I think one of my best decisions was stating in public that I wanted to work more on The Chalkboard Manifesto. People bring it up when I chat with them, and then that shames me into doing more work. It keeps me motivated.

So, it’s time for the next bit of shaming — that is, it’s time to reveal some more plans for TCM.

A key component to gaining and keeping readers is to create a sense of community around TCM. That means I need to get more involved with social networking tools. I’ve already signed up for a new MySpace account (the old one was insecure), and I plan on using that to communicate with readers. A MySpace group could also be a cool thing to make. I’ve also signed up for StumbleUpon. I’m not quite sure how to use it, though, so I need to solicit advice. A big, big project that needs to take place within the next few weeks is adding a blog. Maybe I’ll post 3x a week on it. Monday with news, Wednesday with politics, and Friday with something fun. The key is to put myself on a regular update schedule without too much strain. I’m pondering adding a forum, but I’m not sure if it’s necessary. I’ll put that off, unless someone gives me advice that it’s a must-have. Plus, I really don’t want to manage a forum right now (although it does give you good experience in the web-world).

I really need to put advertising on the web site. One goal for TCM is to make it profitable. Actually, all it would take is less than $10 a month, and all my costs, in terms of web hosting and domain registration, would be covered. I can add a banner to the top, and also text ads on the blog. I’ve been looking into Project Wonderful since it seems like all the rage on various web comics I’ve looked at.

I want to be #1 on Top Web Comics. I’m not sure what a good timeframe for that is, but I think I can be within the top 10 within six months. So, please help me with that. You can vote everyday. I have to figure out some new vote-whoring tools. I’m considering both an e-mail list and an RSS feed, which both would beg for votes.

Finally, I’m thinking about an ambitious project called MyTCM, but I think I should put first things first. I’ll put that off, but remind me about it later on. I’ve also decided to delay merchandise because I simply do not have the audience. However, once I have a big audience, it will become a top priority.

That’s all for now. So next time you see me, ask me where I am with advertising, how high I am on TWC, and what I’ve done to create a TCM community.