Time For a Makeover
This is another post for Blaugust Reborn prep week, that’s primarily aimed at the returning blogger. Again, there is advice here that is relevant to those just starting out with a new blog but there’s already a ton of good advice available for them. I’m focused more upon trying to encourage those who once had a blog (and subsequently abandoned it) to dust it off and start producing content again. In my last post, I offered some advice regarding such things as writing schedules and having a basic plan as to what subjects you want to explore and goals you may wish to achieve. This time let’s consider some simple and practical aspects of your actual blog template and hosting package.
When Blogging Turns Bad
There’s currently a ton of useful advice coming out of the Blagust Reborn Prep Week. Most of which is specifically aimed at those who are blogging or creating content for the first time. However, I want to touch on a subject that some may think is a little inappropriate to raise at this point in the proceedings. Especially in light of the fact that Blagust Reborn is supposed to be about nurturing and not discouraging. But I believe that there’s a lesson to be learned from the tale I’m about to tell. I think it would be wiser for new writers, podcasters and streamers to be cognisant of it now rather than stumble into it three of four years down the road. Because a percentage of those who start content creation this August will continue to do so and find some measure of success with it. Success is a relative term but irrespective of that it can come with its own set of problems.
Dust Off Your Old Blog
It’s an old and all too familiar story. At some point, you thought “I know, let’s start a blog. I can write about the things that I enjoy and share my passion for river widening with others”. So you promptly went and opened up a free WordPress or Google Blogger account and jumped in feet first, without any semblance of a plan because who needs a plan, right? Then you quickly discovered that the witty epistles you hoped to write regularly were harder to produce than rocking horse droppings and finding time to write was proving hard; what with all the football on TV and the weekly meetings of the glee club. Plus, it also became apparent that something had gone horribly wrong with the internet and the CIA was obviously blocking your site content, because the army of fans you so righteously deserved had failed to manifest themselves. So you decided to pack it all in and instead try your hand at live streaming, because blogging is as good as dead (because Tobold said so) and you look really good in front of a camera (just remember to move the clothes horse out of shot first).
Thoughts on Blogging Part 4
Spending time in the company of others who have similar interests and passions can be an invaluable shot in the arm and a great source of motivation. For example, I recently joined a Facebook group associated with The Evolution of Horror Podcast. It’s an absolute pleasure to be able to pick over the bones of a movie such as The Wicker Man and explore its finer points. You don’t have to adjust your level of conversation for fear of boring people, or dial back your enthusiasm due to concerns of being labelled a nerd or fanboy. Finding these online havens where you feel comfortable are invaluable, regardless of whether your passion is sport, knitting, Lepidoptery or Phrenology. Remember this point. I shall be returning to it shortly.
Where Have all the Bloggers Gone?
I’m a creature of habit. I don’t mean “if it’s Wednesday, it’s Pork Chops”, I’m referring to simple routines that help me organise my days. One example is my morning ritual. As soon as I wake, I get straight up, shower and dress. I then sit myself down at my computer with a mug of coffee and catch up with my emails, Twitter and Feedly. I also get a flash news briefing from Alexa. These things appraise me of what is going on in the world and often give me potential writing prompts. Feedly has been invaluable source of inspiration in the past. I subscribed to half a dozen professional gaming and movie news websites and a further thirty of so blogs, written by my peers.
Newbie Blogger Initiative 2016 - The Realities of Blogging
As this year's Newbie Blogger Initiative draws to a close, I would like to take time to reflect on some aspects of blogging that don't always get talked about. I guess that's because some of them can be perceived as negative things, although that may not necessarily be the case. The NBI is all about encouragement, promotion and advice; however it would be remiss of us all if we simply ignored some facts because they weren't "upbeat" enough. So let's grasp the nettle and talk about some of the practical realities of blogging, in the spirit of "forewarned is forearmed".
Newbie Blogger Initiative 2016 - The Importance of Taking a Break
The Newbie Blogger Initiative has a wealth of good advice encouraging people to blog and maintain regular content. However I felt that there was one aspect of writing that wasn't being addressed; specifically the importance of taking a break when it becomes necessary. Writing for all its virtues can be hard to sustain. Real life demands often conflict with our desire to maintain a regular writing schedule. This causes pressure and even anxiety, which if left unchecked can lead to many writers abandoning their blogs.
Newbie Blogger Initiative 2016 - The Importance of Blogging
It's a curious thing that in real life, I've always tried to position myself outside of hierarchies and pecking orders. I went into IT during the middle nineties as a way of bypassing office politics and the usual bullshit associated with the work and "climbing the greasy pole". At that time working with technology was still swathed in a mystique and was to a degree outside of established preconceptions. These days I tend to avoid affiliations with monolithic entities and broadly avoid the tribalism that is rife in contemporary western culture. Don't get me wrong, I'm saying I’m some sort of unique free thinker or radical lone wolf. I just tend to run parallel to the pack rather than directly with it. This approach suits me best.
Newbie Blogger Initiative 2016 - Fine Tuning Your Blog
There has been a great deal of good, common sense advice shared over the last three weeks of this year’s Newbie Blogger Initiative. What I would like to do in this post is loosely group a few points together under the catch all term of "fine tuning". These are things that you may wish to consider after you've been blogging a while and feel that you are building up a head of steam.
Newbie Blogger Initiative 2016 - Backing Up Your Blog
I'm sure many new bloggers are thinking to themselves, “I’ve only just started blogging, why should I worry about backing it up?" My response is that it's never too early to put in place sound working practices. If you're still blogging in a years’ time, then you may have built up a sizeable amount of content. Why risk losing all your hard work? As for veteran content creators, consider for a moment the prospect of losing hundreds of posts and years of work in one go? It would be crushing. Therefore ensure that you have some sort of backup regime.
Consensus or Debate?
I’m of the opinion that there’s a little too much consensus within the blogging and podcasting community that I'm part of. Don't get me wrong, it's nice to have something in common with my fellow writers and it helps when advancing ideas to have grass root support. However if everyone pretty much agrees with each other it doesn't always make for an entertaining or rigorous debate. Braxwolf recently wrote a very personal post about his faith and strayed in to territory that most bloggers consciously avoid. As a result it attracted a great deal of comments because religion is a divisive subject and candid articles of this nature are rare.
Newbie Blogger Initiative 2016 – Promoting Your Blog
People blog for all manner of reasons but there is one thing that’s common to us all. Let us dispense with the false modesty and be candid about this. We may well write for ourselves but the fact that we post our thoughts publicly on the internet is a fairly big clue that we want others to read them. If we didn't then we'd make our blogs private or simply keep a traditional diary or journal, would we not? Now that we've got that out of the way let me add that there's nothing wrong with this. A desire to communicate is not a bad thing. If you have aspirations beyond that and seek fame, prestige and the esteem of your peers then that's a different matter altogether. However whatever your personal motivation if you want people to read your blog then you have to promote it.
Newbie Blogger Initiative 2016 - How Often Should You Blog?
“How often should I blog?” is a common question new bloggers ask. It's a very simple enquiry but the answer is quite the opposite. There are multiple factors to consider many of which are unique to the blogger trying to determine a writing schedule. Ultimately there’s no one definitive answer. Bloggers have different aims and interests as well as differing opportunities to produce content. However, despite the complexity of the question, I think it’s important for bloggers to establish a practical publishing schedule and stick to it.
Newbie Blogger Initiative 2016 - Think Before You Blog
The internet has a reputation for being both transient and anonymous. However this is far from true. Blogs and websites may well come and go but sites such as the Wayback Machine contain a wealth of archived information and content. Tools such as Cache View can be extremely useful in finding deleted or amended posts on sites and forums. It is also not especially difficult to discover the true identity of internet personalities and popular bloggers. Don't believe me? Type your own real name in to Google and see what comes up. I think you'll be surprised by the results.
Newbie Blogger Initiative 2016 - Your Writing Environment
I wrote last September about my work and gaming environment and its role in my day-to-day life. Nine months on I thought it would be pertinent to revisit the topic with regard to the Newbie Blogger Initiative. As writers it is important to have a suitable space for our creative endeavours. Naturally this environment varies from blogger to blogger. Some of us require a place where we can work unhindered and undisturbed, free from distraction. Others can quite happily write in far more active spaces and focus upon their work irrespective of what is happening in their immediate surroundings. To use an old phrase it’s very much a case of “horses for courses”.
Newbie Blogger Initiative 2016 - Blogging and the Law
A few years ago I posted some images on Contains Moderate Peril that had been leaked via the internet. I was not the only one to do this. Screen Rant, Den of Geek and several other big sites did the same. The pictures were from The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug and we all new that at the time that there was an embargo on such content. But everyone chose to post the material regardless as it was good for traffic. To cut a long story short, I and many other sites received an email from Warner Bros. legal team requesting that the images were removed. To cut a long story short, I and most others complied.
Newbie Blogger Initiative 2016 - Got Nothing to Write About?
How often do you find yourself preparing a blog post when it dawns on you that you have absolutely nothing to write about? All of a sudden the view out of the window becomes incredibly alluring, especially that bird on Mrs. Coltart's roof. So you try to force yourself to concentrate on the matter in hand and dig deep for inspiration. Perhaps you should do some “research”on the internet? Next thing you know you've lost several hours of your life, watching videos of feral cats eating roadkill or Pro-Celebrity indoor Kabbaddi, on You Tube. Finally you give up because your muse has taken the day off. Coincidentally you’ll often find that all this happens just as the pub open. It would appear that the universe has conspired to prevent you from sharing your witty and intelligent prose with your fellow man.
Newbie Blogger Initiative 2016 - Should You Allow Comments on Your Blog?
Comments have been an integral part of blogging since it became a popular activity in the late nineties. If you have a self-hosted blog or use one of the many free services, then by default the ability to leave comments is often enabled. Whether you want this option is another matter altogether and one that poses a potential headache for all bloggers. Allowing comments on your site has both pros and cons and as ever it comes down to you as a blogger to make a decision that you are comfortable with. If you are currently pondering this issue, then here are a few things to consider.
Newbie Blogger Initiative 2016 – Statistics and Metrics
One of the first subjects to come up when discussing blogging is that of statistics and web traffic. All bloggers have a varying degree of curiosity about their readership and exactly how many people are visiting their site. There is nothing wrong with this and it is perfectly reasonable to want to know about your audience. Blogging is after all a two way process. However, in my experience this thirst for statistical knowledge can be a double edge sword. It is therefore important to ensure that it doesn’t become the focal point of your writing endeavours or your primary inspiration.
Newbie Blogger Initiative 2016 - Mind Your Language
In the UK, the prevailing attitudes towards profanity have radically changed over the last two decades, especially with regard to the media. That's not to say that its casual inclusion in common parlance is now de rigeur, but it has permeated the culture to such an extent, that it no longer has the potential to shock as much as it used to. Several years ago a member of the public had a conviction for swearing at a Police Officer overturned by a Judge on the grounds that "swearing at police is not a crime because they hear four letter words too frequently to be offended". Although a separate issue and a potential blog post in itself, I referenced this case to demonstrate the ongoing changes in public sensibilities.