1,000 posts. It’s quite a milestone. And it represents a lot of hard work from everyone involved, including you, with Upstart Blogger since it’s launch way back in 2004.

Over the last 5 years and 999 posts a lot has changed as Upstart Blogger has evolved, grown, expanded and steadily pushed it’s way forward to the higher echelons of the bloggersphere. Alliances have been forged but not all contact, perhaps unsurprisingly given the amount of time and the shear number of people that read Upstart Blogger, has been positive. Straight talking and a refusal to conform with the old guard of the internet has also attracted the attention of those who would like to call themselves my enemies. The liars, scammers and cheats who hate the fact that a respected blog with a Google page rank of 7 can easily shine a light deep into the holes where they hide.

Most of these cheats soon evaporate. But some, as I have found recently, can be more persistent. Recently deleting 3 posts from Upstart Blogger was one of the hardest blogging decisions I have had to make, but I did have to make it and I stand by my decision. The people I had upset, a large organization whose name my legal advisors have told me not to mention, at least until things have quietened down, clearly had the power and influence to take down not 1, not 2, but 3 Twitter accounts with my name on them. Twitter refuses to negotiate and won’t reply to my emails even though those accounts keep coming back online for a few hours before getting suspended again.

I had to let go of those personal accounts to protect the much more important, and valuable, assets that I have built. The 21 Inner Circle Twitter accounts are continuing to grow organically and privately, and currently have a total following of over 525,000 followers. None of these accounts have my name on them and, therefore, are completely safe. It is those 21 accounts that are the power behind the Genesis Rocket network push.

Furthermore, had I not substantially edited the 3 posts in question, the organization would have continued to harass my host, who have been exceptionally cool and level headed about the whole thing, until their undoubted might and force sledgehammered their way to what they continue to refer to as a satisfactory conclusion.

And that could have meant the obliteration of Upstart Blogger and everything that everyone involved has worked so hard to achieve.

The affiliate program, Genesis Rocket, 30 Days, the Inner Circle, and the soon to be launched Star Maker project would all have been collateral damage, bombed out of existence by a dogmatic but infinitely powerful adversary.

And, since the affiliate program alone currently provides a huge number of people with an income upon which they depend, that wasn’t something that I was going to allow to happen.

Should I have stood my ground? Some say yes, but what would the cost have been? Would could the cost have been?

The organization’s main protagonist has been forced to silence their own Twitter account, attempting to save face by appearing to jump before being pushed, leaving behind over 1,500,000 followers rather than address the situation and acknowledge the real truth. I find this incredibly telling and, if any were needed, proof that I really did burst a hype bubble that someone desperately didn’t want to be burst.

My personal Twitter accounts and those 3 blog posts were the fall guy for the greater good. They took the bullet to allow everything else to carry on, stronger than before. Sure, there might be a few holes in my previous blog posts and some confusing links that appear to refer to Twitter accounts that no longer exist but what does that matter if everything else is bigger, better, leaner and meaner than before?

And so we come to the second part of my title. The Level 9 upgrade.

Nothing to do with Dungeons and Dragons, I was always more of a Traveller addict in my teenage years, and nothing to do with the fantastic company of the same name that was responsible for some of the finest 8 bit text adventure games ever to grace a screen, the Level 9 upgrade represents a change in blogging priority and a shift towards a more cohesive and open online environment and resource that everyone, irrespective of experience, can enjoy and benefit from.

Why Level 9? Because my online journey, something which is detailed throughout Upstart Blogger and my other blogs, has gone through 8 levels up until this point. And today, with this post and the change in scope that I am about to detail, I have reached another level. Ergo, Level 9.

With my previous personal blog and a handful of peripheral blogs safely jettisoned now is the time to widen the scope of Upstart Blogger with more content that, I hope, will reflect the diversity of the audience that is currently reading this post. Of course, the main thrust will always be in line with the ever present tag line, successful blogging made simple, but an increase in the quantity and range of content will, if all goes to plan, literally widen the playing the field so that more people can enjoy the game, both as participants and spectators

It is my sincere hope that the combination of a wider blogging remit, increased audience diversity, a range of respected products and a very successful affiliate program will allow more people than ever before to become successful online as a result of their participation in, and continued enjoyment of, Upstart Blogger.