Panbo and I, a first anniversary

Yesterday a product development manager at a major marine electronics company said to me, “Thank you for Panbo; you’re making it easier for me to do my job.” That felt good! I also enjoy the international group of enthusiasts who come by Panbo regularly and the fact that so many Google searches (try “Northstar 8000i” or “Si-Tex AIS”, for instance) rank Panbo near the top. That means boaters doing Web research are finding Panbo useful.

At any rate, I sort of spaced out my actual first Panbo anniversary yesterday, but indulge me while I noodle about where this blog could go. I have lots of ideas, like adding: longer form pages where I could republish some of my print work, or yours; in-depth product reviews; a marine electronics ‘wiki’, as in Wikipedia, in which we could all help create a deep and current knowledge base about this field; and perhaps user forums. I look at product niches like digital cameras, and great resources like dpreview.com, and I’m sure that Panbo, or something like it, has room to grow up and really make something of itself.

Of course there are time/money issues! Both Yme—who actually founded this blog—and I are busy with other jobs. In fact, Yme is so busy that he’s decided to drop his publishing role here and I am about to become sole owner of the site. I’m talking to possible part time publishers and also looking for a good Movable Type programmer (anyone?). My goal is to generate some real income from Panbo so I can spend more time creating content. I’m considering straight advertising, sponsorships, even a ‘donate’ PayPal button. Of course I’d love to hear your advice about how to grow Panbo and how to make it a self sufficient business.