The Inside the Circle staff gathers for a family photo!

Every year, I try to think of something elegant to say. Something that is all profound and reads like it took me 2 months to compose... but this year, we're in the terrible twos so let's throw that elegance mess out of the window! It was two years ago today, that our first post launched, signaling that yet another Zune website was trying to make headway into the mish-mash of Zune-related areas of the internet.

What most likely set us apart from other places, right away, was that we weren't just going to report news about Zune. Had we done that, you'd see about 1/3 of the posts you see now. I told all of the writers to write about what they wanted as long as it fit within the realm of Zune and Music. The concept was that we all gather inside of a bar and sit around a table, have drinks and shoot the shizz. It's why we've enjoyed our open ended posts and conversations that continue onto Twitter and Facebook.

Inside the Circle has also managed to work with some great organizations. Recently, we've formed a partnership with the Hear Noho Music Festival. This is probably one of the updates in the past year that I'm the most proud of. I firmly believe in what they are doing and, as such, have allowed Inside the Circle to be another vessel where they can promote their monthly shows. I'm looking forward to doing bigger and better things with them in the future.

We've even grown in staff from four writers to five. It's great to see that not only has Inside the Circle become a place where people can gather, share ideas, discover music and chat, but it's become a place that some would want to become a part of beyond just readership. I'm proud that there are people who are willing to carve some time out of their schedules to contribute to Inside the Circle. I'm definitely always interested to hear from others who want to contribute in meaningful and insightful ways and I invite you to contact me if you wish to discuss contributing.

My writers have heard numerous times how much I appreciate all that they have done and will continue to do. This thing would be absolutely nowhere if it wasn't for them and their tireless work keeping the place updated, fresh and fun to read. Considering that they do this of their own free will and on their own time/dime, I'm that much more appreciative of how much they have brought to the table.

I also have to take a minute to thank Zune. The staff there have been absolutely fantastic in showing their support of Inside the Circle and the endeavors that we have tried. They continue to be a great resource of support and advice. We're very proud of what they've been able to do with Zune as both a device in Zune HD and as a service. We're looking forward to what they have in store for the next year.

For you, dear readers, you get the biggest thanks of all. Having a tons of posts up would mean nothing if you all didn't visit everyday, read and share. A ton of posts with no one reading is called a diary and that's not what this blog is. We (and I speak for the entire crew here) are grateful, humbled and honored that you find us a place on the net worthy of visiting.

Now, knowing me, I'm going to want to make this next 12 months the most exciting yet for Inside the Circle. In year's past, I've jotted down what things that I had planned, but this year I don't think I'll do that. Now be sure that there are ideas brewing in my head, but I know better now than to announce them if they haven't been fully fleshed or even won't make it past the on-paper phase. But believe me, if even ONE of the ideas that I have comes to fruition, it will be another large step for Inside the Circle and the community that we support.

I invite you all to continue supporting us and letting us know you're there. In return, we'll continue to provide quality original content that you can enjoy and add-on to. I put in one of my past commentaries that community is what drives this blog and it's community that will continue to drive this blog. That's a statement I believed in then and continue to believe in now.

Cheers! And here's to another successful year!



P.S. On a very personal note as much as I say that I appreciate my staff, I always felt that it wouldn't mean much without something tangible. So this year, I'm working with Edward Webb (XBOX MVP) on a special XBOX 360 faceplate for each of the staff members. Now I know that the new XBOX 360 S doesn't work with faceplates, but I figured this was a fitting way to show how much I appreciate everything these writers have done.

Thanks again, guys! You rock hardcore!