Tribute to the AJSB

Welcome to the Animal Jam Sky Blog!

Today is Tuesday, July 25th, 2017.

This week is "Scooter's Last Week", which is a quick celebration before I leave the Animal Jam Sky Blog and Animal Jam. Below is the schedule of the rest of the week...

Tomorrow, will be Blu the Monkey Day and Q&A, while Thursday will be the last post.

Today will be a Tribute to the Animal Jam Sky Blog!

The Beginning

The Animal Jam Sky Blog began on March 18th, 2013 after being in development for a few months. It all started with this short, sweet, and to the point first post...

If you can't tell, I had no idea what I was getting into. I had never used blogger; however, I knew many things about Animal Jam because I have been playing since 2011. Woah, six years goes by very fast!

Growing Views

The Animal Jam Sky Blog started out very slow. For months I had been trying to spread the word and outreach to the jammer community to view my blog. After awhile, jammers started catching on. Each month would bring in new followers, which meant more celebrations, views, parties, contests, and content. Each time we hit a milestone, such as 5,000 views, we would all celebrate. Below are all of the pageview celebrations:

1,000 Views - Jam Session Party
2,000 Views - Mystery of the Week, Party
3,000 Views - Greely Art

4,000 Views - Diamond Shop Video, Cartoon Contest

5,000 Views - Phantom Coloring Page, Sky Mascot

6,000 Views - Father's Day Coloring Page

7,000 Views - Icon Graphics

8,000 Views - Return of the Phantoms Party

9,000 Views - Freedom Party Video

10,000 Views - Octopus Graphics, Polls, Background, Liza Contest
15,000 Views - Scooter's Birthday Party, Skymail Episode

20,000 Views - Backgrounds, Graphics, Polls, Cosmo Plant Party
25,000 Views - Raccoons Only Party

30,000 Views - Tiger Graphics, Jammer of the Month, 15 Followers Contest

40,000 Views - Beta Tab, Den Designer Segment, AJ Birthday Party

50,000 Views - Slideshow of Uncommon Things, Graphics

60,000 Views - Blu the Monkey, Background, Graphics

70,000 Views - Journey of the Wolves 2 Sign-Ups

80,000 Views - Scooter's Jamaaliday Jam Party

90,000 Views - Exclusive look at Greely the Alpha

100,000 Views - New Segment, Graphics, 3rd Best Dressed Contest

150,000 Views - Party Planner Contest
200,000 Views - Bird's Only Party, Sky Scenes Episode

300,000 Views - Summer Carnival Party, Spread the Word Movement

900,000 Views - Blu the Monkey Returns

950,000 Views - Party Guide, Slogan Contest, Skymail
1,000,000 Views - Spring Fashion Show, Party

Pageviews started to soar, and more jammers became a part of the Animal Jam Sky Blog.

Innovative Ideas

The Animal Jam Sky Blog ventured into many new ideas. Many jammers don't realize that the Animal Jam Sky Blog was the first blog to have a Fashion Show contest. Did you know the Animal Jam Sky Blog hosted the first Fashion Show? Yes, I actually came up with the idea pretty early on. They were previously called "Best Dressed Contests"...

Above is the first advertisement for the first ever Animal Jam Blog Fashion Show. The sign ups were on September 9th, 2013. It began a huge start of many fashion shows to come, including the Pet Fashion Show we just had recently. I have also seen many blogs use this great idea and host fashion shows of their own!

Set Apart

As the Animal Jam Sky Blog grew, it began to set itself apart with new ideas. The Animal Jam Sky Blog created "segments", such as Item Spotlight, Blast to the Past, Discovery Day, This Week, and many more, within a "Sky Schedule". That meant featured posts each day with something new. Most blogs post about the new item and something interesting they found in Jamaa. However, the Animal Jam Sky Blog's posts had new items, new videos, something interesting, a segment or two, and even blog "Sky" news!

Not only were the posts different from many other blogs, but they were also everyday, which wasn't seen often. On top of posts, new content and pages were updated and added frequently. Each month offered a new Jammer and Pet of the Month, new background, and new header. Art from other jammers was added anytime a piece was sent in. Videos were made every once in awhile. You could even contact me anytime through social media, Animal Jam, or email. So many features made the Animal Jam Sky Blog shine, and most of the thanks goes to the readers!

The Legacy

The Animal Jam Sky Blog may be ending once again, but the legacy will live on in the jammer community. Many jammers have took the Sky Blog to heart and have been influenced to start their own blogs. I say GO FOR IT! Start an Animal Jam blog and help revive the Animal Jam blogging community. The Animal Jam Sky Blog will always be here to reference, reread, and look back at all of the many memories.

How to Start Your Blog

As an Animal Jam blog author, I get many emails and questions about how to start and grow your own blog. Many jammers get frustrated when they start their blog, nobody reads it, and then they give up and quit. I am here to tell you there is hope, and don't give up!

#1: Play Animal Jam

The first thing you should do is PLAY ANIMAL JAM. I played Animal Jam for 3 years before I began the Animal Jam Sky Blog. Get familiar with the game. Know the facts, know the items, know rarity, know famous jammers, know history and lore, know everything you can. After you gain the necessary knowledge, you will practically be an expert. This gives you a lot of credibility and shows the future readers that you know your stuff and they can trust you.

#2: Learn Blogging

Not only do you need to know Animal Jam like the back of your paw, but also learn how to blog. Read some blogs, and choose a blogging site to start your blog. Personally, I enjoy Blogger, but I know many jammers who use other blogging sites, such as WordPress. It is VERY simple to start blogging. Choose a template, write your first post, and then you are a blogger. Over time, you we be more comfortable with the layout and you will become an expert.

#3: Outreach

An important aspect to blogging is outreach. It is very important to spread the word about your blog. If you didn't, there is only a slim possibility that a jammer would stumble onto your blog. Use Animal Jam as a tool. Meet new jammers on Animal Jam, become friends, and tell them about your blog. Social media is also another great outlet to spreading the news about your site. Follow Animal Jam accounts and follow jammers. I have noticed that jammers primarily use Instagram the most. The whole time I have had a blog, I have never stopped spreading the word about it.

#4: Be Consistent

Probably the #1 thing I can tell you about how to become a successful Animal Jam Blogger is to: BE CONSISTENT. This means always be there for your readers. When they comment, respond. When they need help, help. When they email, email back. Just be there for them. This also means post on a consistent basis. No one wants to read a blog where they don't know when the author will post. Create a schedule or just post every day or every other day. Another idea is to create a personality for yourself. You could be the author or you could make up a character. You all know that I am not a Snow Leopard named Scooter with a blog. At least I hope you do O.O

Well, that was a shortened Tribute to the Animal Jam Sky Blog and how to start your own Animal Jam Blog. I could talk about many other aspects of the Sky Blog including outreach, Blu, and side blogs like the Sky Art and Sky Videos blog, but due to time and engagement we won't get to that. Don't for get to check back tomorrow in "Scooter's Last Week"!

Have Fun and Happy Jamming!