Highlights of 2011 on Chemists Corner
This has been a great year for Chemists Corner and I have thoroughly enjoyed working on this project. We’ve got some big things planned in 2012 but before we get there, here is a list of the top 10 highlights of 2011.
1. Complete cosmetic Chemist - First developed in 2010, we teamed up with Allured to make the program even better. It has been satisfying to help introduce people to all they need to know to get started in cosmetic science.
2. Trip to China - I traveled a lot this year and got to talk about cosmetic science. My trip to China to speak at the PCHi show was an excellent experience.
3. Trip to Europe - The inCosmetics event in Italy was also a great experience. I was fun to meet people from around the world who knew me only through this website. It was also great to see all the new technologies in the cosmetic industry. The other part of the trip sent me to Berlin to talk to a pharmaceutical industry group about stability testing. Then I went to the UK and spoke at an SCS event. An incredible experience.
4. Media appearances - This year I did a number of TV appearances. It was all the result of the launch of my book Can You Get Hooked on Lip Balm. TV has its challenges but being on the Rachel Ray show, Dr.Oz, and numerous local news broadcasts was lots of fun.
5. Talks around the country - I was fortunate to be invited to do a number of talks around the country including places such as Connecticut, Long Island, Dallas, San Jose, and Boston. I also spoke at a few events here in Chicago.
6. Cosmetic Science forum - I was very happy about the launch of the cosmetic science forum this year and even more pleased at the quality of discussions that are going on. Thanks so much to all of you who participate! If you want to join the forum just click on the Forum link at the top of this website.
7. Five-minute cosmetic science talks - This was an experiment I tried with our November SCC meeting here in the Midwest. Essentially we had 7 speakers give 5 minute talks about a variety of cosmetic science topics. It worked well and I hope to expand the event in the future. Here is the link for my five minute cosmetic science talk.
8. Podcast - We doubled the number of podcasts that we did this year. The guests have been excellent and so has the feedback. I look forward to recording more next year. We might even get a sponsor!
9. Regular posting - Perhaps the biggest change on this website is that we went to a “post every day” model. Whereas the beginning of the year we posted maybe 5-6 times a month, now we post every day. This has been challenging to continue to generate fresh content but I love the challenge. Hopefully, next year we will have a few more authors who will contribute more articles.
10. Website traffic - One of the most satisfying things for me about this blog is how much traffic growth we’ve seen in 2011. At the start of the year we were getting around 7000 visits a month. In November, we got over 27,000 in a month! I’m proud of those numbers and hope to double them next year.
Thank you so much for your participation in this website. I especially enjoy the comments and questions that you continue to send. This direct contact with cosmetic chemists around the world has really re-invigorated my interest in this subject.
Thank you also to the people who have helped me build this website by providing articles, comments, and ideas. And thank you to Allured for the excellent work you’ve done on the Complete Cosmetic Chemist training program.
Have a great 2012!!
