Another year has come, and another week of Toybox posts has ended - and there's some announcements to be made. Let's look ahead to where we'll be going in 2015, shall we?
But first, an update on how December finished off. The holidays are usually not the kindest time to internet traffic, and considering how dead the week between Christmas and New Years usually is, I dreaded a huge slump - instead, Toybox has done surprisingly well. This week sees the site at an incredibly healthy 792k Monthly US people, a giddy high not seen since October for the site. It's been amazing to see the support readers have given Toybox, and I'm humbled by it. If I'm honest never in my wildest dreams did I expect this to work out, and yet here I am, four months on, and nothing has exploded.
Which brings us about to the next thing: An announcement!
Although technically it's not quite official yet (papers to be signed, etc., etc.,), it is my immense pleasure to reveal that as of tomorrow, I am a full time staffer at io9. I've known for a few days now and yet I still can't quite believe it. But what does this mean for Toybox? Honestly, I don't know the full scale of it yet, but here's what I do know:
- Toybox will still be here - I will still be writing for Toybox regularly (in fact, we're returning to our 5-a-day schedule as of tomorrow!), so don't think it'll be left to languish. Another recruit won't take over it or whatever, it's still my little corner of the io9 hive mind.
- You'll see me more on the front page - Obviously my main interaction with readers is through my posts being spliced to io9 proper, and that will still happen, but you'll also be seeing me write directly for io9 more often. Those posts will be in lieu of a post on here, for example, so somedays you'll have a full slate of Toybox posts that get spliced here and there, somedays it'll be split between here and the main page.
- There might be a bit less of me on Weekends - I'm still mulling on this, but with a move to full time I'm not sure I will continue actively posting on weekends as well. That's not to say Toybox will be empty, I will still do things like my Sailor Moon Crystal recaps (someone has to, I guess!) and whatnot. I'd rather not pull a Bilbo and feel like butter scraped over too much bread, to the detriment of my content here. But we'll see, I've not decided on that yet.
- I'm retiring Back Of The Box - And so it comes to this, the last Back Of The Box. I'd always envisaged this recap and chit-chat as something I'm end once my time on the Recruit program was over, as I'd seen it more as a sort of inside look at what to expect for other people potentially interested in trying it out rather than a regular feature. Plus, it takes up a content slot that could be filled with something else! I doubt you'll miss it. But still, it was always fun to write these, but alas, no more.
Anyhoo, without further ado, for the last time: Here's the week that was on Toybox:
The Best of The Best
A veritable handful of Toybox's features and biggest stories of the week.
- Why 2015 Is A Hugely Important Year For The Marvel Cinematic Universe
- Wonder Woman's Invisible Jet And Gorilla Grodd, In One Glorious Lego Set
- This Trove Of Original Star Wars Kenner Toy Photography Is Amazing
- Hot Toys' Darth Vader Is Impressive, Most Impressive
- The Lesson I Hope Comic Book Media Remembers From 2014: Have Some Fun!
The only way to get it all though? Keep your eyes on Toybox. Thanks for staying with me for the past few months - here's to 2015 and beyond!
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