Castaclysm, Art of Gold Contest, and The Growth of a Wow Gold Blog

Posted by Markco at 8:00 AM

Did you check out the Art of Gold Contest?

Discussion Topic:

Quick Question for you JMTC fans... How big do you think the JMTC community actually is? There are currently 2413 subscribers to the blog, 2926 registered forum members, 2409 youtube subscribers, 606 twitter followers, hundreds if not a thousand Call to Auction subscribers, almost 200 subscribers for the brand new Castaclysm, and 800 JMTC Digest subscribers. That's not including the thousands of people who read/listen/watch without subscribing. If the gold guide counts, you can tack on another 1,000+ "members." Just how deep do you think the rabbit hole goes? Judging by the number of people who visit each of the sites daily and factoring in the probably that at least half of the people who subscribe do not actually visit the sites they subscribe to, I would guess that JMTC has reached the 6,000 to 10,000 member mark, but there really is no way to know for sure. Whether there's 1 person listening or 10,000 I'll still be here to post, but it is fun to take a step back and marvel at the sheer volume and diversity of this community. Oh and I forgot Xfire friends, but I rarely ever get to do that anymore (don't worry I'll try soon).

Community Spotlight:


What should Castaclysm talk about tonight? This guest post was written by thunderer from Castaclysm and I hope you listen in tomorrow when the new episode is up as well as listen to the past three episodes that we produced together with jhaman... well read on for more information on castaclysm!


CASTaclysm: A World of Warcraft Podcast is the essential audio source for all things WoW. It represents the cataclysmic smashing together of thoughts and voices of 2 PvP/Arena Gladiators (one of whom is a well known gold-making master) and a PvE Hero.

Thunderer, who hosts the show is a broadcast radio talk show host by day, and CASTaclysm Podcast host by weekend. He has leveled multiple toons to max level (a warrior and a Paladin), and has achieved the PvP titles of "Flawless Victor", "Gladiator", and "Battlemaster". Additionally, Thunderer has been involved in the WoW blogosphere for some time, including designing and launching the wildly popular "Just My Two Copper", which is the number one source for gold-making tips on the planet. Thunderer's foray into the WoW fan community includes hosting live coverage for Warcraft Radio as well as national broadcast affiliates while at Blizzcon 2009 in Anaheim, California. With seven years of experience in the broadcast radio field and four years experience of playing every facet of World of Warcraft since the original game, Thunderer steers the CASTaclysm ship with a steady, confident voice.

Jhaman is known on the CASTaclysm Podcast as the "glorified fact checker." Jhaman entered into Azeroth midway through Burning Crusade, and since that time has conquered end-game bosses and hard modes in PvE that many players never even get to experience. His understanding of the various World of Warcraft classes and abilities is often considered unrivaled, and he brings the humility of a constantly learning player to his performance on the podcast. But don't let that fool you. Jhaman has the credibility to bring down the hammer on any discussion and the dignity to admit when he's wrong. His consumption of WoW fansite material rivals the most avid of WoW news followers, but allows for WoW fans everywhere to identify with the voice of this experienced player.

Markco is a host that some would consider needs no introduction. Beginning in late 2008, Markco set out to conquer the gold-making empire he saw within Azeroth, and his adventures have all but made him the titan of the entire gold making WoW universe. Markco's attitude is one of fierce determination for success, and his many in-game accomplishments and real life achievements have made this man a well-known "bastion of awesome" in the blogosphere. Markco is the Publisher of "Just My Two Copper", a blog he began with only a handful of readers on the trials and tribulations of winning at gold making in World of Warcraft. From a handful of readers to thousands of satisfied daily followers, Markco has truly made a stamp on the WoW community. In addition to the blog, Markco has extended his green, orcish hand to nearly every popular realm of the internet, reaching out and connecting to the average player wherever they might meet. His commercial endeavors have also resulted in one of the most dominant and successful gold guides on the planet, "20kLeveling". Markco's in-game accomplishments include extensive end-game tanking, multiple max level toons, dominating multiple server economies, and achieving "Gladiator" status among many other PvP achievements. Greg "Ghostcrawler" Street personally acknowledged Markco's successes amongst the first Prot Warriors to achieve Gladiator. Suffice it to say: We have certainly not seen the last of the great Markco.

Every week, these three "Titans of Talk" deliver the latest in WoW news in a way that allows listeners to consolidate their WoW news consumption to a humorous and contemplative look at the way things are shaping up in the cataclysmic world of Azeroth. The show's niche coverage includes in-depth arena, PvP, and gold making observations that listeners cannot find anywhere else.

Listener questions and comments are fielded every week, bringing the community's presence right into the hallowed halls of the CASTaclysm Podcast itself.

CASTaclysm: A World of Warcraft Podcast achieved quick and early success in catapaulting to the top of playlists everywhere. CASTaclysm has been featured on WoW.com, iTunes Top 25 Video Games Podcasts, and Just My Two Copper. TotalBiscuit, the WoW podcasting community's "Original Shock Jock", and host of the world's most popular solo-hosted WoW podcast, "Blue Plz!" had this to say about CASTaclysm: "It's scientifically proven that most WoW podcasts suck, so imagine my surprise when I find one that doesn't... CASTaclysm."

CASTaclysm: A World of Warcraft Podcast airs weekly, and is available for subscription via iTunes, and can be found online at http://www.castaclysm.com.


Thunderer is the host of CASTaclysm: A World of Warcraft Podcast, available on iTunes.