I had been working on this Blog series, "Getting involved in the community", with the idea that I'd be chronicling my efforts to become more involved, and giving advice, based on my experiences, to those that also wish to be more involved. This worked out pretty well for a few months, but then, during and after MLG Columbus, I kind of fell off. Not just in this blog, but in most of my efforts. I kept putting in a minimum amount of effort, but I really slipped and let a lot fall away.

I had big plans for my site SC2Ratings with new features, updates to existing aspects, some visual redesigns, and working on integration with other sites, but I really dropped the ball. Not that there was any really good reason for me to let all the SC2 stuff fall apart like I did (new romantic interest, huge disappointment with some things at MLG Columbus, looking for a new place to live, and moving, twice, in a 3 month span), but things have settled enough for me to gain focus on my real priorities again: Starcraft 2 and esports.

Now, in most industries, I think if you were to take a 3 month break while you're just getting started, that'd be a death sentence, and you'd never be able to get a foothold again, but this industry seems to be different. Perhaps it's because everything is so small still, or perhaps it's because live events are so far apart, but whatever it is, I seem to not have lost a lot of ground. I still have my 'old' connections, or most of them at least, still have my site up and running (which has been kept up to date thanks mostly to my staff, who are totally awesome, and the epitome of why the SC2 community is great), and am presented with an excellent opportunity to really shine through with this weekend's craziness.

So, that all said, I'm going to be devoting this weekend (except for a chunk of Saturday where I have a non esports charity event to attend) to creating content, updating the site, recapping what I can from my MLG and IPL experiences, and doing research on starting up a business.

The moral of today's story? Don't let your personal life get in the way of your esports endeavors, but if you have to, make sure you have a good team to get your back, do just enough to keep current and time sensitive projects afloat, and attend the major events.

So, for those of you who missed me, I'm back and I'm ready to make the SC2 community better!

- Koibu

p.s. I've been trying to decide whether I should go by "Koibu" or by "Neal" (my real name). I'd rather go by "Koibu" but everybody I've met knows me by my real name. Difficult to make them switch, so I might just go by that :/