Debbie LaChusa

I'm not one to dwell on the negative, but as I look back at 2006, I must admit that not everything went as planned and hoped for last year. Even though I'm a marketer by trade, I'm still always learning and testing and fine-tuning. It's the nature of the marketing beast.

So what was my biggest disappointment of 2006? Drum roll please .....

Blogging and Podcasting.

I must admit I knew nothing about blogs on January 1, 2006. I jumped in head first and launched my blog and podcast in March 2006. I worked diligently on both all year long, posting and learning, interviewing and learning, recording and learning, editing and learning ... okay you get the idea.

My goals were two-fold: (1) to create an avenue for two-way conversation with people posting comments and sharing from their own marketing and small business experiences and, (2) to build by list.

Well, comments have been few and far between and my list has continued to grow at the same pace it was pre-blog and podcast.

So what do I make of this MAJOR disappointment? Will I stop blogging and podcasting in favor of trying a different way of marketing?

Two conclusions. First, looking back I think my expectations about how quickly my blog and podcast would grow my list were perhaps not realistic. Live and learn and learn some more.

And second, NO I don't have plans to stop blogging and podcasting anytime soon. I do still believe both are the future of online marketing. But I will be changing the way I blog and podcast a bit in 2007. And of course, I'll continue testing both, and learning.

How about you? What was your biggest disappointment of 2006? I can't be the only one who didn't get everything she wished for last January? Post a comment to share what didn't go as planned for you, and how you plan to address it this year. By acknowledging it, you will then be free to move forward toward success in 2007.