Lead Adventure Forum
Other Stuff => Workbench => Topic started by: Bravo Six on April 10, 2022, 02:38:55 AM
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Just curious if anyone still uses blogs these days? If so, what platforms are still out there? I remember Blogger as being a free one way back.
I found out the hard way after re-booting the Fields of Fire forum that people aren't using forums as much as they had been in the past and that Facebook Groups had more or less replaced forums and Yahoo Groups. While I like FB for connections and news, I don't find larger article writing suits it the way blogs do.
Anyway, interested to see what people have to say on this.
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I am a blogger (see signature) and I love reading them. Definitely a fading platform though but it is the best way to document and track your work and also the best way to follow other hobbyists' work.
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Thanks Cod! :D This is true. I think that's why I'd want one, to track and document the many fires I have, and will have, in the proverbial fire.
@Westfalia Chris, I think I should have placed this in general discussion. Dunno why I put it here. Feel free to move.
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I still blog myself, I am a little late on posting, January was my last posting. I have a lot of subjects in drafts, it's just a matter of which one I finish first for posting. lol lol
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I'm afraid that's probably what I'll end up doing myself. lol Although I recently came across a blog that hadn't been updated since 2017, so it could be worse.
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My problem is life gets in the way too much right now. However, when I get my current project all together, I will be posting like a wild man again.
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Nah.
Ditched my blog...just post on LAF now...feedback (good or bad) seems more immediate here, plus the more (time) I spend on here, the more inspiration I get :D
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Don't get 'Tangoed' ::)
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Is that a reference to the Page that shall not be mentioned?? lol
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If you blog for traffic and 'ego' it isn't so 'rich' but if you blog for yourself and others who care 'enough', go for it.
I do it more to record for myself than others but appreciate when others stop by for a look. I really need to do more posts with photos than not. But, again, it is more for me than for others. Maybe when retirement arrives soon (June unofficially, July officially) I will be able to devote more time to hobbies and blogging.
As to "Tangoed" - that is a dude who seems to spend his life searching blogs and then posting about them without properly crediting his sources. But I abandoned visiting that site - too much a commode of a place.
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Thanks for the input Fifteens. It would mainly be for me and, like you said, people who care to follow it. Ego doesn't play into it for me.
As for Tango, yes I figured that's who you were talking about. He's a verb in Fields of Fire's "Code of Conduct" in regards to spamming the place.
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Todd if you get going with a blog,you may just get me inspired enough to re-start mine :)
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I blog, and continue to do so, although, yes life and work does get in the way. Posts are not always regular therefore.
I blog for myself in the first instance and enjoy the feedback I get, but I don't blog for comments and feedback. My blogs really a record of what I am up to, what I'm working on and what games I've played. It's nice when folk with the same interests get back to you with encouragement or ideas, and I've had a good number of off-blog discussions with those who've got in touch.
I enjoy reading other peoples blogs, those I find interesting and inspiring I feedback on and borrow ideas from.
On this forum there is a wider range of ideas, topics and information and I post regularly here too. If someone has an interesting post, I'll follow to their blog to find out more.
Other social media seldom gets me interested enough to respond to, but I usually read posts on facebook groups which I'm a member of. They seem more suited for sharing snippets of info and news, whereas a blog allows more detail and depth.
I use blogger and continue to do so, using the website via my iPad to write and respond. It works well enough and people have managed to use it to get in touch to order books from me, so it seems to do the job ok.
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I haven't updated mine in years :(
I used to write the draft on google docs at lunchtime (yeah, just lunchtime ::)). I had the photos on Picasa (the one before photos) and a script to link the document to the pictures and upload to blogger automatically.
Even with that level of automation I still struggled to find time to take and edit the photographs etc.
However, Google dropped Picasa and redid all the APIs, which completely broke my script. Work then blocked all Google sites (apart from search), so it just kindof died
It was for me, rather than fame and glory, but finding that only 10 people or so (on a good week) viewed the article sapped motivation as well. When more than half those visitors were automated web crawlers, that made me realise my time would be better spent painting stuff.
I have made a couple of half-hearted attempts to restart it, but they fizzled away within a day or so.
I do still read some blogs, but generally only those that come up when I'm searching for something. However, I much prefer them to podcasts and vlogs, as those media are difficult to skim, and I'm usually in a hurry :(
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I really appreciate all the input and experiences with your blogs (or not blogs) guys, thanks so much.
Todd if you get going with a blog,you may just get me inspired enough to re-start min
I'll PM you directly Guy if I get it up and going. :)
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My blog has been dead and gone for years I am afraid. I have had more success with Facebook pages; as an easier way to share stuff without all the image hosting faff.
As an observer, I enjoy finding a good blog and digging through their past posts but don't actively follow any anymore
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Every time I think blogging might be a good idea, I login here, and at The Wargamers Forum, and onto my local groups Salck site, and then ask myself 'why?'
I find inspiration and information in these three sites and can start or post to a thread if I think there is a reason. Plus, there is more 'community' input and comeraderie here.
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I'm still going. Like others I write stuff to record my hobby & interests. I also try to offer useful resources, databases, pdfs and tips. The key is making things easily accessible through tags, menus items and lists.
I get very few comments but when they do arrive they are always welcome. The big change in recent years is that most visitors are passive and don't see blogs as an interactive medium.
The most important thing is a carefully curated front page; no one wants to see a front page consisting of one long article with loads of text & pictures that are essential views of the same wargames table.
Stream of conciousness writing and poor grammar will not encourage people to return, follow or comment. So writing an interesting blog takes work. Novelty no longer cuts it.
If you want novelty in format head to YouTube where former bloggers will take 15 minutes of your time to read you a blog post that you could have read in 2 minutes. This too will pass.
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I follow a few blogs via RSS, but often find myself skipping over posts. I keep a couple of blogs myself on Blogger, one devoted to my gaming and modeling stuff, and the other everything else, and they serve several functions for me.
First, as a source that I can link images from to places like this. Second, as progress journals for whatever project I might be engaged in at any given time. Third, as a place for thinking aloud, usually about yet another house rule to whatever wargaming or roleplaying system I'm favouring at the time.
Something I like blogs for is modeling tutorials and reviews, but they're dwindling fast and these days everyone seems to head straight for Youtube to present their tutorials. A video tutorial can have its benefits, but they're not great when it comes to involved technical processes, when the ability to reread a text-&-images blog often makes the process a lot clearer. As for reviews, I can hardly think of a single instance where the video format is an improvement over text and photos.
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I still blog at our club's blog, chicagoskirmishwargames.com. I think we're using wordpress. Blogger is still free I think.
Our blog doesn't have open comments though and I typically also post small updates here and at Dakka. None of these generate alot of comments, but alot of people appear to at least be looking and I get periodic interaction, advice and encouragement which I do value. Perhaps ironically, the most consistent and engaging responses to my work came on a wargaming forum that I no longer participate in much for a few reasons.
Really though, I do it for myself. I very much enjoy being able to look back through our blog as it's a fairly complete log the last decade of my hobby and our club's activities. A few times a year I'll go down the rabbit hole reading old project logs and AAR's and I always find it pleasant. Lots of great memories and some very clear indicators of how far I/we have come. It's nice to know that stuff is stored somewhere not subject to the lifespan of a forum.
I'm not a member of FB/Insta/Whatever, so they don't figure into my hobby. YouTube likewise has a near-negligible effect on my hobby. I will occasionally watch some TMX content, but YT is generally just a way to spend an hour watching a lower-resolution video of what you could have read on a Blog in 5-10 minutes with better pictures.
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I've been Blogging for over fourteen years, the content varies, but is mainly about my wargaming hobby. I don't find it a chore, but enjoy writing it as a record of my hobby. I have often thought that there must be a better way, but after so long and feeling comfortable with what I do, I don't expect to change now.
I use Blogger, but for the main reason that it is free and it is the one that my son set up for me all those years ago.
Like earlier comments, the amount of views and the number of comments are well down, but I do not write for views or comments, but for myself.
I try to have between 10 and 15 posts a month, sometimes more but am not worried if I don't post daily or this regularly. I think of it as a personal hobby diary and would recommend it as a pastime.
Tony
https://dampfpanzerwagon.blogspot.com/
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Another option for a blog - and one I hope to explore more in retirement - is to use it to tell narrative stories with our miniatures. See General Pettygree for one of the best examples. Also, War in 15 mm's vanity site, as he calls it, is a great option for sharing our hobby.
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I still follow a few blogs. You often see more pictures and details than most people post on laf. I watch a lot of hobby videos (aquariums, modeling, painting) on youtube but generally those are specific to projects I am working on or techniques I am considering while blogs I just follow to see what others are doing.
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Okay, I'm here again,
I blog on blogger as many here may` do it to share ideas and projects. I like to show how others can build terrain on the cheap or doing head swaps to create a different figure. I post ideas and projects I am working on. I strictly in do things in 15mm hoping to inspire and to see others giving it try, to see their creation hopefully post here or on The Wargames Website.
If I was doing this for fame lol lol then I must be totally doing it wrong. I guess if I was going to do it for fame then I would be on Instagram, Twitter or YouTube.
For me this is my history of gaming.
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An interesting question that just happens to have been asked a a time when I have pulled back from wargaming social media in an attempt to free up excessive time spent at the keyboard.
I would describe my blog as being fairly successful with a good number of followers and a good monthly hit rate.
However, my posted articles tend to be quite lengthy, detailed and often analytical. The consequence is that the demands in time to service that are high. I have also been a very productive commentator and supporter of other blogs and the combination of those two things is quite a time sink.
A further disincentive is that for the work put in, only a small core of regularly kindly folk take the the time to comment and engage at the blog.
I wrote a final ‘transmission ending’ post at the link below, that better explains things. I may return at some point, revitalised, but that doesn’t feel like something I want to do right now,
LINK
http://battlefieldswarriors.blogspot.com/2022/03/suspending-blog-activity.html
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I still use a blog, but mainly to have a place to collect all the pictures of my models and beeing able to use them here and elsewere as I once lost all my pictures as the photohosting site started to charge exceptionally high charges. The other reason is to be able to track my work, as often I can't remember the colors I used on a paintjob and if I want to repeat it .....
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In the light of this discussion I've been reviewing the blogs that have directed people to my blog and found and noticed a few no nos:
- Failure to use the read now function leading to over long front pages (most common & already noted)
- Using a page width that fits their laptop but doesn't work when windowed or on smaller screens (basic web design).
There's even one using the blog to ask for subjects for future videos!!!
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I blog via http://www.deartonyblair.co.uk (http://www.deartonyblair.co.uk) and have done for years. Mostly about old school miniatures and occasionally old school gaming. There are a lot of regularly updated blogs out there.
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I don't blog, have no interest in blogging and frankly think 99.something percent of the blogs that are out there are junk. I am an old school believer that fora and chat groups are the best venue for hobby interaction and discussion.
I have about half a dozen active blogs saved in my PC bookmarks which are either military tech or history "research" sites or sites dedicated to supporting a given rule system. For generic "thoughts and opinions" content I think podcasts are a much better resource. I will happily listen through hours of those while painting but have absolutely no desire to sit at a screen and read that same content.
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The most important thing is a carefully curated front page; no one wants to see a front page consisting of one long article with loads of text & pictures that are essential views of the same wargames table.
No one?
Are you sure, because that's *exactly* how I like my blogs. 😁
I dislike having to click through to "read more" as I am interested in the latest update
They are, in my view and as the name suggests, logs or diaries.
So a first page with just the latest update on is exactly what I want and I tend to follow those and click away from the "read more/jump link" blogs.
And don't get me started on that format where it's a bunch of pictures on a grid you're supposed to mouse over and click on!
Carefully curated content with links and clicks through to other content are websites rather than blogs IMO.
I realise that WordPress in particular blurs the line between blog and website but I view them as distinct and serving different needs.
But wouldn't it be dull if we all thought the same? :)
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I think all I'd add to all the above comments is that if you are seeking the dopamine hit of people replying/commenting/liking/sharing your content (and who doesn't love a bit of that?) then there are other (newer) social media platforms that deliver that much more effectively.
In the past people kept paper diaries - most of them weren't expecting them to be read by anyone else - they were a record of personal thoughts, reflections, passions and ideas. I think of blogs as a modern, electronic version of that format.
It used to be a cliche of Indie bands in the music press of the 90s to mumble "we just make music for ourselves and if anyone else likes it, that's a bonus" but that is pretty much how I view my blog :D
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No one?
Are you sure, because that's *exactly* how I like my blogs. 😁
I dislike having to click through to "read more" as I am interested in the latest update
Think Im the same. I just dont bother looking at front pages and web site design. I just read the latest stuff and take inspiration. As long as the blog has a menu Im happy.
I have a blog but as others have mentioned its more to record what Im doing than to get hits. Get more feedback on facebook posts these days. Blog interaction is very limited these days.
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I dislike having to click through to "read more" as I am interested in the latest update
Then an RSS reader is ideal for you.
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If I wanted an RSS reader I'd use one.
But I don't.
Thanks for the advice though.
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Still happily blogging after 10 years and as others have mentioned I use it as a personal record of all the things that I have done in this hobby. It also helps to generate a bit of pocket money (about 200 quid a year) and perhaps most importantly it has introduced me to a bunch of new local gamers who I might never have met otherwise.
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Still blogging after 11 years, about 2 posts per month and drawing 100-150 visitors a day. Regular comments, especially on recent posts. So I must be doing something right :D
I think Facebook is useless for the kind of blogs I write. I tend to write info-rich reviews and how-tos that you can't possibly put in a FB post in any comprehensive way and wouldn't be able to find them again if you did.
FB is good for sharing a few pictures and sharing tips, insights and links, but that's about it IMO.
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I had a personal blog about 5-6 years ago...maybe more, but joined with a few other friends into one we hoped would improve the the views for all:
https://wyrdstonesandtacklezones.com/
Several years ago, we were doing unboxing posts of Forge World Blood Bowl models and that grew our numbers and engagement dramatically. Buying Forge World models regularly is expensive though, and as the blog isn't a money making venture (we don't do ads) this feature had to get dropped due to cost. Plus, personally, I'm not a fan of unboxing posts so when the individual posting those also got out of the game of Blood Bowl and blogs, those posts totally went away.
As it currently stands, I'm the one that posts the most frequently. One moved more over to Instagram and Facebook, the other is in the military with not a lot of hobby time atm. I don't do social media, so LAF and that blog are my outlets. often times I just post the same content in both around the same time.
I think we've settled down to around 100 views a day on average. I get a few commentators on the posts, but it's the same couple of individuals. I mainly do it now in the case that some poor soul in the future is interested in similar type of games and modeling as I (mainly BB and 1/72 models) and will have this resource. Social Media seems terrible for searching for historical posts...it seems like posts are frequently pushed down and washed away over time. A blog feels like the contend can remain longer...and is certainly available to more people (no logins or gates preventing views).
TBH, I'm not sure how much longer I'll keep going on the blogging. I do like to read older posts on topics of interest, so I maintain that there are a few others that do so as well, so that's mainly what keeps me keeping on.
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This topic has turned out to be a wealth of info and input! Thanks lads! :D
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Still have mine but have not posted in years should get back to it just posting photos have been a pain.
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Started my blog 4 and a bit years ago. A repository for all my bits of paper, took a bit of a change during lockdown as it was a means to retaining my sanity. Got a few messages from readers who thanked me for helping keep them sane too. Really happy with that tbh.
The other ego boost was wandering around Sulby Hedges and seeing someone finding their way with a print out of my guide to Naseby.
As my blog has a very narrow focus (just covers the ECW/BCW/Wo3K) I am somewhat taken aback that the page counter has just rolled past 250k.
So I wouldn't think that blogs have seen their day just yet.
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Had mine since 2011 and now use mostly to host photos. Never monetized it as I figure if someone wants to see my stuff they will look. If they don't then they won't.
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I have a buy me a coffee button. I wasn't going to bother, as I consider my blog karmic payback for every other website that I have used. But a regular reader specifically asked to donate, so I set it up. I also run Google ads (really stripped back) and have a couple of affiliate links (that I use for myself, effectively giving me 10% discount). Thought if I covered the cost of the annual domain registration I'd be happy. Can't retire on it, but it has bought a few books in the 18 months I've monetized the site.
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This is an idea I may suggest our blog guy do. There are enough people viewing the site that maybe folks would pitch in a bit. I don't think it's exorbitant, but having our own domain certainly isn't free.
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I still blog occasionally but largely as a record for my own use of things I have done rather than content for an audience.
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Thanks lads. Hummmster, I think I was considering blogging for the same reason.
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I still blog occasionally but largely as a record for my own use of things I have done rather than content for an audience.
Me too. Its great to keep track of what I have done and it helps to remind of what I was intending!
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I tend to create blogs for separate project or groups of related themes. That means some can go a long time without updates while that project is in the freezer. I don't really do it so much for the exposure, but like many others, as a log for myself, to find everything regarding to a given project in a structured, organized place.
I still post the same contents to the forum as I don't want to lure people away to the blog. But it serves a different goal.
And I posted project information on a forum in the past that then disappeared which I wish I still had, so I'm not putting my eggs in one basket anymore.
Just a handful of my blogs (there are more, I fear):
http://whiteknightminiatureimperium.blogspot.com (http://whiteknightminiatureimperium.blogspot.com)
http://motu-wargames.blogspot.com/ (http://motu-wargames.blogspot.com/)
http://zorro28mm.blogspot.com/ (http://zorro28mm.blogspot.com/)
http://bd-wars.blogspot.com/ (http://bd-wars.blogspot.com/)
http://victorianhorrorfigures.blogspot.com/[/img]](http://victorianhorrorfigures.blogspot.com/) (http://[img)
http://swashbucklingsessions.blogspot.com/ (http://swashbucklingsessions.blogspot.com/)
https://weirdworldwar2.blogspot.com/ (https://weirdworldwar2.blogspot.com/)
http://80spulp.blogspot.com/ (http://80spulp.blogspot.com/)
https://americancitiesofgold.blogspot.com/ (https://americancitiesofgold.blogspot.com/)
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I still blog, mostly for my own record, very little of late as I have been renovating a lot before our tourist season starts ....... hardly been painting either as I have been dog tired.
It biggest advantage is I use it to host my photos to link to forums!
https://stormandconquest.blogspot.com/ (https://stormandconquest.blogspot.com/)
Cheers
Matt
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I blog simply to keep track of things we do. Sometimes we get feedback but mostly not.
I also put some info at the blog I find about the Dutch army of the French revolution.
In fact I don't like Facebook etc.
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I have posted earlier. I agree with everyone about a blog as a record of our work and they make for great references too. I have posted old blog post photos for ideas and inspiration. I also post a lot of photos of my current projects on here, sure I provide a link to my, blog but for the most part most of the if not all of my blog photos are posted in my post on here.
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WoW! Great blogs! I need to see about setting up my own!
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I've recently started a blog, and it's focused on just one project (a late 15th century one).
http://fullharness.blogspot.com
The reason I wanted to do this is to have a one-stop place to showcase my project in its entirity, which means showcasing my finished units, work in progress things with info on conversions etc, and all my historical research on the subject. So if someone asks "where can I see your stuff?" I can point them to the blog and say "It's all there".
With this in mind I've put quite a lot of effort to make the blog itself look good and be easy to navigate, with a nifty dropdown menu.... I've twisted the blog format a bit to get just what I want.
It's very nice to know people read it and follow my progress. I've just had it up for a few months now so only have a small number of subscribers, and it would be nice for that number to grow, hopefully it will over time. Comments are always gratefully received, it's nice to know when people are enjoying what you're doing!
I use facebook simply as a way to post the pics of the latest finished unit and hopefully direct people to the blog.
The facebook format does annoy me in many ways, but it is admittedly handy when you post something to get an instant continuous update of how many people 'like' it. Even when you get barely any comments, knowing that "153 people liked this post" or whatever is nice - getting feedback or acknowledgement on forums does rely solely on people putting the effort in to reply to your thread.
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I have attempted several blogs, but sooner or later all my ideas disintegrate and my projects collapse, then I feel this compulsive need to delete the blog and pretend it never existed.
After the fourth time this happened, I decided to give up blogging for good.
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3 more thoughts.
1. Another use for Blogs is as a clearinghouse for selling things on forums. I've been maintaining a sale page for Wargames and one for Model trains on my Model Train blog for a while now. A picture hostings service is good, but a blog page is such an easy place to post pics and prices and then modify add or remove them as necessary. Especially when one posts things for sale across multiple forums.
2. I may have said this earlier, but just recently I again found myself enjoying diving into the old pages of my wargame club's blog and revisiting old battles and projects. It's like a virtual scrap/photobook, and I probably go back and dig into it a few times a year.
3. I was at TMX 2 weekends ago and I had someone come up to our mech attack table and comment on how he'd seen the buildings I was using years ago on my blog. So I guess I made an impression on someone!
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I still blog, though not as frequently as I would like. Mine is a cornucopia of articles. From hobby thoughts to narrative gaming, a log of our DnD campaign in narrative form, how-tos, and a record of what i am up to, I write about whatever is on my mind. I have a couple "blog buddies" that I've met over the years and its the main way we interact, following and commenting on each other's projects and random thoughts.
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My Lead Legionaries blog has been going for a number of years, now. It took over from a classic web page when I reached my storage limit. I like how blogger has the topics sidebars so that folks who want to follow my French & Indian War stuff can just click on that and not have to wade through my more recent Saga or Sunday night wargaming posts.
Of course, I am a frustrated writer with a Journalism degree so you'd expect me to want to write, I suppose... lol
Feel free to have a look (link in signature)!
Mike Demana
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My own favorite are the Chicago Skirmish Wargamers, mostly because they have game sessions of games I'm thinking of playing.
I end up on blogs when looking for painting tutorials and photo-heavy battle reports of the livelier miniature skirmish games, such as Song of Blades and Heroes.
Static display photos are fine, but I paint to play, and it's interesting seeing different manufacturer's miniatures and terrain side-by-side.
Myself, I'm lazy :P so just post on forums, such as Reaper's. Currently posting some Song of Blade and Hero playtests of Juegorama's miniatures.
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My own favorite are the Chicago Skirmish Wargamers, mostly because they have game sessions of games I'm thinking of playing.
Thanks so much, that's high praise and it's great to hear folks enjoy our posts.
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As you can see here: https://wargamesgazette.com/ , my blog is still active alas not as frequently updated as it used to be.
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I think you're right in saying how much FB has taken over from other web based mediums. The problem with FB is posts just disappear faster than yesterday's newspapers. So if you want a reasonable archive of everything you post, you've either got to have a website, or a blog. You can then use FB, Insta, Twitter, etc to share a blog link, and the traffic it should generate might make up for how soon the link post disappears off the page.
I considered going back to blogging, 6milphil.wordpress.com, but the time involved has become untenable when compared to making, painting, or playing something. I still use it as an archive, largely for photos, typically in social media when I have a blog post or picture which would usefully answer someone's question.
I wrote a post about linking to blogs which might prove interesting, it applies to all social media even though it was written for here; https://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=46055.0
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After a brief spell of being disenchanted with blogging, due to the hours I put in, the high volume of visit, but the low number of readers who actually interacted / commented, I have bounced back somewhat.
A couple of days ago, I put up a post that was just shy of 5000 words, so a fair bit of work, but I accept not many people want to wade through a post of that length. My return to blogging has though, caused me to switch my comment section off.
It feels a bit unnatural to do that, as it undermines the principles of ‘community’ that blogging is meant to reflect, but for me, it does make the issue of general non-participation invisible, which helps this blogger.
As an aside, the recent post was big, even for me! and the hours taken has somewhat calmed my enthusiasm to do another in depth article …. for now. As mentioned above, time can be better spent gaming.
I don’t mind people not reading or liking blogs, but when a blog is read or followed, it just strikes me as a bit of internet courtesy to every now and then, just add a comment of appreciation to the blog - it does help oil the wheels.
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Spurred by this thread I analysed my blogging (see the attachment) activity over the years. There are peaks and troughs by I've been reasonably consistent. Please bear in mind that some posts didn't pass the test of time and have been weeded out.
Live view (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vRo6vQkpB8y-KQdceioyTNh1A5kJCy7H2aFzW5XdcVThtrB61yv-pKEKyrTBtu5AMAIOuVdtLlYmIld/pubhtml?gid=1501397286&single=true)
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Martin, I like your blog and think it has some useful as well as impressively painted stuff on it.
Personally I do my blog for myself. I started 10+ years ago I i and have been posting roughly weekly since then. It covers my reasonable skilled efforts of painting (compared with some at least - I'm a decent table top painter) with the occasional game report/review. I'm honored that I have a small but reasonable number of followers.
But I do it as much for myself as for others. It contains a great record of my work etc. I also do not comment too many other blogs - I don't follow a few but more check out things when surfing the web etc.
So for me my blog is much for me as for comments of others.
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I got to my hundredth post for this year - so very pleased with blogs, I would otherwise forget things...
https://frictionbmcminiatures.blogspot.com/2022/
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As you can see here: https://wargamesgazette.com/ , my blog is still active alas not as frequently updated as it used to be.
I was looking at your blog earlier. Wanted to check out the frostgrave Barbarians. Small world..
I think you're right in saying how much FB has taken over from other web based mediums. The problem with FB is posts just disappear faster than yesterday's newspapers. So if you want a reasonable archive of everything you post, you've either got to have a website, or a blog. You can then use FB, Insta, Twitter, etc to share a blog link, and the traffic it should generate might make up for how soon the link post disappears off the page.
Social media has made it too easy to run a 'blog' with an immediate audience but it also makes everything disposable by design. Social medias design to make you scroll down an unlimited list of heavily curated things, never enough to actually fulfill your desires but enough to keep you chasing your tail. It's dystopian and something I personally try to avoid. Discord giving instant (ish) feedback is also slightly better than Facebook and especially instagram but I find I dislike those communities and people in charge so I never stick around. There's nothing like a good old fashioned blog where you can follow progress of a project over months. This forums pretty good for doing the same thing but it can also be full of filler comments (no offense to people posting supporting comments, I'm sure the owner appreciates it but as a project follower it's just stuff to scroll past). The youtube thing is also reducing the blog sphere quite a lot. People see money signs making youtube channels and end up buried because they never get recommended while the top channels do over and over again.. But blogs are timeless and there's something comfy about reading a 12 month project from start to finish in an afternoon.
I've found blogsofwar is great for finding blogs you might other wise miss but Brave search also gave us a great new tool. They recently added Goggles as a feature where you can decide what search results you want to see. They have news sources leanings and similar stuff like that but it has the holy grail for blog searching. No Pintrest results. And holy crap does that instantly improve search results. Search "Frostgrave barbarians" and hit image search and you discover lots of blogs painting them or sprues of them being built. Makes a world of difference and I highly recommend trying it if you want to find more "old chap chasing his passion" blogs rather than pinterest garbage.
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Been giving this some thought and I think another value of blogs is as a tool to add context and explanation. When you're in a forum conversation about a game, project, technique, event, etc, it adds allot of clarity to not just be able to make a comment but to be able link to the words and pictures that illustrate your point or experience.
Having a blog archive to quote and/or link alows you too remain succinct in your comment while simultaneously providing context and allowing readers the option to read further for edification or clarification.
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I've found blogsofwar is great for finding blogs you might other wise miss
Can you post a link to that?
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Can you post a link to that?
I guess they must mean wargamesblogs (http://wargamesblogs.blogspot.com/) - new to me!
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I guess they must mean wargamesblogs (http://wargamesblogs.blogspot.com/) - new to me!
That's alot of Blogs, almost too many. I added Chicago Skirmish Wargames anyway.
Another benefit of the long running blog. I just had a PM exchange this week with a member here about a game some of our club used to play. They found out posts worthy of a couple hours reading! That the blog posts can be useful years later to someone is certainly an argument in their favor.
I doubt I'd have the same exchange about social media posts from years past if that were my meliu.
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That's alot of Blogs, almost too many. I added Chicago Skirmish Wargames anyway.
Another benefit of the long running blog. I just had a PM exchange this week with a member here about a game some of our club used to play. They found out posts worthy of a couple hours reading! That the blog posts can be useful years later to someone is certainly an argument in their favor.
I doubt I'd have the same exchange about social media posts from years past if that were my meliu.
As long as you can find them blogs are awesome for that. Or trying to find pictures of a sprue or size comparison. Things that get buried else where.
Finding your old blog can be fun as well, or make you wonder how you forgot like six months of gaming and people related to it you chatted with online.
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I had never seen that link before -- looks like an impressive list. I confess I am a bit bummed my Lead Legionaries hasn't made the list. I have been updating it fairly regularly since 2013. I link posts of mine here on Lead Adventure Forum, too. How does one get listed on this?
Mike Demana
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I had never seen that link before -- looks like an impressive list. I confess I am a bit bummed my Lead Legionaries hasn't made the list. I have been updating it fairly regularly since 2013. I link posts of mine here on Lead Adventure Forum, too. How does one get listed on this?
Mike Demana
There's a submission box at the bottom of the page.
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There's a submission box at the bottom of the page.
Thanks! I'll try that!!
Mike Demana
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I've to using blogs as online journals and Central information clearing houses for multi-player games. If you set the blog up correctly, with pages, you can have both a newsfeed and a location for reference materials such as rules, maps, army locations, and current orders of battle. The comment section makes for a useful method of communication among the participants as well. In short, I'm a big fan.
It won't get a whole lot of views, but can be is a very useful tool. It's sort of a low rent wiki for guys don't want to deal with the hassle of running an actual wiki. And if you're running it for a small pool of friends, the number of views doesn't really concern so much as the usefulness.
Obligatory plug and proof concept time - I've been running a group solo campaign using blogger. You can join the fun and follow along here:
https://thesneedvillewar.blogspot.com/
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Can you post a link to that?
Nah. Can't be any good. Mine isn't on it lol
But seriously. I submitted mine as well.
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But seriously. I submitted mine as well.
lol lol
Now we sit around and wait and see how long it takes to make the cut!
Mike Demana
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lol lol
Now we sit around and wait and see how long it takes to make the cut!
Mike Demana
5 days and counting.... ;)
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I've been blogging for years now and will give it up when Google no longer supports it I suppose.
The advantage for me is that it's my domain (effectively) so I get to shape my pages how I like. I'm not sure if there are any rules but I haven't been limited yet by arbitrary decisions over content. Not that I'm looking to peddle any particular abhorrent philosophy or anything but I'm free to include images like a properly marked up German aircraft of WW2 - if you get my meaning. You can also make a contribution on your own blog without fear of contradiction or criticism which is also nice. The flip side is that you can't get into a discussion so much but that's what forums are for.
I follow many other blogs and check in daily. I think blogs give quality and quantity which all other mediums lack. I can also refer back to my own older postings and those of the other bloggers - and I do. I know YouTube videos are becoming increasingly popular but frankly, they are over-used and often for wargaming content which doesn't require footage and would be better off as written content with photography.
There was a time I was too interested in building followers and counting hits - I don't care about that now. I'm of a generation who could care less about followers or influencing - let the peddlers of Twitter and YouTube content worry about such things.
Sometimes I'll post on this forum and less often on Facebook if I think there might be a wider interest in something I've discovered or learned through one of my builds. I do catalogue most of my output on my blog but it's not always something I feel the need to share more widely.
As I personally loath commercialism, I don't advertise on my blog - it's a hobby, not my job. I admit to despising the Patreon obsession which has crept through the ranks of YouTubers which is all but universal now - not to mention endorsements and sponsorships which I suppose I just did. The bloggosphere is largely free of all that.
I note that some of us have allowed blogs to go dormant - at least for a time. I run four but only one or two are ever particularly active over any span of time. Yet the content is still there - I think of it as an evolving electronic book or magazine. I suggest this is better than the rubbish content that 'professionalised' and full-time YouTubers now clearly feel oblige to pump out. Some of them have bottomed out from what I can see in their chosen field but their funding model doesn't appear to allow them to stop -so quality and content is in serious decline.
I think I've written enough.
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I know YouTube videos are becoming increasingly popular but frankly, they are over-used and often for wargaming content which doesn't require footage and would be better off as written content with photography.
This is so true.
99% of YouTube wargames content I see I think - "this video would have made an excellent blog post" - usually as I turn it off one minute into it's twenty minute run time.
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lol lol
Now we sit around and wait and see how long it takes to make the cut!
Mike Demana
Guess I didn't. Nearly two weeks in and no sign of life. Well, we can't all rise to greatness lol
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^^^ Yeah, so I guess it is not being actively updated. Probably has automatic systems in place to label and sort everything.
Unlucky General - I echo your comments 100%! I agree with what you said. I currently have one miniature wargaming blog and one travel blog. I update the travel one several times a year, and the wargaming one 3-4 times a month. I enjoy reading blog posts because many writers do a great job of injecting their personality into their writing. I honestly feel like I'm talking modeling with them over a beer - or sitting in a living room shooting the breeze. I guess it's because I have always enjoyed reading. Blogs are where my wargaming/modeling hobby meet my love of reading.
Mike Demana
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Here's an interesting thing...
Over the last few months the most popular post on my blog for views, by far, has been my entry entitled An Imaginations Game: Wars of Stagonian Aggression(link (https://codstickershistoricals.blogspot.com/2021/06/an-imaginations-game-stagonian-wars-of.html)). 73 views in the last 24 hours from Russia. Oddly enough, also may views from Indonesia. My guess is that Russian bots are crawling the intrawebs targeting anything using the words "war", "aggression" or possibly the phrase "war of aggression".
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Was looking back at my earlier comments and how things have come in the past couple months as I've been back to blogging a bit more often. As long as I'm blogging on things that I'm interested in and actively doing I seem to find the blogs extremely useful reference in discussions I have on my online discussions which primarily happen on this site, Dakka, and the OPR and Bedroom Battlefields discord chat.
Not having to reinvent the wheel when a topic you're interested in is quite useful, especially when you can post a little bit and direct folks to the blog for more info and having easily-linkable pictures on a given topic permanently available on the blog.
Still thinking on it, but blogs may have a particular usefullnes when interacting on the more temporary "conversation" outlets like Discord where what you post is part of a discussion, but essentially disappears from view after a day or two. Referrending a blog is extremely useful for a discussion where you want to share complete information but don't want to write a full discourse for a post that no one will read after that week.
Lastly, maybe I'm just obsessed with my hobby and my club, but I still find myself frequently -often after pulling up the blog to link something to a discussion- falling down the rabbit hole of clicking on one of the "related" links to another of our posts, and another, and another... Maybe it's a good thing in that it builds a kind of thankfulness for the group and the experiences we've had. I probably wouldn't be able to find all this stuff scattered across a decade on various forums, but I can always find it on our blog.
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Agree that bots boost viewing figures :)
I had a home brew set of rules that had a title that when mentioned seemed to promote such interest, to the point that I changed their name and went back into previous posts to make sure the changes were wide spread enough to reduce the issue.
General participation with my blog continues to disappoint though. I have just posted up a 5,000 word article and a day later have had 242 views here ….. yet just 3 responses and those 3 responses are from kindly folk who regularly do that. To me, there seems a huge imbalance between effort in versus lack of recognition by an audience that is consuming the content. I would not expect or want to be overrun with response, but a ratio of 3 in 242 is disheartening in anyone’s books. If thoughtful blog content is not going to be visibly appreciated, we are going to be left with a blogosphere of ‘look what I painted last week’ type posts and blogging will have lost its diversity and pulse, we may as well surrender ourselves to bite sized FaceBook entries that are born, fade and die within 24 hours.
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Two things Norm:
[1] Don't conflate hits with readers (3 of 242 etc). A 5k article may well suffer from tldr for many. I know I was one of your visitors who left early. You also seem to have had more comments since you posted here.
[2] If you like long articles then a structure with a summary, contents section, headings and conclusion will aid your readers but only if combined with internal hyperlinks (contents to secions etc). This will mean learning a bit of html but it's not that hard.
I'd be interested to read what you expected readers to say about your post on the Perry rules.
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Hi, thanks for feedback.
I felt that the Perry rules were quite a hot new thing and that my own enthusiasm to give them a try might be matched by others being keen to want to know more early doors.
I not particularly want sweeties thrown at me, my blog loved or for my ego to be tickled, so I am not looking for thank you’s, but a bigger buzz was my expectation.
I will take the point that perhaps this was the wrong post / too long for a greater part of the audience, but my effort in (5000 word article) and enthusiasm, left me expecting more and that obviously is my mistake, but from my blogger perspective, my time might have been better spent by playing the game a second time for my own enjoyment and perhaps painting another regiment.
It is however helpful to get a dose of reality now and then, even though it means that I am likely to throttle back on future articles ….. perhaps a good thing.
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Life is brief, blogs are many and, even in retirement, time is short.
Time spent composing and posting a reply is time not spent reading other blogs.
By and large, I would only post something if I felt I had something pertinent to say that hadn't already been said.
"Blessed is the man with nothing to say who cannot be persuaded to say it!" :)
Of course, it's not just blogs. There are also Youtube, Twitch and forums such as this, TWW and Pendraken (to name but a few).
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I felt that the Perry rules were quite a hot new thing and that my own enthusiasm to give them a try might be matched by others being keen to want to know more early doors.
That's a reasonable expectation. With hindsight, perhaps a shorter overview and first impressions would have been better. It would test whether your reaction was shared by others. If so you had the material for a follow up post or two.
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With all the channels like Faceache, Instagram, forums, Twitch, etc as well as blogs it is hard to attract an audience to blogs.
Norm - I would argue to include your blog(s) links in your profile as it is likely to get more interested people visiting.
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Thanks, done. Cheers
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Years back I kept getting asked if I planned on setting up a blog. I couldn’t back then, what with all the work travel and such.
But I did set up a Flickr account that has become a sporadic record of my sculpting and terrain projects. Now, because of health reasons, I haven’t done much in either of those two fields of interest, the sculpting and terrain stuff, but I’m keeping my Flickr account up and running. It helps keep me focused on a goal at least.
Dan
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I have two blogs, one I share that records the games my mates and I play fortnightly, we all access that and the other is for my own VSF musings but that’s been very quiet this year due to personal reasons but I will get back to it next year. I find they act as a diary of sorts, I’m not fussed about views and comments though I find comments a boost when I do get some! I say blog away!
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Hi, thanks for feedback.
I felt that the Perry rules were quite a hot new thing and that my own enthusiasm to give them a try might be matched by others being keen to want to know more early doors.
I not particularly want sweeties thrown at me, my blog loved or for my ego to be tickled, so I am not looking for thank you’s, but a bigger buzz was my expectation.
I will take the point that perhaps this was the wrong post / too long for a greater part of the audience, but my effort in (5000 word article) and enthusiasm, left me expecting more and that obviously is my mistake, but from my blogger perspective, my time might have been better spent by playing the game a second time for my own enjoyment and perhaps painting another regiment.
It is however helpful to get a dose of reality now and then, even though it means that I am likely to throttle back on future articles ….. perhaps a good thing.
Norm the following may sound critical but isn't intended to be.
I think you're expecting the blog platform to work in a way that it isn't designed for and just doesn't behave.
You *seem* to be looking for a specific sort of engagement - replies/comments and the start of a dialogue. That isn't what blogs exist to do. It isn't what *most* online writing does. You have around 1% of your readers reacting in the way you want them to. I think that's actually pretty good.
Blogs are fundamentally a "transmit" platform - you broadcast your thoughts, opinions, pretty pictures and (in my case) lame jokes.
Readers take that in but they don't *expect* to reply or respond. Any more than they do when reading newspaper articles, or books or watching television. They are essentially expecting to be passive consumers of your thoughts.
Other social media platforms (FB/Twitter etc.) have added a simple feedback loop (the "like" button) that gives the creator a dopamine hit of positive feedback with very little effort on the part of the reader. Blogs don't do this.
The feedback on blogs is reader numbers. Volume tells you you're doing a good job as people keep coming back and reading. 300 views for a niche interest not heavily advertised blog post is, I'd say, pretty good going. Most of my posts (which are nowhere near as well thought out, well written or thoughtful as yours) get nowhere near that number. Though I do get about the same % number of replies - about 1 per 100.
So if it's replies and conversation you want then Blogger is not the platform. Nor, TBH is FB or Insta.
As this thread is demonstrating if you want that kind of interaction the best place is on forums like this one :) We're on page 7 now, so people are interested in the topic and are discussing.
IMO it's good to have the argument/review/discussion point held on a blog as forums are not great for long form.
So my suggestion would be it ain't broke, there's nothing to fix.
Your blog gets strong visitor numbers and the number of people who want to discuss your thoughts will do so right here.
Take pleasure from the reader and follower numbers on the blog and post links to your thoughts here (and on other forums) and reap the discussion rewards on those platforms.
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Thanks, that is helpful. ‘passive consumers’ is an excellent way to describe the blogging experience and is something that I have long attached negative connotations to, but your pragmatic view of the same does strike a chord. Cheers Norm.
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Blogging is much closer to journalism than it is to a debate.
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Blogging is much closer to journalism than it is to a debate.
Closer to journalism than today’s “journalism”. :)
Dan
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I have attempted several blogs, but sooner or later all my ideas disintegrate and my projects collapse, then I feel this compulsive need to delete the blog and pretend it never existed.
After the fourth time this happened, I decided to give up blogging for good.
Despite this rather depressed-sounding post, I've started a new blog at https://the-infernal-crusade.blogspot.com/
Took me AGES to write the first post, though. I'd forgotten how much time I can pour into writing, and how much I obsess over every word and punctuation mark. I think I paint miniatures faster than this! Still, my motivation is pretty high right now, so I have hopes for this one.
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I like the sounds of your project; you need to add a Follow button so we can keep up. :)
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Took me AGES to write the first post, though. I'd forgotten how much time I can pour into writing, and how much I obsess over every word and punctuation mark.
It's good to see a blogger put some in effort. Slightly tongue-in-cheek (see what I'm doing here), can I add the hyphen to the things you obsess about:
- above-ground
- three-dimensional
- board-gaming
- two-dimensional
- dungeon-crawling
- single-chamber
- micro-campaign
Whatever you do have fun. ;)
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Yeah, I'm pretty obsessed with parentheses, hyphens, and semicolons!
I'm also never quite sure if I'm using them correctly!
I like the sounds of your project; you need to add a Follow button so we can keep up. :)
Thanks! I've added one!
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Interesting project - and good to have something constrained in scope to allow it to come to completion!
I’d suggest trying a few interconnected rooms - to give a bit of tactical variation - otherwise it might start to feel more like a gladiator arena, rather than a dungeon. And given the name I’m hoping to see some Demons or Devils putting in an appearance before too long.
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Yeah, I'm pretty obsessed with parentheses, hyphens, and semicolons! I'm also never quite sure if I'm using them correctly!
If it helps, there's only one in the list that is even remotely correct. ;)
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If it helps, there's only one in the list that is even remotely correct. ;)
Bugger! Well, I never really understood the rules of English anyway.
I’d suggest trying a few interconnected rooms - to give a bit of tactical variation - otherwise it might start to feel more like a gladiator arena, rather than a dungeon.
That is actually the idea! Therefore a complete dungeon micro-campaign, perhaps involving three rooms, would be a series of three gladiatorial matches with variations of scenery and monsters, which would be connected with each other only by narrative, but not actually on the table.
And given the name I’m hoping to see some Demons or Devils putting in an appearance before too long.
Well, the word 'infernal' derives from the Latin inferus which simply means 'below' or 'under' (and where we get the word 'inferior', for example). It doesn't necessarily relate to 'Hell', as we have come to understand Hell via popular literature. Though, as my pal Hobgoblin wrote in his own blog (here (http://hobgoblinry.blogspot.com/2018/09/dungeons-are-hell.html) and here (http://hobgoblinry.blogspot.com/2018/09/hell-aint-bad-place-to-be.html)), Hell and dungeons could really be the same place, and humanoid monsters (such as orcs or beastmen) could be regarded as minor demons.
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Hi All
I tend to think of my blog as a project note book, a record of my research for modelling projects, sources, inspiration. I have a handful of followers, but doubt these eight are responsible for nearly 8,000 page views.
It’s useful for keeping tabs on other blogs which I have found inspirational, although I find folk on Facebook more ‘interactive’, but then I don’t comment much.
Cheers
JJ
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I don’t mind people not reading or liking blogs, but when a blog is read or followed, it just strikes me as a bit of internet courtesy to every now and then, just add a comment of appreciation to the blog - it does help oil the wheels.
Couldn’t agree more. I started my blog hoping to become part of a community of bloggers and readers, but I disappointingly get few comments. Like you, too, I tend to put a few hours into every post between the writing, photo selecting/editing/sequencing/captioning, and all of the links I try to include.
That said, I’m glad I do it (sporadic though it may be). I met one of my closest gaming mates by first becoming a big fan of his blog. Eventually I deduced we lived in the same metropolitan area, and if he hadn’t been blogging, I’d be much poorer for it.
I blog for pretty much all of the reasons already mentioned: sharing tutorials; random musings about my lifetime of gaming; sharing the great photos my wife takes of our games; capturing my group’s monthly games (Second Saturday Scrum Club); writing up con reports; tracking my progress on projects; sharing game material/aids I create for my club’s games; reviewing new rule sets we’ve tried out…pretty much the gamut. If I don’t feel like painting/crafting or can’t get a game organized with pals, my blog is another option for me to engage in my hobby. In that light, I try to share a bit about myself through talking about gaming; as a reader I appreciate it when I get a glimpse of the person behind the blog to see if they’re a kindred spirit besides just sharing a hobby.
An intense period at work and then catching Covid has kept me from posting much the past few weeks, but there’s five years worth of gaming good times up on my blog, if anybody is curious. You can find a link to SCRUM IN MINIATURE in the signature line below. Feel free to leave a comment if you see something there that interests you…I promise to respond!
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Herewith a Wycombe Warband fellow members inspiring blog see:
https://baskivich.blogspot.com/2022/
See also https://www.wycombewarband.org/news.php
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I set up a blog when I realized that this project was going for the long haul, and that I was going to need to do a lot of research and a lot of work, and that I would really need to write stuff down or I would forget about it and miss it when I needed it.
And that, in the end, I could write it in a way that was publicly available so that fellow enthusiasts could benefit also. In fact I realized that proper information on the subject was difficult to come by, especially wargaming related (with the expection of the very good Rams Ravensband Wrecks!), so sharing my research could be useful.
I do get little feedback but as was already said blogs are not about that, you have FB for that. I do get satisfaction from views, which are now fairly regular, and the odd fellow who writes me telling me how much he liked this or that - these guys makes my day! BRE Wix is a fairly good platform, I find it easy and functional.
Alkedo
https://alkedominis.wixsite.com/blog/my-blog