Well, it was a near thing this month, but the blog did even better for January than it did in December, edging December out of its position as the second-best month to-date, and almost topping October as the best month so far.
Profit and loss
Advertising revenue finished last month fairly strongly, as you might recall, and – though it dipped a little in the middle of January – it pretty much kept up. So, more advertising revenue this month than I’ve seen since Google cut me off their ad-network.
Including donations (for which, as always, you have my heartfelt thanks) and subtracting costs, that comes to a net profit of approximately US$106 156 (plus change) for the month.
And good timing too. Renewing my Web-hosting and domain name for another cycle are upcoming expenses. Yes, there’s net profit, but anyone in a successful business will tell you that all comes to naught unless you’ve got the cash-on-hand to pay the bills when they actually come due. I was a little concerned that I might come up just a little short with what has been stashed away against that time, but your generosity has made sure that I cleared that bar with some margin to spare. Again, my thanks.
What was most popular?
Out of the 54 posts for January the most popular were:
- The Bluest Mars – what went wrong – definitely took the top spot this month, and lots of you had a say. A bunch more comments got axed due to crossing the line quite a ways as far as civility was concerned. Even then, I was perhaps a little more lenient with what I passed than perhaps I should have been.
- Second Life Statistical Charts – ever popular, the charts.
- Linden Weekly Account Changes – Week 1, Week 2, Week 3, Week 4. A fascination with the comings and goings in the Linden company.
- Where do furries come from? – a look at how modern culture promulgates humanity’s earliest pastime and culture.
- Your voice: Linden Lab Q4 2010 report card – a quarterly look at how well you think Linden Lab is performing in key areas.
- What should Rod Humble do? – an exercise in conflicting advice.
- Linden Lab can’t turn Second Life into an engaging digital experience – and why.
- Limbo Lab – all quiet on the front, and a scaling down in official communications.
All in all, a good start to the new year. Let us see where February takes us.