It's a funny old game, blogging. I sometimes lean back (virtually) and wonder why I do it and what, exactly, it achieves.
In many ways, for me, it is just a medium for saying stuff that would otherwise be cluttering up my brain. A cathartic means of expression that, hopefully, offends no one - apart from a few gaming buddies who stumble upon these pages and feel that their defeat, at my hands, may have been somewhat misrepresented.
So I'm doing it for myself.
Or am I ? Why do I check my statistics ?
It's a common, narcissistic, Bloggery thing to do, of course. It's always nice to see if anyone is loitering (unlike Twitter there is no immediate feedback. No "OddBodd2 is now following / stalking you" messages). Although Bloggers often bleat for themselves, I suspect that they (we) are all secretly awaiting that breakthrough post which catapults them (us) (me) to Social Media Stardom.
A short while ago I posted a game report for Combat Commander: Europe and, to my surprise, found a peak in my readership to - gasp - 35 visitors in a day. I've now stabilised around 10 drop ins per day, although when I post I now regularly seem to hit around 25 return visitors. Twenty Five bookmarks somewhere out there !
Twenty Five people who have, effectively, bought a season ticket to the Castle and its grounds - rather than the random drop in visitors who are looking for something to do with their kids on a rainy day. (I've been considering a small play area out back and maybe a small cafe franchise)
Who was the visitor who Googled "left handed moley dobber " and ended up here ? Did he or she leave as a satisfied customer ?
The sad thing is, I find this quite exciting.
Even sadder, I now feel under pressure to entertain.
Are we (the Bloggers) the online equivalents of all those Mingers, Blingers and Clingers on Britain's Got Talent ?
Will I go the way of SuBo ?
6 comments:
I do it for the enjoyment of writing in itself and for the conversation. The level of discussion is generally better than at the Geek.
I've often clicked [Next Blog] in the top of the page - usually after reading yours obviously :-o not really found anything that I have book marked. I guess we all stay for a reason.
Clearly I read yours to point out those inaccurate mentions of your game play that feature me.
Funny thing is, I dismissed it originally as a literary virtual world that exists in your (the authors) mind only and so it doesn't matter when you mention the faintly irritating name you have allocated to my persona in your world - but now I've noticed this distant whiff of the Gormenghast kitchen pervading my real world. Have you noticed this too?
Also the random text I have to type to submit this comment is surile, which rhymes with puerile - hmmmm
Iain - yes, a large part is the joy of writing, but if no one is reading then I guess it dimishes somewhat. Still, I enjoy a nicely turned phrase with a dollop of sauce.
Jimbo - the whiff of Gormenghast pervading the real world ? Is that when smelly gamers turn up at your house ?
Apologies that the nickname is faintly irritating but it has a long and distinguished history and before you started commenting it preserved your anonymity. If you can suggest a viable alternative I could be persuaded to immortalise you with a new persona.
Incidentally surile could be considered to rhyme with surreal. Something which I would consider a better fit.
Can I have a refund?
Warwick castle was much better.
No there's no need to use a different name. I'm comfortable with the handle you've adopted. I wouldn't want to stifle the literary or journalistic creativity by influencing your claret prose with my own views. Carry on saying what you like. I will. There are more than enough draconian thought police out there trying to homogenise our thinking as it is - wouldn't want to be one of them. :-)
"claret prose" - is that trying to write something sensible after a bottle of wine ?
Warwick Castle is for the non discerning tourist. No refunds available for cultural peasants.
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