Looking Back at 2009 and Forward into 2010

Well, 2009 has come and gone and what a year it was.  I’ve just been reading the first post I wrote in 2008 and the things I said I wanted to do, and I can comfortably say I accomplished most of them 🙂  This post is kind of a reflection and recap and a look ahead for the Coding Pad.

One of the things I’m really happy about is that I got the Drupal 6 beginner tutorial series underway, as well as delving into MODx tutorials for beginners. These were exciting tutorials for me to write and I learned a lot in the process.  I decided to keep the blog running on WordPress because at the end of the day it IS the best blogging engine out there in my opinion. Since this is just a blog, no need to migrate to something heavier.  I didn’t get much into programming tutorials as I was hoping to but that might change this year.

Things that I am proud of when I look over the Coding Pad in 2009:

• More Posts! – We had a lot of learning happening on the Coding Pad! I published over 65 posts on this blog in 2009 alone, compared to only 22 posts in 2008.  The bulk of the posts in 2009 were tutorials, either in written or video form.
• Screencasts! – I finally got over my voice shyness and delved into creating screencasts, and I have found I enjoy the process and the end result very much 🙂  Screencasting has allowed me to do share some cool stuff that I would have been reluctant to write about, such as the series of videos on how I transformed a HTML/CSS template into a MODx template for one of my personal websites.
• Serial Tutorials! – Instead of doing sporadic tutorials on different topics, I focused on creating “series” tutorials, each building on the previous, and I’ve really liked this approach and will be using it more.  While the main focus was on beginner tutorials, I will probably be delving into more advanced stuff in the future.
• Visitor Engagement! – There was definitely an increase in visitor engagement with more comments and conversation happening on the Coding Pad in 2009, which I found very exciting and invigorating. I hope this trend continues into 2010 and beyond!

So what’s ahead for 2010? Among other things,

1. Drupal – I plan to finish out the Drupal Beginner Series and then delve into more intermediate to advanced topics.  The focus will remain with Drupal 6 but I may start to explore elements of Drupal 7 depending on how the release path goes.
2. MODx – There will definitely be more MODx coming from the Coding Pad in 2010.  I will finish out the beginner series and get into more intermediate and advanced topics, and will also start delving deeper into Revolution and exploring it further.
3. PHP –  I am debating whether or not to do a beginner PHP series of tutorials. There’s already a lot of good stuff out there for beginners so I may opt not to. Let me know if you have an opinion one way or the other in the comments.
4. Screencasts – Definitely more screencasts coming, mostly in the form of how-tos and some as supplements to tutorials and such.
5. Random stuff – Reviews, interviews, articles, etc.  I should be doing some more book reviews (if you have a book you’ve written/published and want me to review here let me know). I’ve also got some software to review that I’ve sort of been procrastinating on.  Additionally, I plan to do some interviews, some giveaways, and all that good stuff.

What about you?

1. Talk to Me – Keep the comments, emails, and ideas coming. I enjoy them and do my best to respond to all of them.
2. Guest Blog – if you’re interested in being a Guest Blogger here let me know
3. Give Something Away – If you’re interested in sponsoring a giveaway on the Coding Pad, you’re most welcome to.
4. Donate, say thank you, keep in touch, etc.

So here’s to 2010! Subscribe, keep tuned, keep the comments and ideas coming.