Protoscopic

We’ve had several milestones in our Internet ventures already. As you’re developing and modifying your site, you’re looking forward to your first unsolicited forum user, or your first affiliate sale, or any number of things that will show that you’re making progress.

They're easier to see in the rearview mirror.

For a long time our primary focus was the Walt Disney World for Grownups forums, and we had several milestones associated with them. You look forward to your first ‘signup’ and your first ‘post’. We also made new friends online and asked them to come post. Each of those had some element of success but there’s always some gray area.

One thing that you always forget when you’re awaiting your milestones is: The Internet is mean.

Because of this, much of the time you’re not sure if you’ve actually passed a milestone when it happens. For example, when our first “unsolicited” post came to the forums we weren’t sure whether it was someone we had solicited, or if it was someone up to some sort of spam shenanigans. So while we were somewhat enthusiastic, we had misgivings. Did this “count” as having met our goal?

Though you plan for the milestones, they’re really things you see in the rearview mirror. While you’re not sure if you’ve actually passed a milestone when it happens, you can definitely look back and know you did at some unclear point in the past. They’re things that have become commonplace now, though you can remember when you wanted them badly. You still get the feeling of progress. You just can’t quite ever get the feeling of euphoria you always imagined.