As I lay here, slowly recovering from a rather gnarly cold, it seems like a good time to write up a few words on the future of The Lunduke Journal.
2023 has been a wild and crazy year.
We've gone from publishing The Lunduke Journal on multiple platforms... to focusing -- almost entirely -- on Locals. And, thanks to a number of big articles and shows, The Lunduke Journal is gaining a reputaton for hard-hitting, honest Tech Journalism. Pretty happy about all of that.
On a personal note, 2023 has been a big one for the Lunduke family -- after an exhaustive search we have settled down in a new home town (in a new home state) that better meets our needs (and matches our personalities).
Looking ahead to 2024.
The coming year will have much of the same nerdiness you've come to expect from The Lunduke Journal, with a few noteworthy changes.
First: The "Untitled Nerdy Chat Show".
I love talking with other nerds. One of my favorite things is interacting with all of you during my shows. I even love hecklers during my in-person shows. I get a real kick out of it.
Now that the Lunduke clan has settled down, it has become possible to once again host a weekly chat show with other nerds. Some long-time fans will remember shows from years past (such as "Lunduke & Friends") -- the new show will have some similarities to those older chat shows.
I've been reaching out to Tech Celebrities of all types and sizes to line up some guests for these shows -- and I think folks are going to be excited when they see who's set to appear over the course of December and January. (And, just because I can, we'll be including a number of you in those shows as well.)
This is going to be a blast.
Second: Fewer small articles, more big ones.
There are plenty of Tech News outlets which post about minor announcements and press releases. The Lunduke Journal isn't going to try to compete with those... in large part... because it's boring.
Going forward there will be fewer of those smaller articles (unless there is something truly fascinating to report), and an increased focus on the type of real, in-depth articles which The Lunduke Journal is known for. Hard hitting journlism. Deeply researched historical articles.
The type of articles that are desperately needed in the Tech world.
Third: Fewer sales and discounts, slightly increased prices.
Over the last two years we've had a small mountain of sales and promotions -- oodles and oodles of them.
This has been an absolute necessity -- one that has worked out incredibly well -- even if sales can be a minor annoyance at times. These promotions have allowed The Lunduke Journal to grow the subscriber base, and stay afloat, while building a business with zero advertisements or sponsors.
Having "no ads" is no small feat in the world of magzines, podcasts, or "YouTubers". In fact... almost nobody else has even attempted it. But, thanks to all of you (and a whole lot of sales), we've pulled it off.
That said, two key changes now need to happen, for The Lunduke Journal, going forward:
- Fewer sales (in fact... almost no sales at all).
- A slight increase in price (to keep up with inflation).
Both of these changes are taking effect on January 1st.
A combination of factors of made this change a necessity. Including
- Some big upcoming shows (like "Linux Sucks 2023").
- The new chat show (which already has some huge guests scheduled).
- Upcoming articles which are going to rock the Tech world.
- The critical mass of subscribers (free and paid) which The Lunduke Journal has already hit.
Add all of that together... and it becomes obvious the time is right to make this important shift.
During December, we'll be running a few final sales, as needed, to accomplish two key goals:
- To give the long-time fans, and early supporters a chance to get subscriptions at a lower cost before the prices go up in January (as a way of saying "Thank You" for supporting this crazy endeavor in the early days).
- And to fund some minor studio hardware upgrades during the month of December -- just to make sure the Audio / Video quality is top notch heading into the big shows over the coming weeks.
Feel free to take advantage of those sales if you don't already have a subscription. It's a win-win for both you and the publication. I'll be holding firm on the new, slightly increased prices come January 1st, so this really is the last few weeks to get the lower prices.
All-in-all, a big year ahead.
I am incribly excited about what lies ahead for The Lunduke Journal. To everyone who has supported this work -- and gotten us to this point -- thank you. From the bottom of my heart.
None of this would have been possible without you.
You are, without question, the best nerds on Earth.
-Lunduke
