2011 comes to an end, 2012 - also known as the year of the Apocalypse - is about to start. A time to reflect and say thank you.
Thank you dear readers. 2011 was a fantastic year. More and more of you are reading Hiking in Finland, and you keep on telling your friends about it. You told me what was good, what was crap. I took your critic to heart, and I think HIF has improved a bit because of it. 2012 will get better, though, thanks to your feedback and continued support.
My life has changed. I married the woman I love in the summer, and we had a gorgeous little boy in autumn, who makes us smile each time we look at him. She's my hardest critic, and my best supporter. He is the reason there has been less articles and trips in the last quarter of the year. I am looking forward to go outdoors with them in 2012, and have fun family adventures.
I finished my Wilderness Guide education, and had an awesome
first gig with great clients.
ULAZ was funded with the help of 176 awesome backers, and should start to appear on your screen in 2012.
Subscribe to the Vimeo Channel if you're interested.
There will be changes in 2012. Visually and technically HIF will take a leap ahead and implement a
Mobile First approach and leave Blogger and join the
Octopress gang. As I believe that will be of interest to at least two others of you, I
might even will document this move.
Responsive web design is the future, and it is now.
Content wise you can expect more of the same quality-over-quantity articles you've been reading here since 2009. I have a few interviews lined up, a winter trip planned, the
Ultralight Summit 2012 in the summer and a few climbing, packrafting and bikepacking adventures in between. There should even be some ice climbing coming this way soon. Sweet. And for the gear aficionados among you, yes, there will be more living reviews to inform you about great UL gear and how it works here in the north; with the addition of looking occasionally at functional UL gear I use everyday. Add in a few opinionated and musings posts, a series on sustainability in the outdoor industry and we're going to have fun before the world ends next December.
Monetization of blogs is still a sensitive topic. Readers are used to free high-quality content and are unwilling to pay, so some bloggers look at other ways of monetizing their content. As the time I spent on writing here has increased (The ever so popular The Week in Review takes a minimum of four hours to curate, often double that), I too have experimented with ways to monetize my content. Flattr, PayPal Donations and Affiliate income is very low; a way to boost affiliate income would be to write a review a week and set a complete set of different affiliate links underneath each post where readers could purchase the reviewed item. The quality of these reviews would be rubbish and short-term, with the aim to monetize. This ain't my way of doing things, although I might include affiliate links in future living reviews (as always, with a disclaimer). For the moment banners generate the best income for me, so I will stick with them; though I am actively following developments about
the future of advertising. Hence the experimentation will continue throughout 2012; if you, the reader, find an article useful then
Flattr it,
buy me a coffee via PayPal or buy books and gear via the
affiliate links.
In a move of radical transparency I'd also like to inform you about the income this blog has generated for me in this past year. I suggest those who usually scream about transparency in terms of product testing do the same.
- Flattr: 42,48 €
- Amazon Affiliate: $105.20
- Banners: 2360,00 €
- Commission Junction Affiliate: 79,84 €
- Bergzeit Affiliate: 35,20 €
- PayPal Donations: 4,48 €
My thank here goes to the readers who have clicked on the affiliate links and have bought products via the
Reading List page, affiliate links in articles and the banners on the right; who have flattered and made a donation; and the companies which advertised with me:
Upitrek,
The Outdoor Warehouse,
Trekking-Lite-Store,
Kupilka and
Bergzeit.
2011 has shown that blogs rule. Apparently there's still a few people who buy magazines (I like to refer to them as simpletons, though as I subscribe to
Alpinist I might be as gullible myself, even if I like to think otherwise) but 2011 has established blogs as the best sources for trip reports, gear reviews and general outdoor philosophy and techniques, and will do so even more in 2012.
For me one stood out, and that is
Bedrock & Paradox. Dave is a force to be reckoned with, his honest, down-to-earth and sometimes raw writing style (which has you reach for the dictionary every now and then) paired with his fresh and unconventional approach to outdoor photography & videography is enchanting and I am certain he will take his site to new heights in 2012. I salute you, Dave, and recommend all of you to subscribe to his blog.
Two honourable mentions. One goes to
Joery's Adventure Log, who definitely has set the bar in terms of solo lightweight adventures. Proof you want?
Greenland I give you. Number two goes to Tomas from
Scandinavian hiking who has done a cracking job on his
Ethics of Outsourcing Mini-Series and who has a similarly awesome writing style as Dave above, with an extra dose of sarcasm. The Underdog of 2011 is
Josh Spice, who probably will surprise us in 2012 with lots of awesome Alaskan stories and thoughtful articles. Subscribe to all three.
Which brings us to your feedback. While I strongly believe in doing my own thing, sometimes it is useful to at least listen in to your "clients" and check if you're on the right track. So tell me your thoughts. Leave a comment or
Email me and tell me
1. What was good in 2011?
2. What can I do better in 2012?
3. Questions, comments, observations aka other feedback.
Thank you. May your packs be light in 2012 and your outdoor time plenty.
2011 comes to an end, 2012 - also known as the year of the Apocalypse - is about to start. A time to reflect and say thank you.
Thank you dear readers. 2011 was a fantastic year. More and more of you are reading Hiking in Finland, and you keep on telling your friends about it. You told me what was good, what was crap. I took your critic to heart, and I think HIF has improved a bit because of it. 2012 will get better, though, thanks to your feedback and continued support.
My life has changed. I married the woman I love in the summer, and we had a gorgeous little boy in autumn, who makes us smile each time we look at him. She's my hardest critic, and my best supporter. He is the reason there has been less articles and trips in the last quarter of the year. I am looking forward to go outdoors with them in 2012, and have fun family adventures.
I finished my Wilderness Guide education, and had an awesome
first gig with great clients.
ULAZ was funded with the help of 176 awesome backers, and should start to appear on your screen in 2012.
Subscribe to the Vimeo Channel if you're interested.
There will be changes in 2012. Visually and technically HIF will take a leap ahead and implement a
Mobile First approach and leave Blogger and join the
Octopress gang. As I believe that will be of interest to at least two others of you, I
might even will document this move.
Responsive web design is the future, and it is now.
Content wise you can expect more of the same quality-over-quantity articles you've been reading here since 2009. I have a few interviews lined up, a winter trip planned, the
Ultralight Summit 2012 in the summer and a few climbing, packrafting and bikepacking adventures in between. There should even be some ice climbing coming this way soon. Sweet. And for the gear aficionados among you, yes, there will be more living reviews to inform you about great UL gear and how it works here in the north; with the addition of looking occasionally at functional UL gear I use everyday. Add in a few opinionated and musings posts, a series on sustainability in the outdoor industry and we're going to have fun before the world ends next December.
Monetization of blogs is still a sensitive topic. Readers are used to free high-quality content and are unwilling to pay, so some bloggers look at other ways of monetizing their content. As the time I spent on writing here has increased (The ever so popular The Week in Review takes a minimum of four hours to curate, often double that), I too have experimented with ways to monetize my content. Flattr, PayPal Donations and Affiliate income is very low; a way to boost affiliate income would be to write a review a week and set a complete set of different affiliate links underneath each post where readers could purchase the reviewed item. The quality of these reviews would be rubbish and short-term, with the aim to monetize. This ain't my way of doing things, although I might include affiliate links in future living reviews (as always, with a disclaimer). For the moment banners generate the best income for me, so I will stick with them; though I am actively following developments about
the future of advertising. Hence the experimentation will continue throughout 2012; if you, the reader, find an article useful then
Flattr it,
buy me a coffee via PayPal or buy books and gear via the
affiliate links.
In a move of radical transparency I'd also like to inform you about the income this blog has generated for me in this past year. I suggest those who usually scream about transparency in terms of product testing do the same.
- Flattr: 42,48 €
- Amazon Affiliate: $105.20
- Banners: 2360,00 €
- Commission Junction Affiliate: 79,84 €
- Bergzeit Affiliate: 35,20 €
- PayPal Donations: 4,48 €
My thank here goes to the readers who have clicked on the affiliate links and have bought products via the
Reading List page, affiliate links in articles and the banners on the right; who have flattered and made a donation; and the companies which advertised with me:
Upitrek,
The Outdoor Warehouse,
Trekking-Lite-Store,
Kupilka and
Bergzeit.
2011 has shown that blogs rule. Apparently there's still a few people who buy magazines (I like to refer to them as simpletons, though as I subscribe to
Alpinist I might be as gullible myself, even if I like to think otherwise) but 2011 has established blogs as the best sources for trip reports, gear reviews and general outdoor philosophy and techniques, and will do so even more in 2012.
For me one stood out, and that is
Bedrock & Paradox. Dave is a force to be reckoned with, his honest, down-to-earth and sometimes raw writing style (which has you reach for the dictionary every now and then) paired with his fresh and unconventional approach to outdoor photography & videography is enchanting and I am certain he will take his site to new heights in 2012. I salute you, Dave, and recommend all of you to subscribe to his blog.
Two honourable mentions. One goes to
Joery's Adventure Log, who definitely has set the bar in terms of solo lightweight adventures. Proof you want?
Greenland I give you. Number two goes to Tomas from
Scandinavian hiking who has done a cracking job on his
Ethics of Outsourcing Mini-Series and who has a similarly awesome writing style as Dave above, with an extra dose of sarcasm. The Underdog of 2011 is
Josh Spice, who probably will surprise us in 2012 with lots of awesome Alaskan stories and thoughtful articles. Subscribe to all three.
Which brings us to your feedback. While I strongly believe in doing my own thing, sometimes it is useful to at least listen in to your "clients" and check if you're on the right track. So tell me your thoughts. Leave a comment or
Email me and tell me
1. What was good in 2011?
2. What can I do better in 2012?
3. Questions, comments, observations aka other feedback.
Thank you. May your packs be light in 2012 and your outdoor time plenty.
Conquerer of the Useless
Thanks for the wonderful compliment Hendrik! And kudos on being so open with the finances, it's interesting to see how much real cash can be made with such a dedicated and focused blog.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree that there is just no competition from magazines when it comes to getting information. Blogs give people total freedom to write about anything in any way that they wish too, and although that means there is a lot of crap out there, those few percents of blogs that show real quality are just indispensable. For my hobbies, hiking, climbing and BJJ, I almost totally rely on blogs to keep updated, informed and inspired. 1. What was good in 2011?
Your article on blogging, (Art of outdoor blogging) was superb. And although it normally takes me around a month to write a post, when I read your article on ultralight climbing I was got so fired up and inspired that I wrote a post about ultralight quickdraws that same evening. The advent calendar posts were fantastic, it was fun to see how massive your readership is. The week in review is also excellent.
2. What can I do better in 2012?
More of the same, as far as I'm concerned. There are plenty of interviews, gear reviews, trip reports, musings on blogging or hiking... It's a varied output and I think that serves you really well.
3. Questions, comments, observations aka other feedback.I have a question, how is it being a dad?! And do you have any snow over in Finland? We have nothing over here, this time last year I was building my first igloo and skiing over frozen lakes, however right now it's 4 °C outside...
My pleasure Tomás! And I reckon you mean "how little cash can be made" =) BJJ = Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu - I was already thinking this is something sexual!
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear I inspired you for the quickdraw article - it was very informative and provided a great overview.
Being a dad is the single best thing ever. I love the little one so much, it surprises me time and again. Time with him is time well spent, even if it meant little outdoor/ hobby time in the last three months. Are you two newly-weds pondering it?!
No snow here in Finland - Vaasa and Tampere, that is. I would have also been skiing on the lake around this time last year, now I can go packrafting at +3°C. Climate change?
Interesting that I just commented on Nick Bramhall's blog about this very topic. What I said there was: "I agree that good blogs occupy a concrete place in the outdoor media theatre and magazines have a great deal to do to compete but, until blogs charge for their services, the best writing may well find a place in magazines as not everyone will have the time to complete blogs for free forever. That said, there are so many excellent blogs, there'll always be something of quality to read! Time will tell but blogs have a personal touch, an honesty and rawness if you like, that is attractive." For my part I will continue to write as I have been doing, but advertising has simply not worked on my blog and paid print and online media will be the only way I can earn money from what I do (which I hope to make a career in the future). When the reality of that hits home to many, they simply may not have the ability to keep blogging all the time, but many will continue and it's the large number of people blogging that makes it effective.
ReplyDeleteWhat would I change in your blog? Nothing. Keep enjoying it yourself, and so will we.
Happy New Year and my best to the family.
Wow! I am new to the blogging world and am required to start a blog for an English class I have. I am an avid hiker and novice kayaker and photographer. I don't have all the gear and generally go what you would call UL. I love it. Some of the best time I spend anywhere on this green earth is deep in the forests of the Pacific Northwest U.S.
ReplyDeleteI like your blog alot and think I should like to start following it. Like I said, I am new to the blogging thing. It's getting a little easier to do but at first it seemed to suck all of that energy out of me that I got from being out in the wild. What I have found is that I like being able to share my experience. It's not often that I can talk my friends into striding into the forest on short notice, which is how I like to roll. This way, I can perhaps cultivate an interest in doing such things while I do it.
Check out my blog at http://valleyproject.wordpress.com. It IS pretty rudimentary and I'm not sure how far I will take it since it is a school project. I do have interest in doing so and the more I see great blogs like yours, the more I feel like I want to be part of it all. Thank You!
I think you have done a brilliant job on your blog Hendrik. The effort you have put in over the past year is borne out by the quality of your articles. I think you are right re magazines. 2011 was the year of the blog for me and such an important source of real info, real reviews and informed opinion. Lets hope 2012 goes one better.
ReplyDeleteAnd for the record, I couldnt give a shit if someone earns 1 euro cent or a million through their blog. People worry too much about what other people are doing and the effort they are making. If it bothers them that much, why dont they do it? (and put the enormous effort in to keep a good blog going). Hats off to those that get something from their blogs
Have a good 2012 and hope your family prosper and stay well
What's good? You put a lot of new content out there, that's unique, because you made it. I feel the one of the benefits of blogs in general is the unique content (opinions, photo, video) they add to the community. For instance, every online shop has pictures of gear the manufacturer sent them, the pictures bloggers make themselves add value. You make a lot of new content, so you add a lot of value.
ReplyDeleteWhat's could be better? The topic of your blog is hiking, ultralight, outdoor, climbing, etc. The topic on your Twitter is a lot of other things too (eg new media). I follow your Twitter because of the blog, but get the other topics too. Sometimes I feel I get Twitter overload.
Questions? -switching the focus from you to me- I have a blog too, recently I decided to switch the topic of the blog from my personal adventures more to writing about gear and techniques. I'll still post my own trips, but I want to add more to the community. As I also asked Maz, I want to improve the quality of my blog and posts, and would appreciate feedback. So please, visit, or even follow, my blog (link can be found trough the Disqus avatar), comment/feedback is very welcome!
Finally, and because of your Dutch background I'll do it in Dutch, gelukkig nieuwjaar en de beste wensen voor 2012!
Hendrik Morkel. You have single handedly raised my blogging ideals (well okay there were others) I am crushed under the collective weight of the quality blogs you plug in your article. But in this case that which crushes me does indeed make me stronger! Thanks for all your great content in 2011!
ReplyDeleteKeep it up.
ReplyDeleteSince Tom Mangan anointed, I've been reading every post.
ReplyDeletePerhaps a new name when you move to Octopress?
I thought your Advent calendar was an awesome idea this year although it must have been a ton of work! i also have loved your Week in Review because it lets me find blogs I might otherwise not see. I can't think of anything to improve since this blog is the gold standard of outdoor blogging, Tom Mangan said so! Have a great and epic 2012!
ReplyDeleteHiking in Finland is still one of the best blogs out there and a good source of inspiration for other bloggers. As a regular reader I appreciate the quality-over-quantity content, even though I'm sure it does not generate as many Google hits as yet-another-useless-review site do. I can't think of anything to improve, and it is probably best to just let the blog continually evolve, as it has to this day.
ReplyDeleteAs for earning some income from your blog, I hope you find a good way to do it. It is a shame that no micropayment system has reached mainstream yet. As you own figures say, the advertisement banners seem to the only working system currently.
Thanks John! Glad to hear that also in Anchorage Hiking in Finland is read =)
ReplyDeleteA good point, Rick, one I have been pondering intensively. It's just - I like the name. I know it is a bit of a hinderance in terms of what people might expect - the blog is about more than just hiking in Finland and that only becomes obvious when one sticks around. So while the move might be a good time to "re-brand" myself, I'm in need of more musing on that =)
ReplyDeleteI think I need to buy Tom a few beers or coffees when I come to the USA! Thanks Grant for your feedback, have an equally epic 2012 =)
ReplyDeleteDamn, just as I was going to shut it down.
ReplyDeleteHar har har!
ReplyDeleteThanks Hendrik, very fulfilling to hear that!
ReplyDeleteMy favorite thing about your work is the honesty and integrity. This post is a great example. Keep that up.
I'd like to see more Trip Reports (a tall order given your little one, I'd imagine).
Cheers,
D
Kiitos Peter. I think/ hope that Flattr will be spreading wider in 2012. I'm not looking for the next Lotto Jackpot, though seeing that ones work is rewarded is rewarding in itself.
ReplyDeleteLets try to get together with Toni in 2012. I just fear that it might mean I will want a fatbike =)
At the moment BPL charges for its content. GearJunkie, GearCaster and a few of the big sites seem to be able to make a living through Advertising, and you can see it from both the quality of the look of their site and their content. GearCaster, btw, is quite nice, Amy does a good job in my opinion.
ReplyDeleteI'm not looking to get rich with this - as I said to Peter Nylund: Getting rewarded (via Flattr in this case) is often reward enough. I'm after all (not yet) doing this professionally; as is and will the majority of blogs; though varying levels of "professionalism" can be observed. As you know I am looking into print and other digital media, though in Finland this is a bit harder than in the UK. That shouldn't stop me from trying harder, though =)
All the best to you and your family, and I hope everything works out well and you move north soon =)
Hei there - nice blog, nice trips! Cool, forward-thinking school your visiting if it makes you blog - thumbs up for that!
ReplyDeleteI think the easiest way to "succeed" - if you want to - is to enjoy what your doing. If you do that, your enthusiasm and passion will shine through and automatically attract readers. Also check out this article I wrote on outdoor blogging to get some more tips, if you want to pursue your blog further: http://www.hikinginfinland.com/2011/04/art-of-outdoor-blogging.html
Have fun and best wishes for 2012 =)
Hendrik, I enjoy reading your blog as it is and I'm sure I'll enjoy reading whatever it evolves into over the course of 2012. You've drawn a lot of good blogs to my attention and also brought a lot of additional traffic to my own blog when it's been featured in the Week In Review.
ReplyDeleteI'm actually very impressed by the amount of income you've generated this year and appreciate your openness in disclosing the figures and the methods you've employed. Gives some inspiration to the rest of us.
I hope you enjoy 2012 and all the fresh outdoor opportunities provided by having a toddler in tow.
Thanks Dave, good to hear your take on it and get your feedback! btw, andy snow in Wales yet?
ReplyDeleteWith the ripple which the cry for honesty in terms of product testing has sent through the UL Outdoor blogger scene this summer, I felt it is necessary to go and do the Full Monty. Also, because it is for me the honourable thing to do. And finally, maybe because I know there's a few blogs which publish the aforementioned "review a week with a complete set of affiliate links" but don't disclose that there's affiliate links in there (to top things off, the gear they review is free in 99% of the cases; which puts the crown on the whole thing). So I rather be open and honest with these matters, instead of possibly being accused of something further down the road (And yes, I have always have disclosed affiliate links in my posts =).
All the best to you and your family in 2012, Dave =)
Hoi Sieto & bedankt for the wensen!
ReplyDeleteYeah, I think my Twitter self is very different from the blog. I'm eclectic to say the least, so while HIF is quite focused in this niche, on Twitter I can speak about design in one tweet and outdoor matters or politics in the next one. I doubt that will change, too =)
I already follow your blog :) Let me get back with feedback next year, OK?
Groetjes and all the best in 2012!
When you and M have a little one, I also will coming telling you to go out more! I'm out each day with him, though I doubt my trip reports of our walks are the stuff people wanna read about :D He's now three months, so when he's a bit older and my wife is comfortable with being alone with him you also will read some more trip reports. So hopefully soon!
ReplyDeleteAll the best for 2012, looking forward what you're going to serve us!
Hendrik - Why do you hate my guts so much? I can't figure you out. You're obviously referring to me in this post - why can't you do your thing and leave off with the personal attacks? I love hiking and so do you.Why don't we just agree on that and hike our own hikes? Enough already.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on your new family and have another great year.
Philip
You must have entered a Reality Distortion Field if you really believe that I "hate your guts". There is no personal attack in this post either. I say how things are done elsewhere (there are other blogs and sites than yours), and that I won't go down that road.
ReplyDeleteBest wishes for 2012, Philip.
Congratulation with having a kid and still finding time to keep up with the blog, it can get busy at time with the little ones.
ReplyDeleteHaving a to make considerations for a kid while hiking might change your focus in 2012 and it will be cool to follow how you manage, might we even se reviews of baby carriers? Quick advice would be to go for comfort instead of weight as the burden you carry in one will not stay UL for very long..Kids will also make you see items in a new multi use role you might not have expected.
Have fun with the family and best wishes for 2012.
Fredrik
Hi Hendrik! HiF has gone from strength to strength this year and I think has to be considered one of the essential "jumping off" sites for people interested in hiking and backpacking. Your Week in Reviews have tirelessly promoted so many hugely deserving, less wel-l known blogs and I've really enjoyed getting the exposure to trips taken all around the globe. Your advent calendar was another example of your giving back to the community and really prompted an amazing response - thank you again for all the time and effort you put into it. I also think you have taken on some of the more difficult ethical issues surrounding blogging this year which has again prompted frank and interesting discussion and has resulted in a genuine change for the better in terms of integrity. As to your other questions I don't think there is anything really that could be done better as such; what with the pull of family life I think if you continued to post your quality articles and let us know a bit about the adventures you do manage to undertake, that would be more than sufficient. Happy New Year and the best of wishes to you and the family!
ReplyDeleteI admire your hard work Hendrik, and it's incredible how productive you are. Despite the better technology it is still somewhat time consuming when one has everything else in life to do. The WIRs are excellent and the Advent Calendar was mindblowing. You have set the bar already high. If you can keep the same level it will be great, but it is very exciting to read that you plan even improve!
ReplyDeleteWe have definitely to do together with Peter an epic bikepacking trip in 2012, looking forward to it.
Does that mean you will stop posting tweets about how the content on my blog is "rubbish." I find that offensive and hurtful. You can joke about a "Reality Distortion Field", but I think you should own up. Stop pulling other bloggers down. If you don't like my blog, don't read it.
ReplyDeleteI've enjoyed this site throughout the year very much. Actually, it's been my main learning point towards more lightweight outdoor activities (as I'm still a true novice in it). I'd like to mention three things why I've favored this site:
ReplyDelete* Variety and Quality in Gear. You've brought into my knowledge small manufacturers of different type of gear. Haven't been aware of them earlier as been too much focused on what's on regular outdoor shops (and often paid too much on regular and heavy stuff). MYOG stuff's been really interesting, too (as well as Cottage Industry type of producers). I'm keen on good, high quality gear and not so much on volume products. More lightweight makes lots of sense to me, too, but good quality with excellent features comes first to me.
* Gear reviews (WIRs and hopefully this, too: long term gear reviews). There are new materials coming every now and then. I'm lack of knowledge how they behave in a year or two's usage (so called 'long period testing'), or just in a week's trip or so. Information's been more in practical level for me than similar topics on magazines.
* Weekly reviews. I've appreciated a lot to get an access high quality blog articles around the world, kind of highlights of (almost) every week or so. They've inspired a lot and given good ideas of doing various activities, tips for gear usage, plus very often included some awesome photos.
About the contents of the site; perhaps one very interesting thing has been a usage of new sw tools and features in this site, e.g. Thinglink etc. (from various startup firms). Utilising them and bringing them into real life has been very inspiring, e.g. Kickstarter usage.
As I've been reading HIF somewhat from the beginning I can't really say what was especially good in 2011 and what shoudl happen in 2012 but in general:
ReplyDeleteI appreciate and admire your passion. It seems to be a bit ecletic and varying, it's great! You have the guts to start big things and also finish them (Advent Calendar and ULAZ for example). You have your own vision, sometimes it's way different than my ideas on the topic and then I often comment to disagree but often I also agree with you (but then don't feel the need to comment). The general quality of HIF is starggering: very professional. I believe the Octopress will futher improve this part.
What I really like on the blog is the honesty, for ecample the full disclosure in the post above. Contentwise the WIR is a great thing to return for every week. (Hey, get it back rolling, please! Also some individual posts are real gems (the one about outdoor blogging, the one about wilderness guiding, etc.) I also liked the reviews when there was an interesting person or company but not always. I also like the amount and quality of pictures and video.
What I'd like to see more? Trip reports. I know you're very, very busy and maybe the trips and not on the top of your priority list but try to keep doing them. They are the thing that keeps hiking blogs hiking blogs. No hiking, well, then it's something else and at the moment I read HIF as a hikign blog. I think you'd have what it needs to change the blog into something else (hiking related meta-blog with good and shapr analyze and opinions, for excample) if that's what you'd like to do instead. Trips don't have to be long to be inspiring. Maybe short challenging or just plain different trips? For example you could check Alastair Humpreys Year of micro-adventure for inspiration.
And I believe that for example for gear reviews certain amount of real-life use is mandatory to make a good review. It can be a quality and good looking without much use but to be really good, there has to be a lot of use. Same goes for writings about technique and so on. I have quite high expectations towards this one nowdays though I think I should also do more and better myself...
One thing that popped into my mind might be interviews of other central outdoor people than the cottage entrepreneuers. There are some influental and cool persons in our corner of the outdoors universe and even though they might already be blogging themselves interviews with them might be very interesting.
Best wishes and a lot of energy for yer 2012!
Trip reports, trip reports and trip reports. Then gear views based on hard days back to back using that kit. Lets see more on packrafting and keep sharing ideas on ways forward for blogs. Give yourself a big well done for the year. All the best for the coming one.
ReplyDeleteHaving started blogging this year myself, I feel there is a competition in editorial vs explorative ventures. Fore me, there is a danger to sacrifice the later for media content. However, your blog is a great inspiration on networking abilities, technical use and information processing, really outstanding.
ReplyDeleteAnyways, we must never forget the online community is only a fraction of the outdoor society. I was stunned at attending local outdoor events how unaware people are - in my case of packrafting. The blogging scene can be a parallel universe. So I go in line with my previous commentators, I wish you the relaxation to go on trips for the sake of itself. No need to report them all. Although I enjoy your eloquent writing, we are willing to sacrifice the 'quality in quantity' approach ;)
Hendrik, you continue to excel yourself, and at times I wonder if you are setting the bar so high that it becomes almost unobtainable. The Advent Calendar was a great innovation and some what costly from your perspective at least, but for the rest of us it was something we looked forward to every morning and I for one did wonder on the days that the calendar was not up in the morning. I have enjoyed the first two ULAZ and look forward to the rest. Whilst I am somewhat mobile, I would ask that you do not leave us desk bound jockeys behind, as you explore the new frontiers of blogging and the internet, or at least give us a chance to hang onto your coattails.
ReplyDeleteIt was interesting to see where the most funding comes from and I appreciate your openness, it also indicates that you will not be able to retire on the income from your blog, just yet.
So in closing, have a great New Year with the family and I look forward to your upcoming posts as well as watching you balance all the challenges that a family provides.
Thanks Hendrik. Keep it real! all the best for 2012. Oh, and yes we have had snow in South Wales but only confined tro the mountains which has been quite nice although most of it has gone now
ReplyDeleteThx for the inspiration and have a nice 2012 for you and your family.
ReplyDeleteHey, Hendrik!
ReplyDeleteAt first, I want to wish happy holidays to your family. Have a good rest this days and accumulate energy for great start of 2012.
Speaking about your blog..
I like your easy way to deliver the information and the passion you do it with. I like your honesty. Your blog was one of those, who encourage me to start hiking.
I thank you for your job.
Hi Hendrik, thanks for all the mention last year for my blog. I continue to much admire your creativity and originality and I often go to it to read up on what is happening in outdoor blogs. Keep it up and Happy New Year to you and your family.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations! And thanks for the inspiration --
ReplyDelete