The Reader Appreciation Project was formed on March 18th, 2007. It was a project born out of love for our own readers. Bes and I started it up, with Simonne joining as a main contributor shortly thereafter.

It’s been a year or relatively slow growth. RA Project has always been a side project for me, and one that I’ve really come to enjoy. My main duties were a few posts a week, the occasional plugin release, and helping with theme/design issues. My duties have grown since the initial launch, as they now include guest contributor coordination and finding advertisers/sponsors.

This year at RA Project hasn’t been without difficulty, especially in the area of my offline life. My marriage was ending, and I was battling some harsh personal demons. A side project was very low-priority for me, as were several other projects I had hoped to work on.

Fast forward to today, where RA Project appears to be experiencing transition problems with one of our main contributors leaving in early February. Bes and I were trying to move RA Project in two different directions. It’s unfortunate that Bes left. I miss him, and I’m sure some of you do too. But for me, it’s time to move forward.

One of the things I’m really thankful for is all of the recent guest contributors who have really shared their thoughts on what reader appreciation is all about. I’m also thankful for all of the readers, many of whom have been with us since the beginning. We’ve grown, struggled, and grown some more. And my hope is that we continue to grow.

On the topic of moving forward, I’m really looking forward to RA Project’s first group project and contest called Peeve Week 3. It’s ambitious and will likely set the stage for future group efforts.

I’m also looking forward to WordCamp Dallas, which I’ll be able to meet several of you who are attending (if you don’t know what I look like, here’s a pic).

A new design is on its way as well, and will be up shortly. I’ve already started coding the XHTML, which is based off of Mimbo Pro. It appears I’m not the only one excited. Penny released her own thoughts of what she hopes RA Project looks like in the future.

This site has the slogan of “Where it’s all about the readers.” I hope to continue to serve the readers of this site, and the readers of sites elsewhere. You all are an inspiration to me. It’s been a tough year, but a year well worth it.

Thank you for reading and (as always) for being a valued reader.

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