Overview
This year has been full of ups and downs. From the creation of this community to bouts of inconsistency, I've experienced it all. Good, Bad, and Ugly is a way in our community, to take out some time, reflect upon and acknowledge how things have been in the past.
It's all about appreciating the good you did, improving the bad things that happened, pivoting on things that went ugly, take a firm stand. This helps in improving going forward. This edition of the Good, Bad, and Ugly would be a bit different. Instead of going Monthly, we'll be going for the year.
The Good
I guess, one major thing that went well this year is that I started my own YouTube channel, something that I wanted to do for a very long time.
I also started a tech community with a vision, to help provide education to folks who can't afford it, and to those who feel helpless for not having a computer science degree.
I started with my course and built my Linux Playlist. It has received tremendous amounts of love for its quality and depth. I feel motivated each and every time I go through those comments.
I started teaching. It's something I've been doing for many years, in one form or the other. I've mentored folks and helped them grow in tech, I've created content as freelancing work, and I've created curriculums on contracts. I never thought I'd be good at teaching, but I still gave it a try.
I did something out of passion. I know it's going to be a long journey, and they're only beginning in the first few years. This thing of communities, of teaching, is something I'll always continue doing out of passion.
I met some wonderful folks. I was just amazed after connecting with so many amazing people on Twitter, I wondered why I didn't start it sooner. The energy and the vibe are simply amazing.
The Bad
All things didn't go as planned, as they usually never do. Things were going smoothly till June but then I started messing up. I engaged in some commitments that didn't leave me with time enough.
Comebacks are harder. Once you're in the flow of creating content, the next time it's easier but once you break that process, starting it back up takes a lot of time. I tried making a few videos in the middle, but it wasn't working out.
Although my engagement has been good on social media, it's still been bad around the community - thanks to my lack of presence. There haven't been any activities on our discord server, nor any spaces in our Twitter handle. This is something that needs to be worked upon.
The Ugly
My biggest ugly has been my consistency. It is something that has haunted me all year, and I know if I really tried, I would still have managed one video a week. This is something that I need to work on.
The next big ugly has been the lack of urgency. Despite having this channel out of passion, there needs to be some sense of urgency regarding the things I want to deliver through it. Lack of it has resulted in overpromising and underdelivering. This is something I need to remember, to have that sense of urgency.
The Stats
Despite having a year full of ups and downs, we still made good progress on all fronts -
We reached a total of 5,000 Subscribers on YouTube.
We reached a total of 1,500 Members on our Discord Server.
Our Linux Masterclass Playlist has over 10,000 views and is loved by everyone.
Our channel has crossed 100,000 views.
Our channel had good engagement across social media.
Plans for 2023
Coming into this year, I thought to myself that the decision to start a YouTube channel was finalized on 31st December 2021, and it's still at the beginning after 1 entire year, the reason is not having enough content due to lack of consistency and a sense of urgency. I started this year with 2 resolutions -
I will remain consistent and have that sense of urgency.
I will make this year count.
I plan to complete my Roadmap this year and move on to some advanced concepts and stuff too. Hopefully, this year would be a great one for all of us.
I've started on a good note - by already posting 4 videos this month and more are under production. How has it started for you? Let us know in the comments below! (^_^)