It finally happened. I've heard about it before but never quite understood the pain and frustration involved until it just happened to me moments ago. A post I had been working on for the last two and a half days just disappeared into the electronic aether. All that remains of it are a few cute animal photos and the last paragraph of what I assure you was a most eloquent piece of self-reflection and blogging introspection. At this point I no longer have the patience to stoically press on and rewrite the blasted thing, instead I'm going to skip all of that and cut to the chase.I'm interested in signing up for some blog networks, starting with the Int'l House of Paincakes and then any others for which diceRolla might qualify. There's been quite a little psychodrama unfolding in my head about no longer being on my own as an unaffiliated blogger, the details of which you're probably better off having been spared. Suffice it to say this is something I've been thinking about for a long time but only now feel confident enough in what I'm doing with my blog to actively seek out a wider audience. I appreciate with the utmost sincerity all of you who are already readers of my blog, I certainly do not take you for granted. Truly, it is because of you and the encouragement that you've offered me that I now am ready to take this next step in my silly blogging adventures. So thank you for sticking with me, by pushing myself into new arenas of ideas it is my hope to make this a better experience for all who come here.
Right then, I trust everyone has had a fantastic Thanksgiving with plenty of food, family, and football. Heck, even if you don't celebrate this holiday I'm still wishing you a happy Thanksgiving! (Ha ha, how's that for cultural imperialism?) On the hobby front I am genuinely thankful for all of you who have shown such wonderful support for me, so you are included in my experience of holiday gratitude whether you like it or not. ; ) Thank you.
Alright, that's it everyone... time for me to drift off into a blissful, turkey-induced slumber. Goodnight!
[Note: I've left in place the remains of my original post, either for the sake of posterity or to spite it, but really just as a personal monument to the occasional frustrations of blogging. It might not make a whole lot of sense when read out of its original context, but I don't have the heart to delete it entirely. Oh well, them's the brakes.]
+++ Not Deleted From Imperial Records +++
So I've decided there is to be no more hiding for me like a scared little squirrel. Instead at this point I think I'm ready for diceRolla to spread its wings and soar majestically like the noble titmouse. This weekend I'm going to write the required essay and try to figure out what keywords would appropriately describe all that goes on here, then submit these for review and hopefully admission to the HoP. Besides, with more than 130 loyal readers (again, thank you so much!), the self-delusion of going unnoticed beneath the radar has become untenable even for me. I don't foresee any dramatic changes here because of this, though I'm always open to suggestions about what I could or should be doing better.
Tufted Titmouse, in honor of the House of Paincakes
Further, if anyone knows of any of blog networks for which diceRolla might qualify, I would really appreciate hearing about them. After the HoP, the only other ones I know of are BoLS, FTW, Librarium Online and the Iron Agenda. Would I be able to add my blog to any of those? How strict are they with their requirements? Are there others out there that might be accepting of my wandering ways? I greatly appreciate your help with this, thank you for whatever advice or recommendations you should choose to pass on to me.
Best wishes to you all... take care, friends!
BoLS, FTW both pretty good. I get a lot more traffic from BoLS,which surprised me but I guess it's due to just a lot more visitors there and laws of averages. Parade Ground too, since you're making IG.
ReplyDeleteFTW is the most strict, but it's based on objectionable type content, and you shouldn't have any issues there.
Ugh... epic fail. I hate loosing something like that!
ReplyDeleteThat must suck. It happened to me a couple of times so nowdays I make sure I typer everything in Word Pad first and then copy+paste in Blogger. HoP is awesome I would definitely recommend it.
ReplyDeleteI know how you feel about losing posts to the aether!
ReplyDeleteI've found membership of FtW fantastic overall! BoLS gives me plenty of traffic, as does HoPK -- they're certainly worth joining.
I am also a member on the Librarium Online which is a really nice site but on the field of traffic BoLS and WTF are the best.
ReplyDeleteI love HoP and I did not the write the essay, I think it was a joke
ReplyDeletetoo....many....cute....ANIMALLLS @_@
ReplyDeleteThe essay is definitely a joke. I wrote a one-liner and they picked on me a bit (good natured and all, of course) about actually doing it. Good luck with the networks. The worst thing that can happen is they accept you and then drop you later on...
ReplyDeleteMan that sucks... I've had that happen on some of my index pages and comments.
ReplyDeleteI like HOP and FTW. FTW's only restriction is PG content - no swearing and such, which I like since I myself started gaming at a younger age.
I haven't gotten involved yet with the forum-type sites like BOLS, Librarium, Heresy and such...
I don't want to appear to be siding with any internet drama and focus on the hobby, but FTW and HOP are a couple solid groups of people.
HOP! FTW is definitely interesting and gets you the possibility of traffic. Ron's very generous, too.
ReplyDeleteThe essay is not entirely a joke- they HOP guys are looking for content and often use that little essay as a way to find good authors. So, beware- you might get drafted!
Your pain is my pain. In fact, it sounds like we've all been there, victims of digital cruelty.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Papa. Glad to have been led to the blog, especially at the start of what looks like a new and exciting adventure. Good luck!
I havent lost a post yet, but I fear it. In that respect, I generally write each post in word, and then copy paste. (word edits me a little better). Couple times a week though I do just post straight onto the blog, but I try not to.
ReplyDeleteAs for affiliates, I like both FTW and BOLS. HoP I have been looking into and there was one other I was looking at but I am short on coffee and can't think that clearly for another 10-15 minutes.
Definetly look into signing on to those affiliates.
I like FTW the most. LO is deffinatly an awesome site too. BOLs I think is more focused on quantity rather than quality. Their articles sometimes can be of not very high quality. I personally follow FTW, but one critique of that is the hobby-related posts are a bit mono-marine.
ReplyDeleteGood Luck!
@ sonsoftaurus - FTW was the first one that I knew of but I didn't think I'd qualify because this isn't a strictly 40k blog. I didn't know if Ron allowed for much latitude on that account or not. It certainly wouldn't hurt for me to at least inquire. Thank you!
ReplyDelete@ Rich - Yeah, it was really frustrating when it happened but I think I've recovered from the shock now. At this point it's at least something I can laugh about and who know, maybe this turned out better anyways.
@ The Antipope - I think I'm going to be a bit more cautious in the future and not just trust blogger to keep things sage for me. Oh well, I'm still learning... Thank you for the recommendations, I really appreciate it!
@ jabberjabber - Thank you, I appreciate the empathy. I'm considering forming a support group for frustrated blog authors. ; ) It's good to know that the networks really do benefit their associates, I'm excited about becoming more involved with the community at large. Thanks!
@ Mihalis - Cool, I'm definitely interested in all for which I would qualify. I think I'm just going to contact all of those and find out what they have to say. Thank you, Mihalis,I hope you're doing very well!
@ D6 - That's funny, I would expect those guys to be fairly laid back about things. Thanks for letting me know, I doubt I'll stress over it as much now.
@ Matty - Haha, you're lucky then that so much of my original post got lost. There were even more cute, fuzzy creatures! It's good to hear from you, Matty, thanks.
@ Josh - That's good to know, I was a little worried about figuring out what to say concerning my blog. You make a great point too about these networks, it's not like I have anything to lose by joining up with them. Thank you for the perspective!
@ Dave G - Sorry to hear it though it's kind of comforting to know it's has happened to others better at this than myself. Thank you very much for sharing with me your experiences with the blog networks. I don't think it would be a problem for me keeping things family friendly on my blog so I will check into joining FTW as well. Thanks, Dave!
@ Loquacious - Interesting... I still want to write the essay and do as good a job as I can with it, though I feel like I at least won't stress over it as much now. I feel better just knowing it's not a make-or-break type of thing for gaining admission to the network. Thanks, Loq!
@ Porky Poster - Thank you very much, I'm really grateful you found your way here and were kind enough to take an interest in my blog. Solidarity on the matter of digital cruelty, it seems like there are more of us who have experienced it than I'd originally suspected. Thanks again, PP!
@ Natfka - That does sound like a wise approach, I'll likely start taking such precautions as well. Thanks for letting me know about your experience with the blog networks and for your recommendations as well. Thank you, sir!!
@ Ruina - It does sound like people really appreciate FTW and the community Ron has created there. I don't know a whole lot about Librarium Online but I've only started poking around there recently and like what I've seen so far. Thank you very much for your help with this, I'm grateful to have received so much feedback from members of these groups.
Woa, that sucks!!
ReplyDeleteWell, that happened to my a couple of times in the old ages of the php forums (I still love phpBB and other boards, but nowadays there are TONS of other networks, you know). That was when I learned to press Ctrl + A, Ctrl + C every time before posting something. I've continued doing so since then, and now I even do it before pressing the send button when sending an email xD
Hope it helps, from now on =3
Very good advice, I'll take all the help I can get. Thanks, Nesbet!
ReplyDeleteUgh, accursed unholy vacuum that is the BACK button...
ReplyDeleteAs for joining some blogging groups, it really helps you get your name and your blog out there. I'm on the BoLS group, the Parade Grounds, and the FTW Bloggers group. Just jump in, join them, and watch new people check out the blog!
Yes indeed, quite careless on my part. Hopefully I've learned my lesson though. Thank you very much for the recommendations, Granesh, I really appreciate hearing of your experiences with those networks. And thank you for supporting my blog as well!
ReplyDeleteHouse of Paincakes is a fantastic network site. You can get dozens of hits from it daily.
ReplyDeleteIt's wonderful to know that membership with the HoP is so beneficial as I am just now finishing my essay and will submit it for review this evening. Hopefully if everything goes well I will be joining you there very soon. Thank you, Bartender!
ReplyDelete