Happy Birthday to the Hippo

One year ago, I launched Tungsten Hippo. It was, and still is, a primarily personal project. While I’d love it to eventually be self-supporting, realistically my goal is to have a project I take seriously enough to motivate me to learn new things so that I can make it better, but that is separate enough from my main professional identity that I am not afraid to try things out. It has met these goals perfectly.

But what about its more prosaic goals? I wanted to help promote short form writing. I give myself decidedly mixed grades on that. On the plus side, my Amazon stats show that 48 copies of the ebooks I have referenced on this site have been purchased via the affiliate links. That’s not nothing. On the other hand, that’s not a lot, either.

One thing I’ve learned via this project is that while content is harder than the tech, building an audience is harder still. I have made some progress, but I haven’t figured out how to really break through to a larger group of people. I suspect the writers in my current audience will recognize that feeling quite well. 

It turned out even better than I expected, and has become one of my favorites, so I’ve made it available for other people to purchase, too. I have the Ladies style. It is a Bella t-shirt, and actually has junior sizing. I have a 2XL, and it fits beautifully- not too tight through the chest, with a nice nip in at the waist. For reference, I wear a Large at shops like the Gap. I have different shirts that are the American Apparel unisex v-neck, and in those I am a medium.