As we begin to wind down the chapter that is 2009 and head into 2010, I wanted to take some time right now to help explain not only the whole #ZuneNation drive concept and where I see it, but just give some overall reflections about the blog and schtuff.

I hope you can indulge me for a few minutes and forgive any grammatical or WTF!? errors you see on the page.

The concept of the #ZuneNation Holiday Drive was something that had been brewing in my head for at least 3 months now. I've taken the lessons from my high school teacher to heart and I wanted to be able to help out people as much as I could. It's probably why I enjoy being an MVP so much. Being able to have the tools available to really help people get the most out of their experiences with Zune (and to a larger extent, music) has been one of the highlights of my life ever since last year.

Yet, I knew that I couldn't simply just ask people to donate (even though since then I've put up a direct donation page, I know). So what I came up with was to have people do something they would normally do: shop on the internet. It was then asked that they used a particular Amazon affiliate code and know that in addition to making a purchase they would've normally made anyway, a portion of their purchase (read: the affiliate payout) would be going to the Mr. Holland's Opus Foundation -- an organization that is there to help kids realize their musical potential by providing them with instruments to help them discover music. Remember, good music starts with good musicians and this is one of those ways we could help.

Now, if the #ZuneNation drive made absolutely no money from the drive would I be disappointed? Sure. Yet, I also know that the idea had to be put out there. It had to start somewhere, sometime by someone. Every successful event you see now had to begin with a rough or less-than-desirable start (at least I would think that to be the case). I know that if I continue throughout the months and years to push events like the drive then eventually they will catch on and become a comfortable part of the culture.

While we're on this note I wanted to thank Travis Pope for being so gung-ho on the project. He was great at making the banners and promoting the drive on ZuneSpring. I also want to thank members of #ZuneNation who have helped with the drive by letting their communities know. At least getting the word out brings attention to what we're trying to accomplish and really that's all I could ask for.

So then let's focus some attention on this blog itself.

You know, when I started this thing in July 2008, I honestly didn't think it would make it this far. I didn't think that in December of 2009, I would even be considering new aspects and ways to make this little slice of the internet more engaging and entertaining for our readership. Yet, you guys continue to read us, you follow us on Twitter, you friend us over at Facebook and you game with us over XBOX Live.

Now I'll admit there have been a lot of things tried here at Inside the Circle. Some were successful in execution (like the Sunday Treasures music videos, the Social Spotlites, Jazz 101, and the abundance of free music locations) and there were some things that had potential but for whatever reason didn't quite fly. I call them as having the "Albatross Effect". Things like the gaming nights, for example. Well I'm happy to say that after doing this for a full year, I've figured out what I would like to accomplish in 2010 and I wanted to share with some of those plans and ideas. Again, I know that some of these will take off and some of these will flop, but the fun is in the attempt.

The "Circle This" podcast will not be going anywhere. In fact, Neville and I will be recording the re-start episode this week. We're still going to bring you news about Zune, music, tips/tricks and how to get the most out of your Zune and music experiences. I think Neville and I are ready to hit this thing full throttle and I'm going to make a more concentrated effort to have on additional guest hosts for round table discussions and Zune team members for insight on life inside Zune. Plus, you can expect more "Bonus Tracks" to be added to the "Circle This" podcast feed -- I like the idea of being able to include free music for listeners.

Interestingly, because I've gotten to know so many wonderful musicians throughout the year, I'm going to add a second show: The Lyons Den. While I thought of adding the musician interviews to the Circle This podcast experience, I knew that would take the show into 60 and 90 minute territory. So rather than do that (and to keep things bite sized) I'm going to branch off the artist interviews part into it's own series (kind of like Green Room). I think only cats like Major Nelson could pull off effective 2 hour shows every week.

Gaming nights will return except now they will be under the ZuneNation banner. I hope to again communicate with different communities out there to co-host nights where we all can get together and frag, sing and slam dunk against each other. I completely enjoyed those nights that were co-hosted with 360 Junkies and SFX-360 and I refuse to let that style of event fall by the waistside.

I hope everyone has been enjoying the "Artistic Expression" posts that have gone up so far. I was very nervous about this project because I knew musicians could be very busy people. The idea of asking them to write one post, especially for a blog that doesn't have the name "Billboard" or "MTV" attached to it was nerve wracking let me tell you. Yet, I've been humbled and appreciative of the artists who have taken that time to offer us such wonderful prose that we could share. I hope to continue this series into 2010 and I may ask some of these artists to make return appearances.

There are other things I have brewing in my head (meetups, event coverage, etc) so I suggest that you be on the lookout for Inside the Circle in 2010 as we start to take this thing to the next level. However, that does bring me to something else I should address:

As you know, Inside the Circle has been skillfully manned by three awesome writers: Neville, Julio and Alfa. I can honestly say that this blog would never have made it this far without their contributions, enthusiasm and skills. Why don't I include myself in this group? I don't know, that's not who I am. I'm more about showing appreciation for those that have helped Inside the Circle along the way. I'm sure they know how deeply I appreciate everything they've done for this blog (I think I've said it to each of them on numerous occasions) but I wanted to make one more public acknowledgment of how much I enjoy working with them in this capacity.

Yet, I also know that Inside the Circle, if it's ever going to grow, should take on maybe a couple of new writers; some fresh blood, folks who could bring some new perspectives on music and Zune. Therefore, if you would like to begin contributing to Inside the Circle, feel free to contact me. I will be more than happy to discuss what ideas you would like to bring to the table.

So here it is in a nutshell:

Thanks to all of our readers who have consistently chatted with us, shared music, and brought tons of energy, fun and conversation. Because of you, we have created things like #ZuneNation over on Twitter, which has become a great community of both Zune enthusiasts and music lovers.

Thanks to all of you who have became our friends on Facebook or followed the writers on Twitter. Being able to chat with you all has been (and will continue to be) an honor and a privilege.

So I hope you're willing to stay with us for the ride into 2010. We've got the Zune HD plugged in and the speakers turned up! LETS GO!

Thanks again, everyone.

Til next time, stay safe and keep the beat!