To start off this post, I would first like to thank the sponsors of this year’s Best of 2018. Next, I would like to congratulate everyone that won this year, whether that was first place or third. The last part of my appreciation goes to everyone who participated. Your continued to support and belief in what these polls were set out to achieve is why this poll, the original “Best of” for vaping, returns each year.
Addressing The Haters
With each year ending, I prepare myself for the shit-storm of haters that I collect due to this event. The truth of the matter here is, I will be loved by some and hated by many because this person isn’t winning or that person isn’t winning. That’s how this goes, and I’ve become used to it by now, after all, it has been 8 years this polling event has been running. This year, unfortunately, was a little worse than others and luckily I had a few people to warn me of a specific bad seed we have in the vaping community that allowed me to somewhat tune out the noise — though holding my tongue can be a bit difficult sometimes.
The difference between myself and the haters is that I conduct myself and operate my blog in a professional manner. It’s something that has worked for me throughout the many years, and I intend to continue doing so. However, to address the haters, I would like to say that allowing your mouth to keep running without thinking of what you’re saying will get you absolutely nowhere, in this industry or in life. I’ve talked with several vendors, manufacturers, and content creators and the actions and comments they’ve seen made this year completely disgusted them and myself as well. Aside from the continuous negativity that you spew into our community, I would personally like to thank you for participating and making this year an eventful one. 😉
Apology To Participants
There are a few things I would like to apologize for to those who participated in this year’s Best of event. I admit, this year was a bit rushed due to a few reasons, and I’ll share some of those reasons with you. I went the whole year looking forward to the Best of, until I had to switch servers and undergo many updates on the backend of my blog, which meant the Best of plugin wasn’t 100% ready. However, I managed to have my developer fix a few issues days leading up to the event, which then allowed the event to start. Though the polls function properly, there were still a couple issues that I noticed, like the Social Logins not working correctly. I didn’t see a need to have my developer fix them during the event because they aren’t needed in order to vote. With that said, I apologize for the polling plugin not functioning perfectly. I also want to apologize for the outside noise of haters that often times fill these polls. What you have to understand here is that many new participants to the polls do not comprehend what they were made for, which results in them getting a little online-angry for not receiving all of the attention.
What We’ve Learned From The Polls
There’s so much we’ve learned and so much that will benefit thousands of vapers throughout 2019. Believe it not, but even after the polls have ended, there are many vapers that will discover the Best of 2018 Results, and it will then act as a guide, leading them to the best stores to shop at, the best forums to visit, the best mods to buy, the best brands to look for, and much more. This is all thanks to you all that have done your part this year to create this guide.
We’ve learned that Vapor Authority continues to be one of the best in the industry, with quite the loyal customer base. We’ve learned that Vaping Underground Forums continues to dominate as the best, and Broadside Mods has slowly climbed their way up within the past couple of years and is now considered the Best of 2018, taking home third place. To get a full view of just what we’ve learned from the polls, you can visit the results page to see who came out on top.
What Will Change
This year was very eye-opening as to what should change about this event. As a result, I feel that there are many necessary changes that need to happen, starting with the polling plugin I had developed back in 2015. The plugin will have a fresh new look, the login system will be account-based, two-factor authentication, and I will look into other ways to deliver the best voting experience possible.
Looking To The Future
With everything that happened this year, it got me thinking about these “Best of” events even more. I have already utilized the polling system for the Electronic Cigarette Convention (ECC) throughout different events and locations, and now I feel it’s time to expand even further. Stay tuned throughout the year for upcoming polling events that you can take part in, whether it’s to identify what type of devices you prefer, your style of vaping and so on to help both manufacturers and vendors learn what you want as a vaper in 2019 or maybe we’ll even partner with a manufacturer to help them create their next device — the possibilities are endless and I’m already facilitating a plan of action.
Thank You For Supporting GuideToVaping’s Best of 2018
As always, your support is much appreciated. I hope after this that many of you begin to understand the polls like the rest of us. They are here to ultimately create a guide for vapers, after all, this is THE guide to vaping. With these polls, it’s about recognizing others, not yourself. Let’s continue to stay positive, support our fellow vapers, and create a better vaping community. Thank you, and happy new year!
