Community!

If Inside the Circle had a physical office, I'd go up to the rooftop and shout that word as loud as I could. It's what this blog strives for, works for and connects with. It's the reason why it started one-year ago and it's the reason why we've made it to our first birthday.

Now, even I'll admit that everything about Inside the Circle hasn't been peaches and cream (or even cookies and cream). There have been features that came and gone, writers who have passed through, one name change (we used to be called Social Circle) and other such interesting steps. However, through all of that four writers have emerged who click on the (new post) button with the intent of bringing about discussion and debate about the worlds of Zune, Music and Microsoft.

And on that front I think we've done very well for ourselves.

When I look back to last year, I remember that I originally wanted -- then Social Circle -- to be this open blog. I was going to have a community login so people could just come in and post whatever was on their mind about Zune and Music. After much careful thinking, I came to the conclusion that keeping up with such an endeavor could prove to be the downfall of my sanity, so I went with the backup plan: to start a blog that wouldn't be a re-hash of news, but more so would be the on page version of hanging out at your favorite restaurant (or bar or poker room) to just sit and shoot the breeze about stuff (in this case, Music, Zune and Microsoft).

In the past year, we've managed to grow, learn and develop. I have high hopes for Inside the Circle going into its second year because we're introducing some new and awesome stuff: #zunetune, the podcast, the social circle gaming community events, the impending Zune HD launch coverage and more. There's still some things brewing in my head that I want to do here but obviously I won't mention them until I have some of the key components in place. One thing I have done is create a fan/reader page for Inside the Circle over at Facebook. If you're a Facebook user and want to keep up with us that way, feel free to connect to us. Over time, I'd like to run exclusive contests there and post things that might be exclusive for just the Facebook page.

While we're on the subject of you guys let me say that you, our reader, was the key ingredient in our success. It never really mattered to me if you left a comment on a post or not. Just the fact that you took the time to visit and read was worth it enough for me. Of course a good deal of our posts invite conversation, but even if they got you thinking and talking amongst people outside of the blog that's what it's all about.

I, also, feel very fortunate that I have three talented individuals by my side. Each of them brings a distinct personality to the table and you can see that in their posts. They are also able to find the time to interact with the readers and their comments. To each of the writers: Alfa, Julio and Neville you won't be able to know how much in high regard I put your efforts and contributions. 

Community... it's at the core of what Inside the Circle has been and will continue to be about. With each post we strive to be interesting, entertaining and relevant. It's a hope that whenever you visit our corner of the world you find at least one thing that strikes you. We welcome all of the comments, thoughts, concerns, gripes, anger management exercises, music recommendations -- pretty much whatever you want to throw at us. I think all of the writers will agree with me when I thank all of you for your continued readership and support!

Here's to a great first year... Kanpai!