I'm looking back at the past 1000 posts, and I do find it amazing that I've gotten to this point. In fact, I had such a hard time deciding on what to blog about at first, that nearly a year passed between the first and second posts.
It takes a lot of trial and error to not only find your blogging voice but also your writer's voice. This blog most certainly isn't now what it was 3 years, 2 years, 1 year, 6 months or even 3 months ago. Blogs evolve and change. They can take a life of their own. I embrace that concept myself. Sometime my blog surprises even me.
Getting readers to your new blog is mostly getting yourself out there. Posting insightful and interesting comments on other blogs is a good way to get your blog noticed. The simple fact is, for many bloggers (myself included) building your reader base is a slow process. For months, I was lucky to get 20 views a day (and i suspect about half of those were me checking out the page myself). My first big surge was my review of LotFP's The Grinding Gear. Raggi's mentioning of my review tripled my traffic that day.
I literally had no idea how to do a review early on. I'm not saying I know how to do one now, but I was really lost in the beginning. I tend not to review things that I have overly negative feelings about. Negative reviews are generally not fun to write.
Something that I used to do (and Gothridge Manor does) is spotlight new blogs that I find interesting. Adding them to the blogroll is nice, but posting about why a blog is worth reading has true value. I need to get back to that.
Hmmm, I need to post about Sex, Drugs and Dice Rolling... I'm sure that would drive lots of traffic ;)
Picturing Solo History
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There are many gamers who will tell you that it was *Vampire the Masquerade*
that got them into roleplaying. That was in the 1990s. There are many
gamers ...
58 minutes ago
Good point about the commenting. To get good readers and commenters, you have to be one yourself.
ReplyDeleteKeep on keepin' on!
True. I've only started this year, and it is a slow process, but commenting and reading other blogs is the way forward it seems.
ReplyDeleteNow, if only I could post something that'll get everyone talking, I'll be happy ;)
A thousand posts is hard to imagine for myself. Much, much harder I've found to start a conversation than to simply respond. I'm lazy, I love to comment but my own posts are all just my writer's voice and reaching a thousand would take me a decade.
ReplyDeleteI also go back and read old posts. A thousand posts is just plain mean.
I'm up to 89 posts since last August. I find it hard sometimes to write even two per week. I try not to write unless I have something to say.
ReplyDeleteI can't imagine a thousand post either, but kudos on the accomplishment. I tend to be more of a reader and commentator than actually having a lot to say on my own blog. Too often when I think of blogging something I just talk myself out of it and keep the comments to myself.
ReplyDeleteIs there a way to directly contact you? I don't have your email and I'd like to shoot you a new product to review. Let me know where to send the product at
ReplyDeleteAndugus@whitehairedman.com
Congratulations on reaching 1,000.
ReplyDelete