to implementing that need to be added. I’d like to at least get this to a stable, functional place before moving on to something else.

Goblin Index Rating

Yep. The infamous Goblin Index Rating. You may not know it, since I haven’t written about it in great detail, but the GIR has actually come a long way over the past year. I also had some really good ideas over the holidays, and Stede even pitched in a nice suggestion for how to more effectively account for sold data without sacrificing accuracy. All in all, things are in a good place.

That’s the good news. The bad news is that I think I’m gonna need to go ahead and add those features to the CTGS before I can start taking a closer look at some of the data. Some of my ideas will require access to API data which isn’t currently being pulled by anyone I’m aware of. Once I start pulling that data, I’ll be able to break it down and flesh this out a bit more.

Take my word for it, though – it’s good stuff. I’ll try and elaborate a bit more in a future post, but to be honest, I’ve barely scratched the surface since I know I won’t be able to turn it into anything tangible just yet.

Glyph/Inscription Guide

This is dead – sorry guys. The more I think about it, though, the less sense it makes to spend time on this. People just don’t get it. I’ve tried having conversations with people about it, and all the theory in the world can’t break through their deep-seeded routines. They make their gold, so it’s really difficult for them to see how horribly inefficient their methods are.

That said, I have a compromise. I’m willing to offer in depth inscription advice for anyone out there who really needs help. Send me an email, or come whisper me in IRC if you’re interested.

A Book

That’s right, a book. I’ve always wanted to write a book, so I figure after almost a year of casual blogging, I might as well take a stab at it. While I’m not 100% set on the subject matter yet, I figure it will likely end up being a mid-sized ebook, and I do wouldn’t mind trying to sell a few copies. It should be a fun new experience to explore at least. As you can see, I have a couple more important things to tackle first, but I’d like to try and siphon some of my WoW time into some of these other projects. Then again, I’ve tried to do that in the past and it hasn’t panned out. I guess that’s why this is a “goal setting” post.

At least one more post

I’m gonna do a write-up for the site’s 1 year anniversary. Beyond that, I’m not really sure. I have had thoughts about transforming this into more of a development blog for some of these other projects, but I’ve not always gotten much feedback from those kinds of posts in the past, so I’m not convinced this is the best forum for those discussions. Combine that with the fact that I have a book to write, and I’m only gonna commit to 1 post at a time, with no fixed schedule. As always, if you have specific questions, you know how to get in touch.

Other than that, enjoy your year.

-Kathroman

Best of 2011

• Break the Bank was started. Obviously
• Being accepted as a Wind Trader over at The Consortium. It has been a real honour to have the opportunity to get to interact with some of the greatest gold-making minds out there, bar none.
• Hitting old gold cap. I actually accomplished this before I even dinged 85, IIRC. Guess I had different priorities…
• Hitting new gold cap. I have to admit, this one didn’t feel as satisfying. Felt more like a hurdle than a milestone. Blowing past it with a big patch week in 4.2 was kinda fun, but nothing has really been the same ever since.
• White Ribbon co-operative community initiative. The gold-blogging community was challenged to stand together in support, and we came through. It wasn’t easy, but this was far and away my proudest moment as a blogger.
• Having more than 1 toon at max level (I REALLY hate leveling…)
• Watching the gold-making community over at The Consortium flourish and grow. This has been a really awesome thing to be a part of.
• The Consortium Total Goblin System – my first ever “legit” application. Here’s hoping I keep it up
• New server, new friendships, new opportunities.

Worst of 2011

• Watching Blizzard destroy the WoW economy. (Feel free to discuss)
• The gradual decline and then rapid descent of JMTC. Once a driving force in the gold-making community, Marcko (IMO) kept this thing propped up to milk profits just a tad too long. You’re supposed to go out on a high note…
• The day after the White Ribbon Campaign. I’m sure most of you know what I’m referring to. Whether the “notion” was justified or not, the timing of it all was wildly inappropriate. I lost more respect for humanity in one day than I have in a good solid 20 years right there.
• Lack of motivation and interest. This is supposed to be fun, and I will be the first to admit that there have been a couple times when it really wasn’t, and I do regret that. Time to make it fun again.

All in all, I really think that 2011 was a successful year. When I think about what 2012 appears to have in store, I feel really blessed and am grateful to everyone who I’ve crossed paths with through my travels. Without you, I wouldn’t have ended up where I am, and I can’t imagine anywhere else I’d rather be, so thank you. Both friend and foe, you’ve shaped an experience that I’ll treasure for a good long while.

Stay tuned for a “new year’s resolution” post next week and then the anniversary post after that. I’ve had a lot of time to process all these ideas bouncing around in my head, and I’m really excited about what’s in store.

Hope your year has been as good as mine, but if not – let’s take 2012 by storm, together.

-Kathroman

Series Overview

In order to truly be comprehensive, we’ve got to tackle everything, so I figured we might as well start from the very beginning.

• A brief history of glyphs/inscription.
• The fall of 4.0
• The old philosophy
• A new philosophy
• Effective price cycles
• How to deal with campers
• How to deal with the glyph barons
• Inscription and the vertical monopoly
• Recap
• …and probably a few more topics I can’t think of right now

The plan is likely going to be to write the entire series as a whole before releasing any posts, so don’t expect anything further for a bit. If you have any comments/suggestions/questions feel free to let me know.

-Kathroman

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