This blog has recently hit 100,000 pageviews. Woo-hoo! I am extremely proud, since a number that large must include a lot people genuinely interested in my writings and not just googling some images. I've done exactly the kind of blog I would like to read and on my very own terms. And sometimes, like with the recent Best Finnish Films of All Time post, I've reeived some excellent feedback. I think the blog has developed quite nicely through the years, from insignificant ramblings to some genuine analysis. But I've also been thinking a lot on how to work on it from here on.
The thing is, writing this blog takes a lot. Articles take time. from conception and viewing the films, to writing, to browsing for images, to advertizing in social media. I'm also willing to admit that sometimes the writing has been sub-par whether due to a rush to get something published or for the reason I've been planning a certain article for too long and start to forget the core ideas behind the films the text deals with. I don't write any notes down upon seeing a movie, so my thoughts surrounding a given film always rely solely on my memory.
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| "Top Gun? Well, if my memory serves me correct, it's a good, totally heterosexual movie." |
My most major failing on the blog is the fail to create a forum for discussion, since I don't really receive any comments on the site. This is a major drag, since that does't help me develop my writing nor give me any new viewpoints or ideas. Often times it feels like I'm shouting at empty walls here. Contrast this with the freelance writing I do for the Finnish site Elitisti, where each and every article is carefully read and reread before publishing. And they recieve some comments afterwards, too. That has made me aware of several of my major flaws as a writer and in turn, I feel like I've written some of the best film reviews I've done for that site. It's a fruitful collaboration, with which I've been planning to emphasize more in the future. It also feels nice to write in Finnish for a change.
But then we come to how to develop this site. It appear to me as there are two options: go big or go small. To go big, I would need to start Facebook pages, seperate Twitter accounts, buy a domain, move this thing to be Wordpress-based, and so on. On the other hand, to downsize it there's the chance that starting to invest more on other things lets the quality of this blog slide.
I don't want to completely give up on the blog. I want to come back after years and check out on what I thought of some festival films I saw on any given year. I still have a huge number of ideas for the future. So what I've decided to do is to not pander to the pageviews and downgrade the blog somewhat to resemble a little more of what I started with. I'm going to do more of a film diary type of a blog that gathers some stray thoughts and ideas I've had while watching movies. I will still attempt to do the occasional article and review, but also do more of these editorial-type writings that usually get quite a high number of views (whether because of the images I use or my text is irrelevant).
But since I still have quite a lot on the pipeline for this year, these changes will affect the blog only from the beginning of 2013. The rest of the year will be business as usual. I am also willing to listen to readers' opinions on the matter and what type of blog writings you would like to read, so by all means give me a comment about the matter.
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| It's a-niiiice! See? Like in the movie! The movie with Borat! |
Ugh, I have spoken. Now, I'll give you the top 10 of my most visited articles.
- Easter Special - Killer Bunnies
- Les extraterrestres extraordinaire, or: the best aliens
- WENG WENG!
- A Tale of Three Americas (Captain Americas, that is)
- A Tale of Three Punishers
- It's 2012, Where is Death Racing?
- Pixar's sequels
- Sequels to Prometheus
- War Pigs
- The Directors: Sergio Leone
And the top 10 of search keywords leading to the site:
- watership down
- aliens
- captain america shield
- weng weng
- michael bay
- alien 1979
- punisher skull
- eddie murphy
- death race
- sergio leone
So, thanks to loyal readers for sticking with me, and I hope to see you here in the future. As more than mere numbers. Don't be a stranger!
Congratulations!
ReplyDeleteI guess it's always a good idea to try going big AND having a blog for the quick, informal stuff. If you find the time, that is.
You're not the only one struggling with such dilemmas (or breaking 100 K recently!) I've been pondering a lot about my own situation too. I have a massive project on European animation on the works and I'd definitely like to go semi-big with that alone. Dedicating a separate site to it. But there's so many things you have to take notice of. And I do understand the subject is not popular, what makes it a bit harder and frustratingly unrewarding, since it is a lot of work. I'll probably do it anyway as soon as I find the time. I'm not even that familiar with the pros and cons of Wordpress etc..
So I definitely suggest you to try a new approach too if you feel you've drifted away from what feels comfortable.
Thanks for the support! Comfortability is certainly a major issue in blogging. I love to write, but when you have too many articles to write, it becomes something of a chore. And that's something I'm trying to avoid with my new direction.
ReplyDeleteAs a huge animation buff, I'm eagerly looking forward for your European project!
Yey, congrats, mate o/~! I hope you'll keep writing, even in a more film-diary-way.
ReplyDeleteI've started to drift more into a view/theme-type reviewing on my own blog, and for that same reason you're looking for a change: it's a work load, especially if you're working/studying hard at the same time. It seems to suit me fine.
I wish you luck with your new directions!