Happy New Year from Strata-gee.com. Thanks to you, we had another great year! Big things happened in 2025, some challenging, some rewarding. But all is well that ends well, and while 2025 was a little dicey early on, it appears to be ending pretty well for most of us.
See my Happy New Year message below…
As I reflect on 2025, I am reminded of a famous quote you may have heard. I’m paraphrasing here, but it goes something like this: Life is not about how many times you fall…it’s about how many times you get back up. This year, that quote has a particular resonance for me.
As many Strata-gee readers know, in May, while on an exercise walk, I had an accident that ended with me waking up down on the cement with wounds all around my body and head. And in a flash, my typical routine…my normal life…became something entirely different. It’s a reminder that, when you least expect it, life can change in an instant…and change in dramatic and impactful ways – both literal and philosophical.
My Challenge was Big This Year, but the Blessings Were Bigger
So yes, there was the rush to the emergency room, a stay in the hospital, test after test, and ultimately treatment. Then weeks…nay, months…of recovery. But much good came of this. One, I have a new appreciation for normalcy and routine. Two, my family and friends have never been more precious to me. Three, I have a new enthusiasm for the future…with a deeper understanding as to how to proceed toward it.
Many of you were instrumental to my recovery with your positive attitude, supportive comments, and patience for me to get reengaged at Strata-gee. I will be forever grateful for that.
In any event, I’ll be honest with you, I was a little circumspect about reviewing Strata-gee’s performance data for 2025. The accident took me away from the business for a bit, as did the recovery.
I Was a Little Nervous to Look at the Data
After three consecutive record years of growth, the disruption this year was likely to have a meaningful impact…a pause in my success. Then, I gritted my teeth and dug into the data. I could not believe what I was seeing. I checked it again. In fact, I remain a little hesitant to reveal it to you…it’s a little shocking and hard for even me to believe.
Strata-gee, it seems, has had yet another record year. User engagement with content in 2025 is up near low double-digit percentages. Active users are up 29.2%! New users are up 29.6%!! Subscriptions have grown more than 50%!!! What the heck?!?!
Here’s the Crazy Thing
Here’s the crazy thing. For as long as I have been keeping track, global users have grown over the years. This year, the data shows that Strata-gee is being consumed in 177 countries around the globe! My list of top 20 countries – those with the largest number of active users – usually begins with, obviously, the United States, then Canada, then the U.K., and then all the rest. But this year, there was a dramatic shift in international readership.
After decades of Canada and the U.K. taking turns at #2 in number of active users, suddenly, this year, active users in China increased dramatically, placing that country at #2 for the first time in Strata-gee’s history. And China was followed at #3 by Singapore – the first time ever Singapore was even in the top 10.
I’m not entirely sure what this means or how this happened. Perhaps my tariff coverage drew their attention? All I know is that I now have a large number of active users in China and Singapore…and my global presence is swelling.
The ‘Active User’ Maps Show the Difference
Here is the map I shared with you at the end of 2024. At that time, I discovered strong growth with China, Australia, and India. Singapore was not even in the top 10. In 2024, the remaining three countries rounding out the top 10 included the Netherlands, France, and Japan.
2024
2025
The number of active users of Strata-gee in a country is represented by color and intensity. But if you look closely, I think you can see that China on the right (sort of shaped like a Y) is nearly the same color and intensity as the U.S. on the left. The remaining three countries that round out the top 10 are the Netherlands, Australia, and Japan.
Goodbye to 2025…Hello to 2026
As I mentioned above, 2025 turned out to be a challenging year for me personally, and a challenging year for the industry overall. But the good news is that we learned, once again, our economy remains relatively resilient. Yes, issues remain – inflation is still too high, consumer spending is still slowing, and consumer confidence is still too low.
However, I remain optimistic, and I hope you do too. Whatever challenges emerge in 2026, we will rise to the occasion.
Here is wishing you a safe, healthy, prosperous HAPPY NEW YEAR! Thank you all for your continued support! It means a lot to me!
TED
Leave a Reply