If you are regular, you may have noticed that SiB has been updated with a slick new look which i hope will put content even more forward.

The last look was as old as 2011 when i first started this blog, with the aim of making the life of new expats easier. With humble beginnings, i’m proud to see SiB become more impactful with time.

What is born out of frustration when i first arrived to Berlin in 2011 has developed into a blog with a fair amount of traffic. I can indeed boast an average of 300 unique visitors per day with peaks to 400-500 in some months, particularly around September and March. This visibility has led some brands to contact me for partnerships which i have all turned down so far, except for doido.com, which had had contributed to the blog in a fair and honest way.

In those 3 years, i have managed to get my self quoted by the Berliner Zeitung, a language school and grow a 250-fans-strong Facebook page. All of that without any particular promotion. It seems small to you, but to me, it’s really not bad for a side project.

I would also like to thank everyone who takes time to correct me or simply leave a comment to contribute to this project. It’s always a pleasure to approve a comment that adds added-value to my original piece. Thank you as well for all those nice emails i receive. It’s nice to feel supported.

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Homepage in 2012

Homepage in 2015

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SiB’s homepage in 2012 and in 2015

Looking forward

I don’t really know what the future holds for this blog apart from the routine update and additional content. Maybe you guys can give me ideas of things you would like to see more often here ?

I have attempted to present my content in more innovative ways than just text, like my map of flea markets in Berlin or the infamous to-do list timeline. I will try to go a bit more down that way, which is a bit more work but also more fun.

I’m also looking at monetization right now in the attempt to cover my server costs, which are about 40€ per year. I have a few ideas, but if you have any suggestions, feel free to comment as well.

I wish i could put more time into SiB but i have a full-time job and it can be quite challenging at times to battle on 2 fronts at the same time.

Wish me luck, and i wish you luck to settle in Berlin.

Oh and GIFs, there will be moar GIFs.