Preparing for Blaugust 2019
According to the schedule (which is purely for guidance and not a metaphorical gun to your head) Blaugust 2019 Festival of Blogging starts today. This is “prep week”; a golden opportunity to get all your ducks in a row. Now there’s nothing to stop you going into the event blind and winging it. For some content creators, that’s how they roll. However, for most of us, it helps if we have some kind of plan in place and have figured some stuff out in advance. For me this is important as I have a fluid day-to-day schedule and I’m also away for three days due to my son’s wedding. So I thought I’d share my approach to Blaugust, in the hope that it may be helpful to others. Like most things in life, there is no “one size fits all approach”, so you may want to temper my methods and adapt them to your own. You know your own strengths and weaknesses better than I. But the underlying point is still sound. Doing some degree of preparation for Blaugust will certainly help you.
Thoughts on Blogging Part 9
The last three months have been problematic from a writing perspective and my productivity and motivation have both suffered. I struggle to find appropriate time to sit down and apply myself to writing and when I do, I seldom have the correct mindset to stay focused for long. Yet due to the back catalogue of content available on Contains Moderate Peril, there is still regular traffic coming to the site. Ironically, despite my low productivity, I have started receiving an increase in blog related marketing and have received numerous emails regarding “collaboration”, “featured posts” and “SEO optimisation”. All of which I have no interest in. However, the point remains, I’m not writing as much as I used to and I miss it. The same can be said for podcasting but that’s a tougher problem to fix. It is more labour intensive than writing, so the logical thing to do is to focus on the former and not the latter to fix.
Thoughts on Blogging Part 8
I wasn’t expecting to write another entry in the Thoughts on Blogging series so soon, but something came up that grabbed my attention and got me thinking. A simple question that’s often asked about blogging and one that has many layers to it, as well as numerous answers. A new blogger who recently joined the Blaugust discord server asked for help “getting traffic to their blog”. An enquiry that gave me (and possibly others) pause for thought. Because we all to a degree want to attract traffic to our blogs. But I also think bloggers are too coy about this this subject. We’ll say things like “I write for myself” or “it’s not about the numbers” and although I agree with these points, building an audience is important. Let’s be honest, it can be somewhat disheartening after writing a lengthy post about a subject close to you heart, for it to fall flat and not attract any traffic. As discussed before, often it is the casual blog posts written in a hurry, that can be the most popular and the articles you’re most proud of can go unnoticed. So let us be honest. I think most bloggers want to grow an audience and enjoy the sense of accomplishment that it provides.
Thoughts on Blogging Part 7
I decided to take a short break from blogging last week. I have a lot on at present and the only time I’ve had available to write has been in the late evening. I prefer to write in the morning as I’m more focused and motivated. Plus I haven’t really had a lot of positive things to say of late about the two primary subjects of this website. Broadly speaking there’s not a lot of going on in the video games industry that enthuses me. Similarly, the current crop of film releases have hardly distinguished themselves. At present when I do get writing ideas, they tend to be obscure niche market subjects or commentary on social issues. For example, I’m thinking of writing a post about my continuing enjoyment of the Japanese TV show Takeshi’s Castle. I’m also forming my thoughts for an article about how society’s relationship with wildlife may be “broken”. Stuff that is interesting to me but may not be ideal material for readers of Contains Moderate Peril.
Thoughts on Blogging Part 6
As January comes to an end, I am pleased that I have so far managed to maintain a daily writing schedule. I hope that I can continue in this vein throughout February. As ever the actual process of sitting and writing has proven a somewhat mixed bag so far this year. Some days the word simply spill out of me and a blog post potentially writes itself. On others, composing just three coherent paragraphs is like pulling teeth and much time is spent procrastinating and getting side tracked. But a mixture of self-discipline and a degree of pride have helped oil the creative wheels and kept the content flowing. Whether any of it is any good is for others to decided. However, it was nice to find one of my posts quoted in an article over at Massively Overpowered. It means that at least someone is reading my work and pondering upon the points therein. Writing is after all a means of communication and sharing ideas so it is rewarding to know that you’re not just yelling into the wind all the time.
Thoughts on Blogging Part 5
This week, a rather high profile sub-reddit associated with the Star Trek Online community, changed its status to “private” as a means of protesting against the state of the game and the way developers Cryptic are handling things. That matter was surprisingly resolved within 24 hours after an olive branch was extended from the STO community manager on reddit. However, it is not the protest itself nor the state of the game that I wish to focus upon, but the importance of /r/stobuilds as a shared community resource. A lot of STO players enjoy optimising their builds and tweaking their loadout and this site it the place to go to share such information. There is also a group of hardcore players that dig deep into the games data and comprehensively crunch number and generate useful information. Hence if a resource such as this was taken offline for longer period of time, it would have a tangible impact upon players and the wider community.
Searching Content on Contains Moderate Peril
If you are a WordPress user, there are a multitude of plugins that you can apply to your blog to tweak and customise it. The only downside of this is that every time WordPress upgrade their software, all your plugins subsequently need to be updated. Many plugins are written by third parties and therefore you do not have guaranteed long-term support. Plugins can also be exploited, which is why I ultimately decided to stop using WordPress for my website. I made the transition to Squarespace for my hosting needs in August 2015 and have never looked back since then. However, I have been using the same template for three years now and I was pondering recently whether it was time to change it. Yet a change of this kind is bound to have knock-on effects and could potentially end up creating more problems than it solves. So rather than go off half cocked, I decided to do some research to see if I could improve the functionality of my blog.
Analysing Blaugust
There is a blog post over at the Greedy Goblin, where Gevlon crunches the numbers to see how many bloggers are still writing a month and a half on from Blaugust. Needless to say, I am not surprised by his results. Writing events such as Blaugust and before that, The Newbie Blogger Initiative, have always had a high attrition rate. I know lots of good writers who cannot sustain a regular writing schedule due to their work commitments. This is especially true of those with families. Then there are those bloggers who simply run out of stamina. Posting regular content is hard and requires focus and discipline. Producing in-depth and longform posts with any regularity is even harder. So, Gevlon’s summary merely proves what many of us new in advance. But I guess you'd find the exactly the same results if you were analysing the aftermath of an event that encouraged podcasting, live streaming or posting videos of You Tube. Creating content of any kind takes time and effort. The better the quality of that material, the more time it takes. Hence some will cease their efforts.
Writing and Time
Fellow blogger Sandrian recently asked on the Blaugust Discord server, “how do people find the time. I've been nothing but exhausted for the past three weeks and barely remember to post stuff for Blaugust”. It’s a common question asked by people coming to grips with regular content creation. After a decade plus of writing in some shape or form, I believe I have two possible answers. The first and short response is a quote by the great Montgomery Scott, “if something's important, you'll make the time”. The second is a more detailed breakdown of my daily schedule and how I integrate my writing process into it. Perhaps aspects of my approach to writing will be of use to others, however I will once again state that there is no “one size fits all” approach to any sort of content creation. You have to find what is best for you and then build upon it. There is no magic solution and however you undertake your writing, podcasting or streaming, it takes discipline and a degree of self-sacrifice if you wish to persevere.
The Tunnel (2011)
The Tunnel was released direct to Region 3 DVD on 19th May 2011, much the same as any other low budget horror movie. What made the marketing of this minor Aussie "Mockumentary" horror different to other similar products, is that the distributors decided to make a barebones copy of the film available for download, free of charge. The accompanying viral marketing campaign gained quite a lot of traction resulting in The Tunnel being heavily seeded across Bit Torrent sites and exposing the film to an audience of millions globally. Subsequently, when the movie was then showcased in the US and Europe and commercially released in other regions, its profile had been considerably raised. As a result of this novel marketing campaign and the fact that the movie is a better than average example of the found footage genre, The Tunnel won several awards on the festival circuit.
Caring for the Elderly: Part 5
At the end of July, my Father went into Respite Care for two weeks. He was placed in a local private nursing home, via borough social services. The placement was intended to provide him a change of scenery and give the rest of the family with a short break from the ongoing caring requirements. Sadly, things did not work out well. After seven days away from home, my Father became ill and after three trips to A&E (over a period of four days), he was finally admitted to hospital with Aspiration Pneumonia. He was deemed to be at extreme risk by the medical staff and we were told at one point to “prepare for the worse”. However, despite being seriously ill, he recovered and much to everyone’s surprise was discharged and returned home after ten days. Sadly, his already impaired state of health has been further diminished. Three weeks on it is becoming clear that it is unlikely that he will return to the level of ability that he had at the start of July. His health and the quality of his life has been further reduced. Subsequently, the various healthcare professionals that deal with my Father have now started using the term palliative care.
Final Destination 5 (2011)
Having recently re-watched all of the Final Destination franchise, I’ve been toying with the idea of writing about them. However, they are a somewhat formulaic series of movies and I’m not sure if they each warrant a review to substantiate their respective merits or failings. The first movie was satisfactory in establishing the underlying theme of the franchise and came up with some innovative death scenes. The second instalment was a satisfactory sequel, that upped the ante and gave more of the same. Part three was noticeably superior to what had proceeded, with a more accessible group of protagonists and wider exploration of the idea of death seeking to restore its plan. The fourth film jumped on-board the trend for 3D movies, but effectively became a caricature of itself. The characters were two dimensional and the movie just felt like a group of flamboyant set-pieces, clumsily dovetailed into a contrived bridging plot. However, and somewhat unusually, it is the fifth iteration of Final Destination, that tries to do something different and so is the entry in the series that I’d like to explore further.
Cyberpunk 2077 Gameplay Reveal: 48-Minute Walkthrough
Two months ago, those attending E3 tradeshow were afforded a behind-the-scenes demo of Cyberpunk 2077 by developer CD Projekt Red. Finally, that same footage has been made available to the general public today. Here is the link. I do recommend that you watch the entire video and assimilate the details. Because, I’m sure there’s going to be a great deal of hyperbole, bluster and hype going around in the next 48 hours regarding the Cyberpunk 2077 Gameplay Reveal on You Tube. I’m sure there’ll also be a handful of professional malcontents who’ll immediately look to find fault or take a critical posture because, hey, that’s what some folks do. Speaking as a mature player of games, who takes a calm and measured approach to marketing and tries not to get sucked into the hysteria that can sometimes arise from the wider community, I must say I am intrigued by what I’ve seen so far.
Immortals (2011)
Tarsem Singh's Immortals follows in the wake of Zac Snyder’s 300 with a similar aesthetic and editing style. Despite an interesting cast, featuring the talents of John Hurt, Mickey Rourke and Henry Cavill, it’s a singularly uninspired film, devoid of any story telling of any substance. Immortals main selling points are glossy, stylised visuals and a striking production design which is very derivative of Italian cinema from the sixties. There are also liberal doses of violence and heaving oiled flesh to enliven the proceedings, but it is all feels somewhat arbitrary and a bit of a box ticking exercise. Overall what surprises me the most is how a film maker with all of the drama and excitement of Greek mythology at his disposal, can still make such a turgid and dull movie as this?
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007)
It is a curious fact that because of the way that the film was marketed and due the public's propensity for assumption, many people did not realise that Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street was in fact a musical upon its release. I find this strange, but then again not everyone is like me and shows the same degree of interest in cinema. It would appear that not everyone reads reviews or does any preliminary research on a movie before committing to watch it. Often viewers will make a snap decision based on the casting of a particular actor. Sometimes a film’s poster and promotional art can entice the public to take a punt on a movie. I must admit, I would be most interested to establish exactly what it was that some viewers were expecting in the case of Sweeney Todd. But then again, considering director Tim Burton’s body of work, that's a somewhat paradoxical question.
Language, Style and Tone
One of the many choices that you’re presented with when you start blogging is what style to adopt. You can make a conscious decision right from the outset regarding the tone and language you intend to use, or you just “dive right in” and see what evolves over time. Blogging is a far less formal kind of writing compared to traditional mediums and therefore lends itself to a wider range of choice and means of expression. Language, style and tone certainly have an impact upon your work and are key (along with content) in creating your identity and online brand. Therefore, they have a direct bearing upon what sort of readership you may attract and cultivate. Hence it is beneficial to be aware of the significance of language, style and tone.
Blaugust Reborn: Five Questions Answered
Back at the beginning of August, several of the bloggers participating in Blaugust Reborn 2018, provided some interesting writing prompts designed to inspire those new to creating online content. Although I don’t consider myself to be a “newbie”, having maintained a web presence since 2007, some of those prompts were very interesting. Certainly, a short list of questions posted over at Endgame Viable offered a variety of talking points too good to pass up. So, I’ve selected four of those listed and one other from Moonshine Mansion (who also had an interesting selection) and decided to explore them further in today’s post. I’ll try and be as concise as possible because each specific question could sustain an entire blog post of their own. But sometimes brevity can be a good thing, so here for your consideration are my thoughts on the following:
The Eyes and Guard Tavern
LOTRO like many other MMOs has a test server. Players can transfer existing characters to Bullroarer when it is available and preview all aspects of any new content that is being beta tested. If you do not wish to or do not have a level appropriate character available to transfer, you can create a new one and then visit The Eyes and Guard Tavern in Archet. This hostelry hosts a range of NPCs that can advance your alt through content, bestow deeds as well as upgrade virtues and traits. Effectively, you can gain everything that is available in the game from level 1 to the new cap of 120. It is therefore an invaluable in-game facility. If you wish to visit the latest zone, then you can jump to level cap and port directly to the region. Min-maxers and those who have a penchant for build experimentation can spend hours perusing new gear and such like. However, despite being a beneficial facility, The Eyes and Guard Tavern is a somewhat blunt tool.
Classic Game Themes: Some of my Personal Favourites
A ten months ago, I wrote about the LOTRO soundtrack and listed some of my favourite tracks. This time round rather than just limit myself to music from one game, I thought it may be more interesting to broaden the remit. So, I have decided to upload seven of my favourite tracks and music cues from various games I have played over the last two decades. As with cinema, the soundtrack of a game plays a very important role. It can make a substantial impact on the players perceptions and enjoyment. The following tracks are examples that I feel have greatly enhanced a game. They’re also ones that I find particularly enjoyable. They are not in any order of preference.
Cockneys vs Zombies (2012)
Back in the summer of 2012, the red band trailer for Cockneys vs Zombies set a very high benchmark and certainly raised expectations for the final movie. The title itself was also somewhat of a gamble, either raising a wry smile among horror fans or eliciting a roll of the eyes and a deep sigh for a genre in decline. I was unable to attend the premier at Frighfest 2012, but the general feedback at the time was that that that the movie was extremely well received by horror fans. Finally, six years later, I finally caught up with the film on Amazon Prime and I’m happy to report that Cockneys vs Zombies does live up expectations and is a thoroughly entertaining, quirky and very British horror movie. It manages to balance both visceral horror with a healthy dose of black humour, which is no mean feat.