Nothing Further to Say?
Today, I was going to write a post about the controversy surrounding the video game Six Days in Fallujah. I read up on the relevant background material and then started making bullet points regarding my own personal opinion. While doing so I had a sense of deja vu, so I started looking back through previous posts I’ve written on comparable subjects. And my suspicions were confirmed. The basic points I wished to raise, I had previously explored in a post about “the trivialisation of World War II”. So I decided to abandon the planned post about Highwire Games new FPS, because I wasn’t really offering anything new to the debate, as far as I was concerned. Subsequent reflection upon this matter has led me to the inevitable conclusion that once you regularly write about certain subjects for a decade or so, you eventually reach a point where you don’t have a lot further to say because you’ve probably said it already. Well, I think that’s where I’m at.
This image has no “bearing” on the post
Today, I was going to write a post about the controversy surrounding the video game Six Days in Fallujah. I read up on the relevant background material and then started making bullet points regarding my own personal opinion. While doing so I had a sense of deja vu, so I started looking back through previous posts I’ve written on comparable subjects. And my suspicions were confirmed. The basic points I wished to raise, I had previously explored in a post about “the trivialisation of World War II”. So I decided to abandon the planned post about Highwire Games new FPS, because I wasn’t really offering anything new to the debate, as far as I was concerned. Subsequent reflection upon this matter has led me to the inevitable conclusion that once you regularly write about certain subjects for a decade or so, you eventually reach a point where you don’t have a lot further to say because you’ve probably said it already. Well, I think that’s where I’m at.
I am fully aware that not all of those who read Contains Moderate Peril and au fait with my previous posts. In fact, my website statistics show that a lot of readers are passing traffic that found the site due to a Google search. Hence it would be arrogant to assume that readers by default are familiar with my positions on various subjects and talking points. However, a percentage of my readership have followed my work for a while, in the same way that I have followed theirs. They leave comments both here and on social media. And I wonder if they’ve noticed my penchant for repetition? I do find that my film reviews often follow a pattern. I frequently complain about weak screenplays, underdeveloped stories and characters. It does make me think, do I need to broaden my thoughts or have I effectively reached a point of “nothing further to say” on certain subjects?
Zippy is a popular character from the UK children’s TV show Rainbow
I wrote recently about the cyclical nature of the video games industry and despite certain technical advances, many of the problems from gaming twenty years ago are still with us today. I am beginning to think that this is the same for many other aspects of day to day life. Be it pop culture or politics. The pace of technological change shows no sign of slowing down but many traditional problems, usually those associated with human behaviour, remain conspicuously unchanged. Hence I still find myself referencing recurring issues such as corporate shenanigans, bandwagon jumping, consumer culture and that perennial favourite of confusing fandom with some sort of ownership. And once you become aware that you are repeating yourself, it does become a bit tiresome both for writer and reader. I don’t mind having a particular style but I don’t want to end up a one trick pony, so to speak.
I like Sparks
So what can we conclude from this post which now seems like some written form of self therapy? Well I think I may have to just give some subjects a rest for a while. I am thankful that I made a choice back in 2008 to diversify my blog so that it covered more than just one game. I will still write about video games but I think I shall be far more particular from now on so I don’t just end up sounding like the old guy who sits, alone at the bar, banging on about the same old stuff. I think it’s also time to think outside the box and ensure that my film reviews are less formulaic. I shall also write more about real life stuff. For example, I had a hankering recently to write about property TV shows. I even have a post still sitting in the “drafts” folder about beds and the importance of a good night sleep. So don’t be surprised if some “weird shit” turns up in the next month or so. Oh, by the way. Does anyone else feel like this and that they’ve pretty much said their piece on a given subject over the years?
Thoughts on Blogging Part 13
I mentioned not so long ago the possibility of a website revamp. I was concerned that the general layout of the blog was not optimal and that readers couldn’t easily find old material. In the past I even went as far as to write a guide to navigating through Contains Moderate Peril and using the categories to find old posts. Well I got a few emails and Twitter DMs about this and it would appear that folk like things just as they are. So I have reviewed my position and decided to leave things as they are at present. I did a little digging though my website stats, both from Squarespace and Google Analytics and it would appear the summary blocks at the bottom of each post are used and that the bounce rate for my site is not exactly as it first appears. Seems that readers do peruse other articles and the search facility is being used more often, especially for finding film reviews. So if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
I mentioned not so long ago the possibility of a website revamp. I was concerned that the general layout of the blog was not optimal and that readers couldn’t easily find old material. In the past I even went as far as to write a guide to navigating through Contains Moderate Peril and using the categories to find old posts. Well I got a few emails and Twitter DMs about this and it would appear that folk like things just as they are. So I have reviewed my position and decided to leave things as they are at present. I did a little digging though my website stats, both from Squarespace and Google Analytics and it would appear the summary blocks at the bottom of each post are used and that the bounce rate for my site is not exactly as it first appears. Seems that readers do peruse other articles and the search facility is being used more often, especially for finding film reviews. So if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
However, although I no longer have to immediately worry about overhauling my website, I do currently have an issue with productivity. I used to write a blog post everyday but that hasn’t been a regular fixture for six months or more. It’s not that I have a lack of ideas or material. On the contrary, I’ve pages of notes on films that I’ve watched recently that can easily be used for a review. I also have numerous lists of bullet points and prompts for blog posts on gaming and a wide range of other subjects. The main issue at present seems to be a question of motivation and actual physical stamina. The latter is a matter under current medical investigation which I may write about shortly. The issue of motivation is a perennial problem for bloggers. For me, it comes down to a mixture of discipline and routine. I do my best writing in the morning and free from disturbance. Effectively I need to get up and write straight away and sadly I haven’t been doing this.
As previously mentioned, I’ve been using the statistical analysis of traffic to Contains Moderate Peril and have been trying to find out exactly what data it can yield. Squarespace has a default analytical package that produces some interesting information but Google Analytics proves to be the more detailed of the two. Despite now only posting every other day, traffic to the site is growing at present. Popular UK TV station Talking Pictures TV, which broadcasts a lot of vintage, classic and niche market film content, has inadvertently caused an increase in visits to my blog. Many of the films that they show, I have existing reviews for. Viewers are perusing Google, searching about these titles and finding my work. All of which indicates how review posts can have shelf life beyond their immediate publication. Hence an increase in review posts may well prove beneficial in generating further traffic and growing the overall site audience.
Redesigning Contains Moderate Peril
I moved Contains Moderate Peril over to Squarespace from a hosted WordPress service in August 2015. The main selling points of a platform such as Squarespace are its resilient infrastructure and simplicity to use. Over the last five and a half years there has been no downtime, no software to update, no addons and plugins to manage and no additional charges due to traffic increase. Overall I like the service and therefore do not feel the need to change it. However, I think the site could do with a cosmetic overhaul. At present posts tend to look better on mobile devices than they do on PC. I also think the blog needs some additional functionality added that allows older content to be found more easily. However, I do not want the cosmetic changes to overshadow the content. The design needs to be clean, intuitive and functional. The focus of any blog should always be the writing.
I moved Contains Moderate Peril over to Squarespace from a hosted WordPress service in August 2015. The main selling points of a platform such as Squarespace are its resilient infrastructure and simplicity to use. Over the last five and a half years there has been no downtime, no software to update, no addons and plugins to manage and no additional charges due to traffic increase. Overall I like the service and therefore do not feel the need to change it. However, I think the site could do with a cosmetic overhaul. At present posts tend to look better on mobile devices than they do on PC. I also think the blog needs some additional functionality added that allows older content to be found more easily. However, I do not want the cosmetic changes to overshadow the content. The design needs to be clean, intuitive and functional. The focus of any blog should always be the writing.
I have collated a list of simple visual changes as well as some additional functionality that I wish to see added to Contains Moderate Peril. At present searching the site is a little rudimentary. As a blogger I not only want people to read my current content but to peruse older material. Therefore readers should be offered a selection of related material at the end of a post The system that is currently in place is somewhat basic. Images are important when writings about films or video games and so I want to be able to present pictures in a more versatile fashion than the current format. I would also like to be able to segregate content and be able to present exclusive material for subscribers. Finally, I want a greater degree of social media features. I need to make it easier for readers to leave comments and share posts. I’m also considering unified branding which raises the issue of a new logo.
In the past I have used Fiverr for minor design projects and voiceover recordings. Sadly, my last experience using this service was not a good one and the commissioned work was left incomplete. Hence for this forthcoming redesign, I will be employing a Squarespace specialist to undertake these changes. I have a sensible budget to work with and a short list of suitable candidates. Hopefully these proposed changes can be implemented by May. I have some ideas for some further projects but I think it’s best to focus on this redesign first. As ever with my life, there’s quite a lot going on at present, so I need to concentrate on writing and ensuring that new content is posted as often as possible. In the meantime, if there are any features or functionality that you’d like to see added to Contains Moderate Peril, then please leave a comment.
Blog Comments
Leaving comments on a post is a perennial talking point among bloggers. A good comment is often encouraging, provides valuable feedback and is also personally rewarding. However, allowing them on your site is also an invitation for assholes to talk bollocks. Setting aside the overall debate, comments per se just seem to be in decline these days. I find that people will respond to a post on Twitter, where they saw the initial link to begin with. Although this is pleasant it doesn’t leave anything permanent associated with the post. But such is the nature of social media. And of course another major stumbling block to leaving comments are the foibles of the various websites and platforms themselves. All too often a site will just ignore or reject your comment. This itself then acts as a future disincentive.
Leaving comments on a post is a perennial talking point among bloggers. A good comment is often encouraging, provides valuable feedback and is also personally rewarding. However, allowing them on your site is also an invitation for assholes to talk bollocks. Setting aside the overall debate, comments per se just seem to be in decline these days. I find that people will respond to a post on Twitter, where they saw the initial link to begin with. Although this is pleasant it doesn’t leave anything permanent associated with the post. But such is the nature of social media. And of course another major stumbling block to leaving comments are the foibles of the various websites and platforms themselves. All too often a site will just ignore or reject your comment. This itself then acts as a future disincentive.
As it’s the New Year, I decided that as I read my Feedly RSS feed each morning, it would be “chummy” to leave comments and to try and reinforce that sense of community that only seems to come to the fore during writing events. Hence this morning, I left a few positive words on one website and everything worked just fine. I believe I logged in using my Twitter credentials. However, when I tried to do the same thing again on another blog, I couldn’t login and post anything. The process ground to a halt during the validation stage and after about two minutes, I got bored and moved on. It’s not the author of the blog’s fault. This just seems to be a random issue associated with some platforms. Even if you opt for a different method of logging in, such as Google or Facebook, the problem can often persist. And then if you wait for 24 hours it will work fine the next day.
This also happens on my Blog. As a host, Squarespace provide some useful functionality but this really isn’t the case with comments and “likes”. I will sometimes notice that a post has been “liked” several times but have absolutely no idea by whom. Which kind of makes the process somewhat redundant. Some folk have found leaving comments “problematic”, although I can never determine whether there’s a common factor to this. Thus, this is the current status quo. I am trying to leave more comments, something I’m usually really bad at doing but the circumstances are conspiring against me. I could leave a similar comment on the Blaugust Discord server, assuming that the author is active on that server and will see it. Not the best solution but the best I can come up with at the moment. Certainly want to maintain the positive feedback ethic, as I feel it’s needed at present.
Essential Technology
Today’s Blaugust Promptapalooza writing prompt is “what technology would you have the hardest time living without?”, which is a great question. Fellow blogger Telwyn has already tackled this conundrum over at Gaming Sans Frontières and I found myself agreeing wholeheartedly with the sentiment they expressed (more on that shortly). Over the course of my life, technology has become more and more ubiquitous and is now an integral part of our society. We take its presence for granted and only fully realise the benefits it provides when it ceases working or there’s some sort of outage. Technology has also dramatically fallen in price over the last five decades. What used to be marketed as expensive, labour saving luxuries or recreational indulgences, are now just disposable consumer items. The pace at which technology advances has also accelerated. It’s a struggle sometimes to keep abreast of what is new.
Today’s Blaugust Promptapalooza writing prompt is “what technology would you have the hardest time living without?”, which is a great question. Fellow blogger Telwyn has already tackled this conundrum over at Gaming Sans Frontières and I found myself agreeing wholeheartedly with the sentiment they expressed (more on that shortly). Over the course of my life, technology has become more and more ubiquitous and is now an integral part of our society. We take its presence for granted and only fully realise the benefits it provides when it ceases working or there’s some sort of outage. Technology has also dramatically fallen in price over the last five decades. What used to be marketed as expensive, labour saving luxuries or recreational indulgences, are now just disposable consumer items. The pace at which technology advances has also accelerated. It’s a struggle sometimes to keep abreast of what is new.
Telwyn wrote “the PC is one of my main sources of entertainment” and that is the same for me as well. When I wake up in the morning, I meander into “the office” and fire up my PC before ambling off to the bathroom to get washed and dressed. I then go to the kitchen and make breakfast for myself and Mrs P and return to my desk where I busy myself catching up with Twitter, Feedly and the Blaugust Discord server. I do all my research and writing at my PC. Administrative tasks such as banking and prescription renewals are all done online and via my PC. If Mrs P wants to watch something different to me, I use my PC as a second TV. And naturally I am a member of the PC “master race” when it comes to gaming. As I said in a previous post, I find sitting at my desk, in front of my PC to be one of the most comfortable and relaxed environments that I know. On the few occasions that my PC has been offline due to technical issues, I wander the bungalow like a lost soul.
Another piece of modern technology that has become essential in my life is the smartphone. I know that this is not a particularly imaginative or original example but the fact remains that this device has had a seismic impact upon our lives and culture in just 13 years. Mobile phones per se have existed for considerably longer but it was the smartphone, with its wider range of functionality, which brought the internet to our pockets. And I use my smartphone in a similar fashion to my desktop PC. I won’t bore you with the multitude of tasks I use it for but I love how I can be out and about somewhere new with Mrs P and within minutes determine where’s there’s parking, a nice restaurant and what the local property prices are like (co’s we’re seriously considering moving soon). The modern smartphone offers communication, information and a wealth of services at your fingertips. I’ve also never been an especially accomplished photographer. But now I can produce at least one decent photo per day trip, thanks to my phone. I just hate it when people call me on it.
Finally, I need to mention dishwashers. I’m not sure if they’re considered standard “white goods” in the UK yet. A quick Google search shows that as of 2018, only 48% of homes have them, so may be not. I’ve been using a dishwasher for about a decade now and I consider them invaluable. For me one of the seven circles of hell is a hot kitchen with a small sink, filled with tepid, greasy water, trying to scrub a roasting pan with a worn plastic brush with splayed bristles. I hate washing up. It ruins your hands and I detest having to do manual labour after a heavy meal, when I should be relaxing in a fireside chair enjoying a large glass of port. My parents have an “old person’s” house, by which I mean that everything in it actively conspires to hinder you. They do not have a dishwasher and it’s like going back to using dial-up internet, except that it involves the use of Brillo pads.
For reasons of brevity, I’ve kept this post to just three examples of what I consider to be indispensable technology. However, here are a few other “honourable mentions” that I think deserve to be referenced, due to the impact they’ve had upon the quality of life in general.
Sat Navs
Wireless Blood Sugar Monitors
Tamagotchi
View-Master
George Foreman Grill
The Lament Configuration
Video 2000
Teletext
PalmPilot
Computer Battleships
Fandom Memories
Syp over at Bio Break leads the charge with today’s Blaugust Promptapalooza writing prompt, with this interesting question. “What is your earliest memory related to one of your core fandoms?” Please do read his thoughts on going to see Return of the Jedi upon its original release back in 1983. It is something I can certainly relate to. I’m a decade older than Syp and so I can recollect actually seeing Star Wars for the first time at my local cinema. However as that was a starting point for a specific fandom rather than an “ongoing” example, I won’t cite it here. I have even earlier recollections of going to Longleat Safari and Adventure Park and having the extra bonus of seeing the Doctor Who Exhibition which ran there from 1973 to 2003. This would have been in August 1974 and I was six at the time. I have dim recollections of all the exhibits being mainly from the Jon Pertwee era and the Daleks being the high point of my day.
Syp over at Bio Break leads the charge with today’s Blaugust Promptapalooza writing prompt, with this interesting question. “What is your earliest memory related to one of your core fandoms?” Please do read his thoughts on going to see Return of the Jedi upon its original release back in 1983. It is something I can certainly relate to. I’m a decade older than Syp and so I can recollect actually seeing Star Wars for the first time at my local cinema. However as that was a starting point for a specific fandom rather than an “ongoing” example, I won’t cite it here. I have even earlier recollections of going to Longleat Safari and Adventure Park and having the extra bonus of seeing the Doctor Who Exhibition which ran there from 1973 to 2003. This would have been in August 1974 and I was six at the time. I have dim recollections of all the exhibits being mainly from the Jon Pertwee era and the Daleks being the high point of my day.
But as the question is about “core fandoms” I think I’ll reference a more contemporary example. One that I can recollect more clearly and so provide a more specific anecdote about. So I’d like to talk about my love of the horror genre and how as I got older, became a consummate fan. I’ve recently written about how during the 80s and 90s the UK home video market endured some rather restrictive regulations that lead to a lot of horror films being unavailable or heavily edited. Due to magazines such as Fangoria and Starburst, fans would be aware of both mainstream US and independent productions long before they were released in the UK. Hence we’d often become aware of those occasional titles that had already caused a stir “stateside” or in Europe and would therefore naturally run into distribution and censorship issues when it came to a British release. How could such films be shown in the UK? The answer was the “film festival”, which provided a limited or one off showcase, where the audience could be strictly regulated. Such events weren’t providing mainstream national distribution.
Now film festivals per se are always a great occasion for fans. I find that watching a cult classic with a like minded audience in a traditional movie theatre setting, rather than watching at home on your own, is a superior way to enjoy a film. I believe there is some truth to the “shared experience”. For example I feel the slapstick shenanigans of Charlie Chaplin work a lot better when viewed with a group. Bearing this in mind, on Saturday 24th February 1990, not only did I get the chance to indulge this theory by going to my first film festival but I was afforded the oppurtunity to see a controversial film that was heading into trouble. That film being Henry Portrait of a Serial Killer. The Splatterfest 90 film festival was held at the Scala Cinema, in Kings Cross, London. The venue was a known private cinema that excelled at hosting such events, as well as regularly showing bizarre and baroque movies.
I remember quite clearly, the atmosphere in the cinema. The Scala was a sumptuous but somewhat dilapidated 1920s building, which lent itself well to its niche market purpose. Between films it was quite noisy with fans talking and constantly going to and fro to the lobby. But when Henry Portrait of a Serial Killer started the audience settled and fell silent. The film was a gruelling 83 minutes experience which left the audience shocked, uncomfortable yet utterly engaged with the proceedings. I subsequently learned that several examiners from the BBFC had attended the screening as an opportunity to “research” a movie they knew would be “problematic” when it eventually sought a formal UK theatrical release. There was a very interesting Q&A with director John McNaughton which shed a lot of insight into the film and its production.
There were several other movies shown that night making Splatterfest 90 a very enjoyable film festival. Brian Yuzna’s Bride of Re-Animator which is a great sequel to the original Re-Animator, was very well received. As was the excellent documentary Document of the Dead, which was made during the filming of George A. Romero’s Dawn of the Dead. However, one film did not go down particularly well. The Comic, a “psychological drama” about a stand up comedian who murders his way to success in a dystopian future, was met with derision, objects hurled at the screen and cries of “for fuck’s sake, turn this shit off”. Director Richard Driscoll was due to be interviewed after the screening but bid a hasty retreat after his film’s suboptimal reception. Overall Splatterfest 90 was a very good introduction to film festivals and was certainly a “grassroots” experience of fandom. I’ve been to many similar events since then but none have had quite the same impact or left such memories as this one.
Your Writing Environment (Again)
I thought I’d tackle another Blaugust Promptapalooza writing cue. Today’s question is “Tell us about your physical creative space, and how it influences your content creation” and the official promoter of this prompt is Krikket over at Nerd Girl Thoughts. Do go check out their very candid thoughts and personal experience on this subject. Because where you sit and create your content is a big factor in the process. Sadly, for practical reasons it is often the one that is most overlooked or neglected due to the realities of life (as Krikket explains in their post). Very few of us have a purpose built studio or specifically designed workspace. Most of us just try to adapt an existing part of our home and make do with that. I have done this in the past, when I was living in a rented flat. The lounge dining table also doubled as a writing desk, as well as a computer workstation. It was a little too high for such purposes and it ruined my posture after a while. The ergonomics of where you sit is not something that should be ignored.
My desk as of August 2020
I thought I’d tackle another Blaugust Promptapalooza writing cue. Today’s question is “Tell us about your physical creative space, and how it influences your content creation” and the official promoter of this prompt is Krikket over at Nerd Girl Thoughts. Do go check out their very candid thoughts and personal experience on this subject. Because where you sit and create your content is a big factor in the process. Sadly, for practical reasons it is often the one that is most overlooked or neglected due to the realities of life (as Krikket explains in their post). Very few of us have a purpose built studio or specifically designed workspace. Most of us just try to adapt an existing part of our home and make do with that. I have done this in the past, when I was living in a rented flat. The lounge dining table also doubled as a writing desk, as well as a computer workstation. It was a little too high for such purposes and it ruined my posture after a while. The ergonomics of where you sit is not something that should be ignored.
In 2016, having moved, I started using the spare bedroom in the Peril household as an office. I live in a Bungalow and the bedrooms are at the front property. This is a common foible of buildings of this type from the 1930s. It’s a robust, red brick built home with a South facing garden. Consequently, the “office” faces North and is cool in hot weather. The window looks out into a busy tree lined avenue. I wrote in a previous blog post on this subject about how my original plans were “thwarted” by the arrival of my twin granddaughters. At the time I had to share my “creative workspace” with two travel cots. Hence I initially chose a very small desk. However, the twins are now 5 years old and so the travel cots have gone. There is now a single bed in the room, which has a second pull out mattress in the base. I have now expanded “my domain” and got a bigger desk. One that is the right height and has adequate room for me to type or write longhand.
Ignore the cable management and focus on Pliny and Magnus
I like a tidy and organised work space. My desk is laid out in accordance with my needs.I have a single document tray for my paperwork. There’s a headset available for impromptu online chats. It is an analogue model that plugs into a 3.5mm jack. I have an extension cable that ends in a female socket to hand under the monitor stand. There’s an Xbox controller for those games that require one. I have my internet router under my monitor so I can address any issues, should they arise. This model has greatly improved the wireless network in the home but my PC is attached via an ethernet cable. I have my Fire HD 10 to hand and my phone in a wireless charging cradle. Notebooks and pens are available should they be required. I also have an HP printer, copier, scanner next to my desk. I’ve had the same computer chair for 4 years and have already replaced the gas cylinder. It is getting a little worn but I’m reluctant to part with it as it is very comfortable.
When writing I tend to prefer a quiet environment. If I shut the office door and Mrs P does the same in the lounge then neither disturbs the other. Sometimes if I find my attention wandering and I’m spending too much time watching the shenanigans of “punch above his weight man” who lives across the road, or some other example of life’s rich pageant, then I’ll draw the curtains. I’ve recently started getting up earlier in the morning and now try to do the majority of my writing before 11:00AM. Because I am very much at ease with myself when I’m at my desk and I feel it’s a place where I 100% belong, I’ll often get lost in my writing. On the days when the ideas come and I’m invested in the subject I’m writing about, I can be quite productive. Some days when I’m outraged by something I’ve seen on the news or online, my office is a haven of reason to retreat to. Having been self-employed in the past and regularly worked from home, I can effectively compartmentalise my time. If I’m supposed to be writing then there’s no skiving allowed. Gaming (which I do on the same PC) is allotted to specific times of the day and can only be indulged in when all other obligations have been met.
The beer on the desk is a semi-permanent fixture
I consider myself very fortunate to live in a home that has a spare room that I can use in this way. Shit, I think I’m fortunate to even have a home but that’s a subject for a separate blog post that I may tackle at a future date. Simply put I have a decent sized room in my home that I can appropriate and use simply to write, record podcasts (which I haven’t done for a while), play video games and watch pointless but amusing YouTube videos. One a month or so, my granddaughters come to stay for a night or two and I can’t use “the office” from 8:00 PM for about twelve hours. It’s hardly an inconvenience. Many of my fellow bloggers and content creators do not enjoy this luxury. Families, especially young children take up space. Therefore there may not physically be a room or area to claim for indulging your artistic muse. Or there may be a corner or snug but it needs to be cleared out or maintained before it can be used. Try doing that after pulling a 12 hour shift. And if you rent, then you may find there are restrictions in your leasing arrangement.
Often, the space we'd like to have for our creative endeavours and the one we actually use are not the same thing. However, despite the reality of the situation many bloggers, podcasters, streamers, vloggers and online creators manage to regularly produce good quality material without the benefit of a designated office or bespoke studio. They get by the best way they can and it could be argued that having to create on the fly, guerilla style, is why they create such good material. But I won’t belabor that point because I’m sure many would most certainly like a suitable “den”. I also should add that I’m lucky that Mrs P hasn’t seen fit to use “the office “ as her “sewing room”, “Kabaddi Dojo” or some such similar creative undertaking. If that were the case, I’d be back to writing via the lounge table, on a laptop. How would I be able to see the birds on Mrs Coltart’s roof?
Walter
I shall be taking a degree of “artistic license” with today’s Blaugust Promptapalooza writing prompt. The original question (as given by Rambling Redshirt over at Beyond Tannhauser Gate) is “If you had a mascot to represent you, what would it be?” but I’ve decided to adjust this slightly. I already have an unofficial mascot for Contains Moderate Peril and they have featured in several blog posts. Furthermore, as an experiment in marketing, they have also appeared in several social media campaigns. The idea was to see whether they could gain more traction with existing “followers” and provide a more effective means of promoting this site. I was initially surprised by the results but upon reflection, given what usually proves popular on social media (IE things that are deemed “cute”), it should have been obvious from the start. So without further ado, if you are not familiar with him already, allow me to introduce Walter.
I shall be taking a degree of “artistic license” with today’s Blaugust Promptapalooza writing prompt. The original question (as given by Rambling Redshirt over at Beyond Tannhauser Gate) is “If you had a mascot to represent you, what would it be?” but I’ve decided to adjust this slightly. I already have an unofficial mascot for Contains Moderate Peril and they have featured in several blog posts. Furthermore, as an experiment in marketing, they have also appeared in several social media campaigns. The idea was to see whether they could gain more traction with existing “followers” and provide a more effective means of promoting this site. I was initially surprised by the results but upon reflection, given what usually proves popular on social media (IE things that are deemed “cute”), it should have been obvious from the start. So without further ado, if you are not familiar with him already, allow me to introduce Walter.
Walter is a cuddly Panda soft toy or plushy as they call such things “across the pond”. He’s about 3 feet and has his own chair, which is positioned in the lounge, next to the TV. His origins are somewhat mysterious. Walter first appeared in my home roundabout Easter 2014. Mrs P saw him in a charity shop window for the bargain price of £3 and in a fit of generosity, bought him for £5. I woke up to find him looking at me and thus began a strange and interesting symbiotic relationship. I have often wondered about Walter’s previous life before he became part of the Peril household but he has remained uncommunicative about the subject. He likes to give the impression that his past is enigmatic but I suspect he was given his marching orders by his previous “owners” for taking up too much room. Walter doesn’t help out with household chores, preferring to “hold court” from his chair. He watches a lot of TV and has strong opinions on popular culture.
Now if you have a 3 foot cuddly Panda, knocking about your abode, it’s only a matter of time before you decide to take a photo of them in a comical situation or with some kind of droll caption. Hence Walter made his first appearance in a post I wrote about the perils of playing Mortal Kombat. NB This featured on a previous iteration of the Contains Moderate Peril website but the post was updated and republished here. Naturally, readers were curious about my new companion and he made further appearances both on the blog and Twitter. His dry sense of humour gained him a degree of traction with readers and followers alike and I started getting requests for him to feature more often. Hence I decided to try a small experiment and planned a series of tweets featuring Walter watching classic movies and TV and making informed pronouncements upon the proceeding. There are some very good online tools available for analysing social media traffic, so I created #WalterWatches as a means of tracking the experiment.
If I may quote Spandau Ballet, to cut a long story short Walter’s viewing commentary generated about four to five times more online activity than my regular tweets. Season 1 (for want of a better phrase) of #WalterWatches ran from March to May in 2019 and proved that if used properly, then social media can really “boost your signal”. Season 2 ran from January to February 2020 and stopped mainly due to the lockdown. Naturally, I have genuinely considered creating a separate Instagram and Twitter account for Walter. Mrs P even suggested making outfits for him (she’s a dab hand at sewing and dressmaking). However, all these ideas have withered on the vine. Walter’s popularity is due to him. I’m not sure if trying to crowbar his persona into promoting my work would be so well received. Plus making outfits, videos and setting up photos is time consuming and I struggle enough to write consistently. Plus now that Walter’s cousin Finwë has come to live with us, the pair of them are too busy and not especially fussed about becoming “influencers”.
There may well be a lesson to be learned in this tale, although I’m not quite sure what it is exactly. Certainly mascots are a great marketing tool but I suspect you have to have a clear idea of how to use them effectively to get the most out of them. And before I end this post I will share two further Walter related anecdotes. Firstly, Walter got his name because if you look at him from the right angle (and with the help of alcohol), he looks like the actor John Noble who played Walter Bishop in the TV show Fringe. Secondly, in late summer 2014, I was ill with Swine Flu. At one point I was running a very high temperature and beginning to slip in and out of consciousness. I awoke from a lengthy sleep to find a wet towel tied not around my own forehead but Walter’s. I’ve never quite got to the bottom of what happened and he’s never felt disposed to say anything. It’s just another of the many unanswered questions surrounding him. I’m still trying to figure out how come he’s got his own special chair and I haven’t?
Finding Wisdom in Quotes
Today’s scheduled Blaugust Promptaplaooza writing prompt is “what is/are your favourite quote(s)”. Now I have always had a liking for quotes and feel that a well selected one can often contribute to a good conversation. Something like “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing” which is attributed to Edmund Burke. Furthermore, a cunning quotation can also be used to bluff your way through a discussion, especially if it’s a subject that you have no knowledge of. The more esoteric the quote the better, I find. Something like Immanuel Kant’s “Metaphysics is a dark ocean without shores or lighthouse, strewn with many a philosophic wreck”. And I also have a tendency to append day to day statements with obscure pop culture references, mainly for my own amusement. I often shout “Bullshit, Mr Han Man!” at the TV, when politicians are interviewed on the news.
Marcus Aurelius is a source of numerous good quotes
Today’s scheduled Blaugust Promptaplaooza writing prompt is “what is/are your favourite quote(s)”. Now I have always had a liking for quotes and feel that a well selected one can often contribute to a good conversation. Something like “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing” which is attributed to Edmund Burke. Furthermore, a cunning quotation can also be used to bluff your way through a discussion, especially if it’s a subject that you have no knowledge of. The more esoteric the quote the better, I find. Something like Immanuel Kant’s “Metaphysics is a dark ocean without shores or lighthouse, strewn with many a philosophic wreck”. And I also have a tendency to append day to day statements with obscure pop culture references, mainly for my own amusement. I often shout “Bullshit, Mr Han Man!” at the TV, when politicians are interviewed on the news.
So with this in mind I have selected one serious quote that I feel is especially relevant at present, especially in light of “post truth culture” and the current state of tribalistic and acrimonious public discourse. The rest are film quotes. Some of these illustrate a wider philosophical point. Others just amuse and entertain me.
The pastor, theologian and anti-Nazi dissident Dietrich Bonhoeffer
“Stupidity is a more dangerous enemy of the good than malice. One may protest against evil; it can be exposed and, if need be, prevented by use of force. Evil always carries within itself the germ of its own subversion in that it leaves behind in human beings at least a sense of unease. Against stupidity we are defenseless. Neither protests nor the use of force accomplish anything here; reasons fall on deaf ears; facts that contradict one’s prejudgment simply need not be believed – in such moments the stupid person even becomes critical – and when facts are irrefutable they are just pushed aside as inconsequential, as incidental. In all this the stupid person, in contrast to the malicious one, is utterly self satisfied and, being easily irritated, becomes dangerous by going on the attack. For that reason, greater caution is called for when dealing with a stupid person than with a malicious one. Never again will we try to persuade the stupid person with reasons, for it is senseless and dangerous”. Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Letters and Papers from Prison
Excalibur (1981)
Escape From New York (1981)
Galaxy Quest (1999)
The Warriors (1979)
How to Get Ahead in Advertising (1989)
Wild Geese (1978)
Enter the Dragon (1973)
Fellow blogger Wilhelm Arcturus has also tackled this writing prompt today. You can find his thoughts on the matter over at his blog The Ancient Gaming Noob.
3 Types of Underrated Content
Blaugust Festival of Blogging is an annual event held usually during the month of August. It’s designed to encourage content creation of all kinds and foster a sense of community. This year due to the lockdown in many countries, the event was held early in April and was well received despite the difficult circumstances. Now that August has arrived, Belghast, the founder and organizer of this prestigious festival has decided to hold an additional event in the form of Promptapalooza. It’s a month of scheduled writing prompts and a blogging relay. Each day a designated writer will explore a specific topic and then pass the blogging baton on to another. Hence, over the course of August, the event will showcase the work of 30 different bloggers. The list of writing prompts are all available in advance for anyone who may wish to use them.
Blaugust Festival of Blogging is an annual event held usually during the month of August. It’s designed to encourage content creation of all kinds and foster a sense of community. This year due to the lockdown in many countries, the event was held early in April and was well received despite the difficult circumstances. Now that August has arrived, Belghast, the founder and organizer of this prestigious festival has decided to hold an additional event in the form of Promptapalooza. It’s a month of scheduled writing prompts and a blogging relay. Each day a designated writer will explore a specific topic and then pass the blogging baton on to another. Hence, over the course of August, the event will showcase the work of 30 different bloggers. The list of writing prompts are all available in advance for anyone who may wish to use them.
Before I begin, I would like to thank Mailvaltar for their very kind introduction and urge you to read their previous Promptapalooza post “media that’s shaped my worldview”. It brought back fond memories of when I acquired my first radio/cassette player and the impact specific radio stations had upon me when I was young. Mailvatar also references a german author I’m not familiar with but the genre of books they wrote is certainly of interest to me. This highlights why the Promptapalooza event can be both entertaining and informative. Talking of which, let’s move on to my writing prompt which is as follows.
“What type of content do you feel is severely underrated?”
This is an interesting prompt and can be considered from different perspectives, Because this is a blogging event I immediately thought of the question in terms of writing. IE What types of blog posts are underrated or can be far more informative than initially thought. However the question could be extrapolated to cover other sorts of content such as video games, TV or movies. But rather than use this post as an excuse to write about the “found footage” genre in cinema (something I must get around to doing), I think it’s more appropriate for me to focus on writing and the variety of content that can be produced by a blogger. So with that in mind here are a few ideas, many of which I have used myself here on Contains Moderate Peril.
Here’s a picture intended to engender both cosy and benign sentiments towards blogging
Recurring Posts: Over the years my writing has gone from being specific to one game to covering a wide variety of subjects. Sometimes I find that I want to talk about something in broad terms rather than in specific detail. A prime example of this is what I’ve been watching on TV recently. As I consider Contains Moderate Peril to be broadly comparable to a magazine in its format, it was a logical step to have recurring posts just like the regular columns you find in print media. These posts afford me to write about a spectrum of subjects and provide updates and references on a rolling basis. With regard to my TV viewing habits, I started a recurring post under the tile of “The Idiot Box”. I have a similar post which covers what games I’ve been playing each month. I feel that these sorts of posts can be invaluable to summarising activities and touching upon talking points without getting bogged down in excessive minutiae. They also have a more personal aspect to them which can be invaluable in building a rapport with your audience.
Personal Posts: I read numerous blogs for a multitude of different reasons. Some writers have a knack for technical detail, where others exude an accessible, everyman/woman, “Tom Hanks” of blogging approach. Where some blogs are first and foremostly defined by the subject(s) they write about, others are more of a vehicle for the author’s personality (although they may not realise this). Never underestimate this factor. I know some bloggers are quite content to write about personal aspects of their lives and that others do their utmost to minimise the amount of information they reveal about themselves. But whatever approach is taken, there comes a point when aspects of your personality eventually bleed through into your written work via some strange process of literary osmosis. And as “you are your own brand” whether you like it or not, this becomes one of the reasons your readers relate to you. Therefore I think the occasional, well considered personal post can be invaluable in connecting with your audience. I’ve written about my caring commitments and more recently about my own personal health. These are aspects of life that are common to all and sometimes sharing one’s experience can be beneficial to others as well as cathartic for oneself.
Walter and Finwë have featured both in my writing and in my “tweets”. I suspect they they have plans to go “solo”
Multimedia Posts: I have jokingly advised in the past, that if new bloggers are stuck for an idea, then just post a few screenshots from a game they’re currently playing. However, this isn’t as facetious as it first appears. Readers often like screencaptures and videos from games they haven’t yet played or are thinking about buying. Material from grassroot sources, as opposed to official press kits, can be very informative and useful to others. I frequently log onto the LOTRO test servers and take copious amounts of screenshots of forthcoming content. This often results in a spike in website traffic as not everyone wants to install the test client or has the time to look for themselves. I also advocate posting pictures of other activities, such as day trips or vacations. Again this ties in with personal posts as well as providing readers with a chance to see material they may not encounter elsewhere. If you want to write about some specific piece of music or artist, then you may wish to include audio content or a YouTube video. Far from posts of this nature being a “lazy cop out”, I find they can be engaging and at times a more immediate means of expressing a sentiment or making a point.
And that concludes my take on types of “underrated content”. The next participant in Blaugust Promptapalooza is Everwake from Everwake’s Internet Adventures. They’ve already tackled two of the writing prompts and have some very interesting thoughts on “Fandom” and “Popular Content” which I recommend you peruse at your leisure. On Tuesday 4th of August they’ll be addressing the curious and intriguing subject of “personal rituals”. Being a creature of habit myself, I can certainly relate to this and look forward to reading Everwake’s thoughts on the matter. In the meantime enjoy Blaugust Promptapalooza and feel free to get involved throughout the course of the month. Don’t forget to join us on Discord for help, advice and a friendly chat.
Community and Friendship
I joined Twitter back in 2010. Perhaps the most surprising thing I quickly discovered about the platform is the immediacy of communication that it offers. You can follow someone, reply to something they say or initiate a conversation with them in real time. Hence interacting with those who share a common interest becomes very accessible and enjoyable. It’s a far cry from going to a convention, wandering around and then plucking up the courage to speak to someone or join in a conversation that others are having. Social media removes those awkward “ice breaking” moments. Of course not every Twitter exchange is a pleasant experience but overall I’ve not encountered many problems using social media over the past decade. Twitter has broadly been a positive experience and introduced me to a wider community. It has provided me with an opportunity to meet new people and become part of something that is both social and positive.
I joined Twitter back in 2010. Perhaps the most surprising thing I quickly discovered about the platform is the immediacy of communication that it offers. You can follow someone, reply to something they say or initiate a conversation with them in real time. Hence interacting with those who share a common interest becomes very accessible and enjoyable. It’s a far cry from going to a convention, wandering around and then plucking up the courage to speak to someone or join in a conversation that others are having. Social media removes those awkward “ice breaking” moments. Of course not every Twitter exchange is a pleasant experience but overall I’ve not encountered many problems using social media over the past decade. Twitter has broadly been a positive experience and introduced me to a wider community. It has provided me with an opportunity to meet new people and become part of something that is both social and positive.
Although I have always written throughout my life, it was my introduction to MMOs that really galvanised my endeavours. When I enjoy something I often feel compelled to write about my experiences and share them with others. So I initially blogged about The Lord of the Rings Online and later expanded my writing to encompass other games. Twitter proved to be a good medium to promote my material and I quickly found others who shared similar interests and wrote their own blogs or produced their own podcast. In an act of hubris I actually emailed one such podcaster and “suggested” he have a “european correspondent”. The next thing I knew I was talking to the two existing hosts of that show on Skype and subsequently found myself part of the team. This act of kindness and good faith was quite remarkable when you think about it. Here were two people who were doing a podcast by the “seat of their pants”, that were prepared to take a risk on some over enthusiastic British guy who basically tried to gate crash their project. But they took a gamble and it worked out well.
This was one of many acts of kindness that I’ve encountered over the years. The podcasting and blogging helped me find a very industrious and friendly fan community. Many of which were already established and had an online presence. Yet all were happy to promote new blogs and podcasts, leave positive feedback and generally be supportive. But it seems to be a recurring theme. So many of the content creators I’ve met over the years seem disposed towards helping others by default. And outside of our immediate shared fandom, it’s nice to get to know folk from all over the world. Because you do get to know people over time. Many of us are careful about what we share on social media or write about in our blog posts. Privacy is ever evolving and can be abused, so it is logical that people don’t fully “pull back the curtain” on their lives. Yet often a writer’s personality will bleed through into their work. They’ll occasionally throw in an anecdote about their life, be it a remark about their work, partner or family. It is these personal touches that build a sense of rapport.
There was a boom time for gaming blogs and it has now passed. Many of those who were active within the community have moved on or significantly reduced their output of content. And then there are those who just keep going because it’s “what they do”. Yet the blogging diaspora still endures and many of the people I met a decade ago are still about on social media. It’s always pleasant when someone you haven’t heard from for a while turns up in your timeline. It’s very much like bumping into an old friend as you come back from grocery shopping. And yes I am happy to use the word friend. I think the somewhat dismissive view that online friendships are not the same as those with people you physically meet, is archaic and simply incorrect.
I hold my online friends and peers in very high regard. I respect their opinions and am very grateful for the support they’ve shown me over the years and the way they’ve encouraged my content creation. I also find the different perspectives that they often provide invaluable in helping me to understand the modern world and learn about life. I like to hear about their families, their pets and the shenanigans that go on at their work. It proves that people have far more in common than differences. I am also saddened by the trials and tribulations that some face and hope I can be supportive when they need it. Even if all I can do is to raise a wry smile. And yes, if possible, I’d love to meet up with all of them. I think it would be a most enjoyable experience to finally put faces to virtual names.
The world is a complicated and difficult place at times. There certainly seems to be a palpable sense of gloom spreading at the moment and we’re all too often encouraged to get angry with each other. Yet I take immense comfort and hope from the community that I am part of and the people I am proud to call my friends. The mutual respect, support and kindness, along with the capacity to keep a sense of humour is in many ways an antidote to all the negativity that abounds. While writing this post I toyed with the idea of referencing a few of my Twitter buddies and what I enjoy about their virtual company. However, I quickly realised that it was impossible to do so as I didn’t want to leave anyone out and I am fortunate to know so many good people. So I’ll simply finish with a classic quote from Bilbo Baggins. “I don’t know half of you half as well as I should like; and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve”. Thanks for being you, so to speak.
Time For a New Project (Again)
I am currently in a quandary with regard to my creative output. There’s a good chance that the lockdown has contributed to this state of mind and perhaps even the recent Blapril blogging event is partly to blame. I feel the need to do something at the moment but have no specific idea as to what it should be. I want to write but can’t think of anything at present that enthuses me sufficiently. I also want to return to podcasting, which is something I’ve always enjoyed. But I don’t especially relish producing a one man show. I’ve tried live streaming but don’t really think the medium plays to my strengths. Plus, I’m a little burnt out with gaming per se at present. Perhaps the answer lies in trying my hand at something completely new? This could potentially kill two birds with one stone as documenting the resulting learning curve could be a good source of blog posts. However, the first hurdle is deciding what my next project should be?
I am currently in a quandary with regard to my creative output. There’s a good chance that the lockdown has contributed to this state of mind and perhaps even the recent Blapril blogging event is partly to blame. I feel the need to do something at the moment but have no specific idea as to what it should be. I want to write but can’t think of anything at present that enthuses me sufficiently. I also want to return to podcasting, which is something I’ve always enjoyed. But I don’t especially relish producing a one man show. I’ve tried live streaming but don’t really think the medium plays to my strengths. Plus, I’m a little burnt out with gaming per se at present. Perhaps the answer lies in trying my hand at something completely new? This could potentially kill two birds with one stone as documenting the resulting learning curve could be a good source of blog posts. However, the first hurdle is deciding what my next project should be?
New projects can be fun and a great way to renew your sense of motivation and enthusiasm. However, they don’t always work out as expected. One of the most common pitfalls I find with any new project (and I know I’m not alone in this) is that the planning stage becomes the focus and the main source of enjoyment. I like plans. They’re an opportunity to buy new stationary or download new software, to stick post-it notes on your monitor and write numerous to-do lists. I always get a real kick out of all this planning and activity. However, once a coherent and finely tuned strategy has been drafted to tackle the new project, I find that I’ve somewhat lost interest in it. The planning was far more enjoyable and engaging. Hence my ambitions to produce YouTube videos, build a Box Girder Bridge and play the Sousaphone have never come to fruition. My potentially award winning musical based upon The Golden Voyage of Sinbad, also remains unwritten.
Upon mature reflection and sober consideration, there seems to be a simple problem at the heart of this dilemma (or minor “first world” problem). Rather than just undertaking activities that simply fill my time, I am very much focused upon activities that yield a result, achievements or produce something tangible at the end. Obviously the former is a lot easier to do than the latter and I am happy to do as such to a degree. However, I don’t just want to continuously passively consume and would consider it a personal failing if I stopped doing any kind of creative pastime. Which neatly brings this somewhat circular post back to its initial premise (like a word based Möbius Loop) that I need a new project. Perhaps a suitable idea will present itself within the next week or so. If not you can look forward to a series of blog posts called “The Beginners Guide to Playing the Sousaphone”.
Top Five Most Viewed Posts by Year
If you’ve been blogging for a while, it can be informative and fun to trawl through your statistical data. A common refrain from bloggers is that the post that they consider their best work is often the least read and that it’s the throwaway posts or articles written on a whim that find an audience. Both Wilhelm Arcturus and Belghast have analysed their website data and listed their respective top five most viewed posts by year. Having been writing for a comparable amount of time to these well known community figures, I thought I’d follow suit. Because I moved hosts to Squarespace and effectively started from scratch in August 2015 this will have to be my starting point. Although I exported all my content from my former hosted WordPress site, I have little statistical data. However, the six year period covered reveals some interesting details about what posts prove popular.
If you’ve been blogging for a while, it can be informative and fun to trawl through your statistical data. A common refrain from bloggers is that the post that they consider their best work is often the least read and that it’s the throwaway posts or articles written on a whim that find an audience. Both Wilhelm Arcturus and Belghast have analysed their website data and listed their respective top five most viewed posts by year. Having been writing for a comparable amount of time to these well known community figures, I thought I’d follow suit. Because I moved hosts to Squarespace and effectively started from scratch in August 2015 this will have to be my starting point. Although I exported all my content from my former hosted WordPress site, I have little statistical data. However, the six year period covered reveals some interesting details about what posts prove popular.
2015:
Posts on the MMORPG genre have always been a mainstay of my blogging. I’ve commented upon The Lord of the Rings Online since 2008 so it’s no surprise that such posts show in the top five for this year. I am curious about the Twitter related post although I seem to recollect this being linked to by another site. As for The Hobbit movie post, the franchise ran from 2012- 2014 with the extended editions being released a year after the theatrical versions. So as this post details what extra footage features in the longer version of the film, it makes sense being the most popular post of the year.
2016:
Again LOTRO features in the top five posts. This was the year that Standing Stone Games separated itself from developers Turbine. The movie review of Dawn of the Dead is actually of an obscure fan edit which tries to recreate the initial work print. It combines all the footage from George Romero’s Director’s Cut and the European version edited by Dario Argento. And it would appear the writing about vintage TV shows can also reach a wide audience. Again I think this post was linked to by a Gerry Anderson fan site, which explains how it got such traffic.
2017:
The post about a potential Silmarillion Movie, stemmed from speculation as to what Peter Jackson’s next project would be after The Hobbit Trilogy. By now a trend is apparent. Film reviews and movie related content has far greater longevity than gaming related posts. It also fares well with Google and my posts can turn up in the first two pages of search results. The Star Trek Online post reflects the fact that so much data regarding the game is generated in the official subreddit. There aren’t that many STO blogs that I know of, so I assume this is why this post got so much traffic.
2018:
I started playing The Elder Scrolls Online for the first time since the beta in 2018 and therefore wrote a few posts about subjects that didn’t seem to be covered elsewhere. Dolmen farming is a common practise in the game so this simple guide was obviously in the right place at the right time. The disposable nature of gear prior to reaching level cap in ESO bothered me. I guess it bothered others too. Providing a summary of content on the LOTRO test servers always generates web traffic. So many people don’t want to have to install a second version of the game.
2019:
By last year I was fully aware of what “works” best on Contains Moderate Peril. The review of the “unrated” version of World War Z catalogues all the additional footage. It’s hardly surprising that people want to know, as the theatrical version was rated PG-13. An odd choice for a zombie movie. And once again anything that informs LOTRO players about what new content is coming up does well. Perhaps I can claim a marketing allowance from SSG? That ESO post is back again. I suspect it will stay there.
2020:
Obviously the top five for 2020 is not a full year (neither was 2015) but it clearly shows what content gets the most traction with readers. Over 50% of all my web traffic is from Google searches. Mainly movie reviews. Gamers also like guides. Provide them with simple clear instructions that tell them what to do and ensure there’s some pictures and you may have a winning formula. I write about a range of subjects, the scope of which gets wider every year. Although those posts get read, they do not get the sort of numbers as the film reviews and simple guides. I’m certainly not going to change the focus of my writing because of the data presented here. However, I have decided to write an ongoing tips and hints post for Star Trek Online as I do feel it will connect with an audience. I’ll make no bones about it. I write primarily for myself but I do enjoy the fact that my content finds readers.
Blapril: Lessons Learned
I still think it was a good idea to move the scheduled August blogging event to April and take advantage of the lockdown. Many of us still have a lot more spare time on our hands than usual. However, upon reflection the lockdown has come with its own set of problems, one of which being a degree of mental discombobulation which does impact upon one’s motivation. So Blapril has felt a little different to last year’s Blaugust. The passion has still been present but I think this time round there’s also been a degree of catharsis. Writing can be good therapy for all sorts of problems. However, the uncertainty of the times and the worry it engenders has also impacted upon bloggers stamina. I was ill for a third of Blapril which threw my schedule. I’ve also been smitten with a degree of indolence that has made writing a bit of a struggle at times. I certainly don’t think I’ve applied myself to my mentoring role as well as previous years.
I still think it was a good idea to move the scheduled August blogging event to April and take advantage of the lockdown. Many of us still have a lot more spare time on our hands than usual. However, upon reflection the lockdown has come with its own set of problems, one of which being a degree of mental discombobulation which does impact upon one’s motivation. So Blapril has felt a little different to last year’s Blaugust. The passion has still been present but I think this time round there’s also been a degree of catharsis. Writing can be good therapy for all sorts of problems. However, the uncertainty of the times and the worry it engenders has also impacted upon bloggers stamina. I was ill for a third of Blapril which threw my schedule. I’ve also been smitten with a degree of indolence that has made writing a bit of a struggle at times. I certainly don’t think I’ve applied myself to my mentoring role as well as previous years.
A recurring follow on from every Blaugust and therefore inevitably Blapril, are the blogs that subsequently fall into decline or return to intermittent posting. Some folk want to write more often but can’t for various real world reasons. Many find that maintaining motivation outside of a community driven event can be a lot harder to do. Others discover that blogging on a regular basis is just not for them, which is fare enough. They either stop or become an occasional blogger. Hopefully participating in Blapril has still proven to be a useful and worthwhile experience. I still enjoy these events as I like being part of a friendly and supportive community and I like adding new blogs to Feedly (I currently track 127). There’s still a wealth of good content being produced and I get a great deal of pleasure by starting my day trawling through Feedly to see what everyone’s been up to.
As for me, I’ll just keep going as writing is something that has become an integral part of my life. I can take a break from time to time but I can’t really stop. I have several long form “think pieces” in development that I may try to hawk around and see if I can get any traction outside of my own blog. I also think it may be time for a new project. At the very least such an undertaking will result in a few blog posts as I usually document such things. However, looking back at what I’ve written about of late, I no longer see Contains Moderate Peril as being a blog about gaming, movies and popular culture anymore that I started so many years ago. Exactly what the right term is that defines it eludes me but it seems to be more than just “musings on video games, movies and popular culture”. I feel I now have a platform that allows me to express a broad range of thoughts and opinions. I also realise that the old adage about “if you throw enough shit at the wall, some of it will stick” is true.
Writing and Motivation
This week’s Blapril writing prompt is about “staying motivated”. It’s a perennial subject and one that is always relevant. Whenever writing events such as Blapril/Balugust are held, many of the participants are swept up in the initial excitement and camaraderie. At first they find both the time and the inclination to write. However, after a while, the realities of regularly writing become apparent. Finding the time may become more difficult, as does choosing material to write about. Something that was fun and enjoyable can eventually feel like a chore. Especially if you don’t receive any form of feedback. Hence it comes as no surprise that many blogs fall into decline and fade away. Content is posted far more intermittently and then there comes a point where the writer just stops. According to Google, only 167.4 million out of the 500 million plus blogs had been updated in the past 120 days.
This week’s Blapril writing prompt is about “staying motivated”. It’s a perennial subject and one that is always relevant. Whenever writing events such as Blapril/Balugust are held, many of the participants are swept up in the initial excitement and camaraderie. At first they find both the time and the inclination to write. However, after a while, the realities of regularly writing become apparent. Finding the time may become more difficult, as does choosing material to write about. Something that was fun and enjoyable can eventually feel like a chore. Especially if you don’t receive any form of feedback. Hence it comes as no surprise that many blogs fall into decline and fade away. Content is posted far more intermittently and then there comes a point where the writer just stops. According to Google, only 167.4 million out of the 500 million plus blogs had been updated in the past 120 days.
It is at this point in a blog post such as this, it is customary to reference some cunning lifehacks, tips and guidance to make writing “easier”. I have written such material before referencing the benefits of preparedness, keeping notes, allotting time, choosing an appropriate writing environment etc. But the bottom line is there is no universal strategy, set of rules or philosophical school of thought that can solve motivation issues. It may well sound glib but you will either write or you will not. If you want to maintain a blog and post on a fairly regular basis then you will. You will determine what is the best approach for you and do it. Alternatively, you may find yourself burning the midnight oil and rushing to get a post completed but even method still gets the job done. If you feel compelled to write, then you will find away.
I write because I enjoy it. I enjoy the process of planning and constructing a blog post. I like the way it helps me marshal my thoughts. Researching a subject can be very illuminating and presents an opportunity to learn. Writing has helped me expand my vocabulary, improved my analytical skills and provides me with a sense of satisfaction. I have very little leverage or agency in the real world (do any of us?) but I am in charge of my writing. I can pose questions, discuss and analyse things in an orderly way. It also affords me an opportunity to present myself and my thoughts to the world in a manner of my choosing. My writing is not determined by how I look or dress. Hopefully it is judged on its own merits. And because this is how I feel about writing, this is my source of motivation.
Now I’m sure there will be some people reading this post who think “that’s all fair and good but I don’t feel as passionate about writing as you do. I just like to do it for fun”. To which I reply “fine, then do it for fun”. Find the level that is good for you and don’t feel obliged to do anything else. Blapril is not a competition, a race or an exam. Everyone’s blogs are different because we’re all different. Focus on an approach that is good for you and then once you’ve determined that, stick with it. But no matter how you approach blogging there comes a point where you just have to do it. The words will only appear if you type them. Perhaps that is the ultimate motivation right there. The satisfaction in seeing something appear on the virtual page, that up until now has only existed in your head. And then knowing that you can share that with others at the click of a mouse.
My Writing Process (The Recipe Analogy)
Easha Dustfeather suggested a Blapril writing prompt to catalogue your writing process “as if it were a recipe”. I like this idea so I thought I’d give it a go. My process is one of two distinct halves. Ideas for blog posts come through a variety of means. Sometimes while thinking, one will spontaneously occur. More often inspiration is derived through reading other people’s content or by simply addressing current news issues. I have mentioned before how I keep an ideas list and continuously add to it. The next stage which I shall detail here, is how I take an idea forward and develop it into an orderly post. Again I must reference how I was taught to write up a Science Experiment at school and how that process has stuck with me over the years. This recipe idea has a lot of similarity to this which is why I think it inherently appeals to the way my mind works.
Easha Dustfeather suggested a Blapril writing prompt to catalogue your writing process “as if it were a recipe”. I like this idea so I thought I’d give it a go. My process is one of two distinct halves. Ideas for blog posts come through a variety of means. Sometimes while thinking, one will spontaneously occur. More often inspiration is derived through reading other people’s content or by simply addressing current news issues. I have mentioned before how I keep an ideas list and continuously add to it. The next stage which I shall detail here, is how I take an idea forward and develop it into an orderly post. Again I must reference how I was taught to write up a Science Experiment at school and how that process has stuck with me over the years. This recipe idea has a lot of similarity to this which is why I think it inherently appeals to the way my mind works.
NB The example I shall be using here is for a real blog post that I shall publish the day after this one. Rather than deal with abstracts, I thought it would be more useful to show the development of a blog post from start to finish.
Stage 1: The Idea.
I saw a comment on a website in which the author claimed to be “Middle-aged”. They then admitted to being 67 years old. I thought this phrase could lead to an interesting discussion about age and everything that goes with it. The idea just popped into my head when I saw the phrase written down. Admittedly, semantics is a subject I’m interested in. Plus there’s an added social element to this because society seems to willfully misuse words these days and subvert their dictionary meaning. So to invoke the recipe analogy, the idea is effectively our intent to bake a cake. The nature of the idea determines what sort of cake.
Stage 2: Points and paragraphs.
With any blog post I write, I always like there to be some sort of structure, especially if debating a point. I often start with simple bullet points and then attempt to put more meat on the bones. So with a discussion about “Middle-aged”, I’ll cite differing perspectives on the subject and develop these into separate paragraphs. IE Age is a numerical construct. Therefore the middle can be broadly determined through mathematical means. However a counter argument would be based in ideas about societal notions about age. So within the terms of our recipe metaphor, this is about ingredients and finding the correct balance to achieve the blog post you desire.
Stage 3: Editing and polishing.
I always write first and edit afterwards. I find that spell checking and tweaking as I go greatly slows my writing. So I strive to get all relevant thoughts out of my head and onto the virtual paper quickly and then endeavour to whip them into shape. If something doesn’t work it goes and if I come up with something pertinent at a later stage, it gets neatly dovetailed into the proceedings. If a blog post is proving difficult or dealing with something potentially controversial, then leaving it and returning at a later point is sometimes necessary. A fresh perspective can help in finalising an article. I also like to take some time in choosing any pictures that are to go with a post. I see this process as adding the icing to a cake and fine tuning the presentation of a dish as we’re using a recipe analogy.
So this is the process I usually apply to writing my blog posts. Sometimes I will shoot straight from the hip and just write something right off the bat (the Omelette approach) but that’s not something I do often. I prefer a more structured approach. I was going to add a “Stage 4” about posting finished articles and promoting them on social media but I believe that really is a separate subject altogether and that self promotion deserves a post entirely to itself. Overall, I still like this recipe analogy due to the similarities between cooking and writing. Both are clear processes that require organisation and preparation. Additionally, both are ultimately more than the sum of their respective parts and dependent on an additional “je ne sais quoi”. Plus it is often down to others to determine whether you’ve been successful.
Draft Posts
I currently have 98 blog posts sitting in my draft posts folder. Some of these are just a series of bullet points waiting to be developed into longer posts. Others are fully developed articles that just need some polish or minor tweaking. Many are film reviews that I’ve started and need to finish. Some are long and involved think pieces or talking points that have long ceased to be topical. Often these are in response to posts I’ve read on other websites such as Massively Overpowered. The oldest draft post dates back to 2014. The majority are from the last twelve months or so. For clarity, I write all my blog posts via Google Docs but all material is saved to a folder called Draft Blog Posts. When a post is finally completed and published on Contains Moderate Peril, I download it, save it as a Microsoft Word document and move it to an archive folder on my PC. The copy in the drafts folder is then deleted.
I currently have 98 blog posts sitting in my draft posts folder. Some of these are just a series of bullet points waiting to be developed into longer posts. Others are fully developed articles that just need some polish or minor tweaking. Many are film reviews that I’ve started and need to finish. Some are long and involved think pieces or talking points that have long ceased to be topical. Often these are in response to posts I’ve read on other websites such as Massively Overpowered. The oldest draft post dates back to 2014. The majority are from the last twelve months or so. For clarity, I write all my blog posts via Google Docs but all material is saved to a folder called Draft Blog Posts. When a post is finally completed and published on Contains Moderate Peril, I download it, save it as a Microsoft Word document and move it to an archive folder on my PC. The copy in the drafts folder is then deleted.
I have mixed feelings regarding the content of my draft posts folder. When I’m in a good mood, I view these incomplete documents positively, seeing them as ongoing projects that have yet to reach their respective potential. But on other occasions when I’m struggling with motivation and creativity, they are ignominious reminders of failure or poor thinking. However, irrespective of my feeling, draft posts serve an important purpose. They afford the writer an opportunity to collate their thoughts and see if some potential ideas can be shaped into a coherent post. They present a chance to experiment with writing styles and to see what works and what doesn’t. Writing in this fashion is a great way to improve your literacy skills. It also affords the author time to consider whether or not to publish anything that may be deemed controversial. Not every post has to realised immediately after being conceived. Sometimes you may wish to research a subject further before publishing. Draft posts offer this safety net.
Looking at a selection of posts from my draft folder, there are some that can be potentially purged. There’s one I started about celebrity gaming endorsements, which I began when Megan Fox was paid to promote Black Desert Online. No need to take that further as the story has been and gone. However, there’a lengthy post in development about “tie-in gaming” and how many of the games that are rushed out to capitalise on a movie franchise are often flawed. That still has “legs”. But the post that I’m still stuck on but I refuse to delete is simply called “Is The Party Racist?” and as I mentioned earlier, it’s been sitting there for ten years. The Party is a comedy film from 1968 directed by Blake Edwards and starring Peter Sellers. Sellers play an Indian actor called Hrundi V. Bakshi in “brownface” and therein lies the rub. Although the film is filled with the actors hallmark slapstick comedy, you cannot escape the film’s basic conceit and it is a controversial one to say the least. I still cannot get the tone of this post quite right.
There are some writers who approach their work differently and don’t avail themselves of draft posts. Again, if you’re writing a stream of consciousness then creating a first draft and then revising it kind of defeats the purpose. Some folks also like to type directly into the text editor on their blog. It is very much a case of “horses for courses”. But for those that favour a more traditional methodology, writing a post in stages, via a series of revisions is the way to go. Building up “work in progress” in your draft posts folder can be beneficial. Sometimes we can’t see the “woods for the trees” and leaving a post and starting another is the best way to clear our minds. Furthermore, digging around in your drafts folder when your inspiration is lacking, can sometimes provide you with a post to save the day. So who knows, perhaps the 98 draft posts that I currently have, can all find a purpose after all. Perhaps they just need time and a fresh perspective.
Blapril: Topic Brainstorming Week
According to the Blapril schedule, it’s Topic Brainstorming Week. One of the most common questions that you’ll hear from new or occasional bloggers is “what should I write about”. Now don’t go thinking that some of us are blessed with more inspiration than others. The reality is quite the opposite. Most of us can come up empty on occasions and struggle to find inspiration. This is just another aspect of blogging that needs to be managed and planned for. Therefore, I strongly advocate collating a list of subjects and ideas for future blog posts and continuously adding to it. So let us without further ado, get on with brainstorming a list of potential topics for bloggers to write about. Just remember that brainstorming is a nonlinear process, and I am writing my thoughts down as they occur to me. Hence many of the ideas will be somewhat tangential to each other, without any semblance of order. You can also find some useful ideas here, in a post I wrote back in 2016 called “Got Nothing to Write About?”.
“That’s the shittest idea in the history of ideas. If you speak again Colin, I’ll cut you…”
According to the Blapril schedule, it’s Topic Brainstorming Week. One of the most common questions that you’ll hear from new or occasional bloggers is “what should I write about”. Now don’t go thinking that some of us are blessed with more inspiration than others. The reality is quite the opposite. Most of us can come up empty on occasions and struggle to find inspiration. This is just another aspect of blogging that needs to be managed and planned for. Therefore, I strongly advocate collating a list of subjects and ideas for future blog posts and continuously adding to it. So let us without further ado, get on with brainstorming a list of potential topics for bloggers to write about. Just remember that brainstorming is a nonlinear process, and I am writing my thoughts down as they occur to me. Hence many of the ideas will be somewhat tangential to each other, without any semblance of order. You can also find some useful ideas here, in a post I wrote back in 2016 called “Got Nothing to Write About?”.
Write a post about yourself, your likes and dislikes. You don’t have to give out excessively personal information if you don’t want to. But readers like to know about the people that create the content that they consume.
Keep a game (or any other kind of hobby) diary. Write about your progress in say a new MMO. Discuss the decisions you make regarding the character you create and play
Write a guide or offer tips and hints. This can be as detailed or as simple as you like. People again eat this kind of content up.
Catalogue cosmetics. This can become incredibly popular and major sites have grown around such undertakings.
Post screenshots (and write about them if you want). Not exactly hard is it. Yet people like a well composed picture, especially if they too play the same game.
“Riff off” your fellow blogger’s posts (Massively OP is also a great source of gaming related discussion and debate). These sorts of blog posts are good for building communities and interacting with your blogging colleagues. A good talking point can often see multiple responses.
Write think pieces about wider issues in your area of interests. Commenting upon the wider video games industry is always a good source of content. Just ensure that you reference your sources and that any arguments are factual and based upon tangible information.
Catalogue and review the community activities associated with your field of interest.
Comment on gaming news. There is no lack of material here.
If you’re learning a new skill such as live streaming, document your progress. Writing down what you have learned and done is also a great way of ensuring that you retain that information. Again, such posts are beneficial to others.
Review the things you like. Be they games, books, comics, movies, sandwiches, beer etc. Posting such content is a great way to build an audience and such posts often have a great deal of longevity.
Share pictures of your day to day life. You’ll be surprised how blog posts that catalogue everyday aspects of life are well received. It’s interesting to see the little differences that exist in common place activities, such as shopping, in different countries.
If formal blog posts are not to your liking, then why not just write a “stream of consciousness”. This can be very therapeutic and if done well is a rewarding alternative to more linear postings.
Courtesy of Daily Creative Thing
It is important to remember that not every blog post you write has to be some sort of literary marvel. That’s not to say you shouldn’t take pride in your creative output and exercise some sort of quality control. But it’s perfectly fine to write a post about how you logged into your game of choice, did some quests, met friends and had fun. Or to blog about your pets, share with others how you enjoyed a show you saw on Netflix and how you had a great time at a convention or Renaissance faire. Such posts are very accessible to many and again help people to connect and build communities. One of the blogs I read regularly is Daily Creative Thing by Gracie. It catalogues the progress of her knitting projects. I don’t know if I can articulate cogently why this appeals to me but it just does. I like creativity in many forms and admire those who have such skills. It’s nice to see hard work pay off with a finished product. It also proves my point that you can successfully approach blogging and any angle. Once you’ve found your niche the content should flow.
Blogging Advice
Providing advice is an important part of Blapril. Guidance that may seem obvious to those who have been regularly writing, may potentially be a revelation to those who have only just started a blog. Hence I usually write over the course of these events, three or four posts offering tips. However, I hit a minor snag today as I sat down to write such a post. As soon as I had an idea about a specific aspect of blogging, I quickly discovered that I’d already previously written about it. I have been participating in various writing events of this kind since 2012 and have therefore covered a lot of ground (as have many of my esteemed colleagues). So I decided to collate all my past posts that offer advice and insight into specific areas of writing, into a single list. They cover a range of subjects from basic advice to those just starting a blog, to how often you should write and whether or not you should allow comments. Then there are other posts about writing styles, courting controversy etc.
Providing advice is an important part of Blapril. Guidance that may seem obvious to those who have been regularly writing, may potentially be a revelation to those who have only just started a blog. Hence I usually write over the course of these events, three or four posts offering tips. However, I hit a minor snag today as I sat down to write such a post. As soon as I had an idea about a specific aspect of blogging, I quickly discovered that I’d already previously written about it. I have been participating in various writing events of this kind since 2012 and have therefore covered a lot of ground (as have many of my esteemed colleagues). So I decided to collate all my past posts that offer advice and insight into specific areas of writing, into a single list. They cover a range of subjects from basic advice to those just starting a blog, to how often you should write and whether or not you should allow comments. Then there are other posts about writing styles, courting controversy etc.
As ever, when offering advice, it should be remembered that it is just that and not immutable rules (as I was reminded recently by a discussion on the Blapril Discord Server about the use of pictures in blog posts). What may work for one writer may be of any use for another, so ultimately I offer all this for your consideration only. But I do think I’ve gained a degree of experience over the last thirteen years of writing. Therefore I would recommend the following two posts, The Realities of Blogging and When Blogging Turns Bad, to those who may harbour dreams of blogging leading to “fortune and glory”. It is entirely possible through hard work and determination to move from writing for yourself, to paid employment. There are Blapril mentors who have successfully done this. But it is not as easy as “putting on a hat” as some people still think. Hence it never does any harm to have a gentle reality check and adjust one’s expectations.
This Jamf isn’t going to get anything written like this
Blogging Advice (2016 to the present):
Should You Allow Comments on Your Blog?
The Importance of Taking a Break
Opinions, Debate and Courting Controversy
Topics, Talking Points and Ideas for Blog Posts
The Importance of Making Notes
Finally, I write a recurring “column” called Thoughts on Blogging, in which I discuss my relationship with writing and various other miscellaneous ideas regarding content creation. Again, it may be of use to other Blapril participants. Yet, despite all this wealth of advice provided by all involved with this event, there is one fundamental fact that potentially trumps everything else. At some point you have to just sit down and write. By definition a writer writes. If you just put aside your concerns and knuckle down to writing you will immediately start to improve. Practise does indeed make perfect but it’s a long journey. One that starts by writing your first post. Although advice and guidance can help you refine your writing process, if you’re not writing then you’re simply not going to make any progress. Remember, “It's the job that's never started as takes longest to finish" as Gaffer Gamgee said.
Blogger Recognition Award 2020
I woke up this morning to discover I’ve been tagged for an “award”. However, my dreams of donning a tuxedo, taking to a podium and emotionally thanking my loved ones were quickly dispelled when I realised this was one of those internet “tag and promote” exercises. Not that there’s anything wrong with such undertakings. These sorts of exercises serve a purpose and can be used to amplify the writings of new bloggers. It’s just that there’s no gold plated statuette involved. Never mind. This “award” also presents an opportunity to share some advice, which hopefully will be of use to many of those who are new to blogging and have recently signed up for Blapril. So without further ado, let us begin. First off, let’s recap what’s involved regarding the Blogger Recognition Award 2020.
I woke up this morning to discover I’ve been tagged for an “award”. However, my dreams of donning a tuxedo, taking to a podium and emotionally thanking my loved ones were quickly dispelled when I realised this was one of those internet “tag and promote” exercises. Not that there’s anything wrong with such undertakings. These sorts of exercises serve a purpose and can be used to amplify the writings of new bloggers. It’s just that there’s no gold plated statuette involved. Never mind. This “award” also presents an opportunity to share some advice, which hopefully will be of use to many of those who are new to blogging and have recently signed up for Blapril. So without further ado, let us begin. First off, let’s recap what’s involved regarding the Blogger Recognition Award 2020.
The Rules:
Thank the wonderful person who nominated you and leave a link back to their blogs.
Explain your blog’s origin story or its history.
Hand out two or more pieces of advice for new bloggers.
Nominate other bloggers and hook us up with links to their blogs.
Thanks For all the Fish:
So, to begin I would like to thank Naithin over at Time to Loot for the nomination. Naithin is a thoughtful and measured blogger who crafts engaging and intelligent posts. He writes in a cordial and informal way but there are often clear signs that everything written has been considered carefully. It’s the polar opposite to much of the “hot takes” and knee jerk, click bait that’s endemic among gaming blogs. If you haven’t added his RSS feed to your reading list, then you really should.
Origins:
As for the origins of Contains Moderate Peril, it is a story I covered in the past and there’s even a breakdown of the name in the “about” section of the website. However, for convenience here is a short breakdown of my “history”. I started blogging regularly in 2007. I had a movie blog and a gaming blog that focused on The Lord of the Rings Online. After a while the gaming blog expanded into covering other titles and eventually it made sense to combine all writing into a single website that covered “movies, gaming and popular culture”. As for the name, in the UK movies are rated by the BBFC (British Board of Film Classification) which is similar to the MPAA in the US. The BBFC often provides a small summary in conjunction with a rating that is then used in all subsequent advertising. The idea is to give consumers an overview of a film’s themes and content. The guidance for the 2005 movie King Kong was “contains frightening elements, moderate violence and frequent peril”. I then distilled this further down to the current name. It’s a snappy and memorable title for a blog but manually typing the URL is a pain in the butt.
Advice:
Just write. It takes discipline and determination to do it regularly. But the more you write the better you’ll get. Don’t focus on others and what they’re doing. Never make the mistake of comparing apples with oranges. Just concentrate on your output and what’s good for you.
Give credit to those whose posts you riff off, link to your sources if writing a think piece and be mindful that we are all to some extent, standing on the shoulders of giants. You are not the “King of the Internet”. We are all just “Net Citizens”. Oh and respond to comments. If someone’s taken the time to leave a remark about your work, then it is incumbent upon us to respond. And yes, I’m still terrible at this.
Finally and in many ways this may be the most important piece of advice. The internet never forgets. Reflect upon this. Think long and hard before you hit publish. We all get angry with the untrammelled stupidity of other people at times. But if you’re going to be critical then do it factually and do not make it spiteful or vindictive. Once you’ve crossed the line and said something inflammatory or just plain rude, you can’t truly ever delete it and carry on like it never happened. Posts and tweets are archived and cached. Plus readers can cut and paste as well as screen capture anything they see fit. An ill conceived comment can potentially return at any time and bite you on the ass.
Nominees:
I cordially invite the following bloggers, as they all have interesting sites and are not backwards about coming forwards, as the expression goes. However, if they’re too busy to take onboard this additional request, then no worries. It’s not my job to hassle other writers.
Izlain Me vs Myself and I
Telwyn Gaming SF
Welsh Troll WelshTroll