Okay Then: Blaugust 2015
So I decided to go ahead and do what all the cool kids are doing in August, which is spamming your RSS feeds with a minimum ten sentences of nonsense.
This post is going up in the evening today because I honestly wasn’t going to participate. In fact, it is entirely possible that this turns out to be a terrible idea, much like my attempt at Movember 2013.
See, I have a love-hate relationships with blogs that post on a daily basis. Since I mainly read posts while at work, a steady stream of content ensures the day flies by while I’m thinking about all the reasons why the blogger is horribly mistaken. Unfortunately, that same steady content stream also ensures that the discussion generated by any individual post is buried almost immediately. Within a day or two, the “audience” for your carefully structured rebuttal is probably just you and a person who is already 2000 words deep in other subjects entirely. Ergo, I feel 2-3 posts a week gives a blog room to “breathe” and evolve.
Plus, you know, it’s easier.
Nevertheless, I decided to go ahead and give Blaugust a go for one main reason, and several iffy reasons. Main reason? The grand prize is a free game from my Steam wishlist.
Hey, I never said it was a good reason.
The iffy reasons include “Do I think I can?” and “Wonder what my traffic will look like by September” and a general experiment to see if I can break my predilection for posts that “have a point” or some overarching argument. I prefer to write those sort of posts (and to read them), but sometimes that means abandoning otherwise serviceable drafts just because I haven’t crafted a thesis. Sometimes you just want to talk about how you had fun playing a game, and not feel like you’re questioning the validity of an objective reality, you know?
So… here we go.
Posted on August 1, 2015, in Miscellany and tagged Blaugust, Blog, Comments, Instant Regret, What Am I Doing With My Life?. Bookmark the permalink. 10 Comments.
In An Age 
I agree. I much prefer my three post schedule since I usually put a lot more time and energy into those posts (typically, they are drafted weeks in advance). I don’t mind microblogging or shorter content, but I like well-crafted rather than a glut of nonsense.
I do these things for the challenge, the community, and because I hope it’ll inspire others to do my events. The Screenshot Safari got a great turn out, for example, and I hope to see more next time!
LikeLike
Exactly.
Plus, I forgot to add the fact that the comment problem goes the other way too: the more posts I make, the less likely any individual one of them actually gets read. I mean, I never typically go back into a blogger’s archives, and I suspect that no one really does either unless there’s specifically a link to one. I’m not writing for the pageviews, but the back-and-forth banter requires readers to generate, so… yeah.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yeah, it is problematic. I do like these events though as sort of drives to get more follows/clicks/awareness out there. I make a big effort to click, comment, and follow everyone I can. My bubble grows every time!
Plus, even if I am not exactly a well-known or established blogger, I’d hate to be one of those types who never responds or reads other’s works.
LikeLike
Good luck, welcome to the insanity – Vaas will fill you in one the definition.
LikeLike
Man… I really enjoyed Far Cry 3.
LikeLike
Agreed, I don’t think the Blaugust pace lends itself to the back and forth blog debate on a particular topic very well, but hey, there’s eleven other months for it.
I look at the Blaugust event as a sort of shot of life/energy renewal for the blogosphere, get folks all excited and reconnecting again, forming the bonds for the discussions to come. This month is just an introduction to everybody, and also to get everyone comfortable writing for themselves and putting their thoughts and feelings out there for others. Sometimes, the only way to break the fear and discomfort barriers is to go at a breakneck pace without time to ruminate and worry.
LikeLike
That is true. One of the great ironies of blogging is when your carefully constructed and researched post gets no responses, but the flippant thing you tossed out at 2am on a Tuesday night suddenly gets 30+ comments and makes its way around the blogging block. It’s not that we should all be posting whatever, but sometimes that “meaningless” post resonates and generates discussion in an organic way.
See also: this post. :)
LikeLike
I have always upheld a 2-3 posts /week maximum on my blog because WoTs and intense debate but what the hell, I am giving this a go this year too.
It’s a good way to re-invigorate some of that blogging spirit and update blogrolls. Seems I’m not the only one who needs to do this ;)
LikeLike
You could always have a go at entirely the opposite direction, I guess. Wolfshead used to (maybe still does, I have no idea) only post once or twice a month – invariably in a very ponderous and self-congratulatory style – but his blog-essays, annoying as they were to read, usually caused a stir whenever they were posted because they were a long and sustained attack on something current. I mean 50+ comments per post and oodles of other bloggers writing reflection posts in response to your content are pretty good in terms of generating discussion, right?
I mean in any case I enjoy your blog and more posts means more fun, especially if you and Syncaine upset eachother somehow, but I’ve always thought you could aim for slightly longer and harsher posts that have a point and then intersperse them with some smaller “and now a brief glimpse into what I’m doing right now!” posts.
LikeLike
Ah, Wolfshead. I still look back on this post he/she inspired and contently sigh. Some posts are more work to write than others, but an occasional few just seem to fly off the page in a fit of manic inspiration. And that was one of them.
In any case, I’m glad you enjoy the blog.
LikeLike