Oh, How I Miss You Some More

Last year, I started a thing. If you want to read about how I started a thing, you can go here and, then, go here. You can also see the bloggers I chose last year (some of whom may be in this year's running, too) if you follow that second link.

At any rate, here's announcing the 2nd Annual "Oh, How I Miss You" blogfest.

Here's the spiel:

The bloggers we miss… and the ones we would miss!

Do you have a couple blogger buddies who aren’t posting as often? Those who’ve pulled back and seem absent from the blogging world? Do you have blogger buddies you are grateful they are still around and would miss if they vanished? Now is your chance to show your appreciation and spotlight them!

List one to three bloggers you really miss and one to three bloggers you would miss if they stopped blogging. Then go leave a comment on those blogs.

Our blogger friends are special – time to let them know!

And here are the sponsors:
Andrew Leon (oh, wait, you're here already, aren't you?)
Alex Cavanaugh
Matthew McNish

Blogging is kind of a weird thing when you think about it. Why people blog and why people read blogs. It's all a weird sort of dynamic. But, the truth is, we can get attached to people through it or, at least, to their blogs. And, sometimes, they quit doing it. The reasons why people quit are probably even more numerous than why they began in the first place. But, for some, maybe they quit because they just didn't feel appreciated. Or because they thought no one cared. Whatever the reason, though, if it's someone that you have really appreciated, someone who has had something(s) to say that have touched or helped you in some way, let them know. And, if you have people that are still blogging but you wouldn't know what to do if you didn't have their blogs to stop by a couple or few times a week, let them know, too. It's that thankful time of year, so go say, "Thanks!" and "Hey, I miss you!" or "Don't go anywhere, because I would miss you if you did!"

Sign up below!

What Your Blog Says About You: Part Two -- Content

Closely related to the personality of your blog, is the content. One informs the other to a certain extent. I mean, if you want the personality of your blog to be humorous, you don't want your content to be about death or terminal illness or human trafficking or climate change or... I'm sure you get the idea. Although, now that I think about it, a humor blog about death could be, well, funny.
Don't eat the salmon mousse, right?

Your choice of content is the biggest factor in determining who's going to read your blog. In that respect, choosing a topic like "writing" is going to significantly decrease your potential audience. Sure, there may be lots of people out there that think they can write a book and many people with some scribblings, but most people don't want to spend a lot of time reading about how to write. And if your specific topic is grammar... well, good luck with that. No matter how funny you are [See, grammar is one of those topics that most people don't relate to humor, like history. Or quantum physics.], you are not likely to be attracting the masses.

So, then, it's important to look at whom you want your audience to be before you settle on what you want the content of your blog to be. When I started my blog, I knew I didn't want to just talk about writing, because I didn't want to just have other writers reading my blog. Again, as many people as there are out there writing, it's still a small audience, relatively speaking, especially since most people who are out there trying to be writers do it without bothering to really know anything about how to write. (The overall quality of self-published works wouldn't be so piss poor if that were not the case.) And, well, there are so many bloggers that will tell you in excruciating detail the way to be successful as a writer that I didn't want to get mired in all of that.

Which brings us to goals. You have to know the goal for your blog before you can figure out what the content should be. Who is it you want reading your blog? Do you just want other writers? Fine, focus your blog on writing related topics. Do you want your blog to be informational? Focus on the data and post links. Do you want to moms to read your blog? Talk about kids and how to make your house function more efficiently. [Yes, I know that that is somewhat sexist, but it's also mostly true. Hey, it is what it is.] Do you want Republicans? Or Democrats? Talk issues and bash the opposing party. As often as possible. Do you want the whole universe reading your blog? Post silly pictures of cats.
Oh, wait, look!

Jack-in-the-Box

No, I do not know what went down the drain.

And if you're trying to get readers? Well, one thing you shouldn't do is spend nearly every post you write badmouthing readers. Seriously, this one guy I follow (and, no, I don't know why I still follow him other than that it was a subscription thing and comes into my email and I haven't taken the time to make it stop (Make it stop!)) spends almost every post (and thank goodness he doesn't post frequently (which is another reason why I haven't gotten around to unsubscribing)) complaining about how readers are just bunch of cheapskates that can't even spend the price of a mocha to buy his books. Or, like in his latest post, he published an email from a reader (I'm assuming without permission, because I can not imagine anyone giving permission for this) and went on to "defend" himself against the allegations the writer of the email had put forth against him. I'm not thinking this is going to help win him any new readers.

So, yeah... What is your goal for your blog, and do you have content to match it?

For example, one of the things I believe (and from comments I've received from people, I'm pretty sure I'm correct) is that people that like Star Wars will like The House on the Corner, so I talk about Star Wars. A lot. Not posts and posts about Star Wars, but I make sure it comes up in conversation. So to speak. See what I just did there?

Once you've decided on your audience and your content, stick to it. People will come to your blog to deliver the type of content you've said you'll have. For instance, I tend to stay away from political stuff and religious stuff and sports stuff. Mostly, that type of content just causes controversy, and I carry enough controversy around with me to want to delve into topics already filled with the stuff. Which is not to say that you can't make the occasional exception, like I did back in this post, but, mostly, you need to keep your content pretty consistent. Do the kinds of posts you do and stay away from the kinds of posts you don't do.

Oh, let me just add that I don't stay away from any topic because I'm scared of controversy. Anyone that's been around here for any length of time ought to know that I have strong opinions, and I don't mind sharing them. However, I dislike getting involved in arguments that aren't (ever) going to go anywhere, and any time you start talking about politics or religion or, even, sports, people already have their minds made up and no amount of talking about it is going to change anyone's opinion, which I talked about back in this series. See, I'm a Cowboys fan--I have been since I was a kid--and no amount of arguing with me about it is going to get me to change my mind. Fortunately for you all, I don't really care about football, so saying that I'm a Cowboys fan really isn't saying much. But I'm still not changing my mind.

All of this talk about content has made me look up at my heading (you can look up at it, too). That's the stuff I decided I'd be talking about when I started up my blog. Yes, that hasn't changed since the blog started. That's still the stuff I talk about: writing, reading, movies, pop culture stuff. I've branched out just slightly from that in that I now talk about my pets and kids and whatever general kind of thing might come to mind, but the core of what I blog about is still that stuff at the top.

All of that to say, or to wrap up, or something: Your content is important. There are a lot of blogs that I have given up on because they never say anything. Wait, no, because the blog doesn't say what it says it's going to say. How many of you (those of you that do) would continue to follow Alex if he started talking about his guitar all the time. Every post. It was all about how great rehearsal was or how he'd learned some new song or whatever. He's established a particular type of content, and, if he morphed into only talking about guitar practice, people would quit stopping by. And what about Matthew? What if he quit doing his query letter thing and started talking about his love for ping pong? All the time. I'm guessing not many of you are that interested in a blog about ping pong.

Content may be more important than personality where blogging is concerned, and I almost used it as part one, but I'm gonna guess that most of you never thought specifically about the content of your blog and just let it develop from your personality, which is fine. As I said back at the beginning, the two things inform each other. I chose the topics I chose because I like those topics, so it makes it easy to have things to write about (as opposed to choosing grammar and trying to make gerunds funny (and I think there's a very in-poor-taste joke there about Richard Gere just waiting to happen, but I'm not going to try and figure out what it is)). So, if your content has flowed out of your personality, it may be worth giving it a think, figuring out what your goals are, who you want your target audience to be, and making some adjustments to your content. Or not. It's just one of those things you should at least think about.

I Miss You!: The Blogfest

All of this started (I think) because I was pruning my blog list. Do you ever do that? Scroll down the list of blogs that you follow and notice how few of them are still active? "Let's see, it's been a year since the last time this person posted, this one can go." But, then, there are those I see and I think, "Man, whatever happened to blogxyz? I really liked that blog. I hope it was just normal attrition and not because something bad happened. Maybe I should email the blogger just to check in?" But I never follow through with urge to email, because, invariably, I'll think "later," but, when later comes, I've forgotten all about it.

But all of  this cutting off of old blogs or, actually, keeping some "just in case that person comes back" made me think that it would be awfully nice to be able to let people know that they are missed, so I contacted the Inestimable Alex to talk to him about it, and he dragged in the Inexhaustible Matt and, pretty soon, we had a blogfest.

Just so you know: I may not follow all of the rules exactly as we decided on them, so I'm not gonna re-post them. I'm just gonna name off some of the blogs I really miss having around. How do ya like them apples? (No, I don't really know what that means, but I had a friend when I was a kid that said that all the time, and it just popped into my head. Yeah, that's the way my brain works.)

1. Serendipity's Library: This is the blog that started all of this. Jennifer hadn't been around for a while when I was doing my pruning, and I started wondering what may be going on to stop her from blogging, because she had been very steady for a long time and the cessation was relatively sudden. I like her blog. It's full of all kinds of quirk and unique perspective. She's been around a little more since we came up with the idea of this thing, but not so much that I took her off the "I Miss You" list. She did post a new Charlotte the Creepy Doll story recently, so that was good, but, still, I miss when she was posting a few times a week, and I figured she should know that.

2. The Blutonian Death Egg: Even though I'm in (semi)regular communication with Rusty, because, well, he is my artist after all, and, yes, I do mean he's my artist; I don't care what anyone else says or even Rusty's own opinion on the subject. I found him; he belongs to me. Unless you're going to pay him wads of cash, you need to talk to me before using my cover artist. Oh, wait, where was I? Oh! So, yeah, it's not like I don't talk to Rusty, but I do miss his blog now that he's not keeping up with it so much. I especially miss when he used to talk about things he found interesting. Like, there was just this article about the Ronin planet that NASA or someone found, and, I bet, if Rusty posted about that, it would be a really cool post, and I miss those old posts by him. Even if he doesn't have time or inclination to be doing that stuff right now, I figured he oughtta know that his blog as I found back when I found is still one of my favorites.

3. It's the world, dear: I love Bess' blog. She has this great way of talking about New York and hipsters and, well, everything. And coffee. Coffee comes up a lot. She's taking a break from the blog world at the moment for an unspecified time, and I will miss reading her posts until she comes back. She was also posting some great clips from the world of her novel for a while, so I'm really looking forward to reading that. If she'll ever let me.

4. Alyssia Kirkhart: Alyssia had a baby and, well, a bunch of other things, so she hasn't been around much, but I do miss her blog. Not that she doesn't pop in every so often, but it's more like once a month instead of a couple of times a week. She always had an interesting way of saying whatever it was she was saying. I've always felt she deserved more traffic than she had, but I also remember what it's like to have a baby around, so... If I ever get even half way caught up on my reading, I need to read her book(s).

5. the museum of joy: Jericha has this great blog about this museum she one day wants to build, and she talks about all kinds of fabulous things at great length. Hers is a blog you can't skip idly through. You have to invest in reading her posts or just not bother. But her posts are worth the effort, and I miss when she was doing them more regularly. But she got this job at this awesome museum, which she talks about sometimes, but she doesn't post so often anymore. It's certainly worth stopping by when she does, though.

6. Concrete Pieces of Soul: This is a blog I really enjoyed while it was around. J, the author of the blog, had a great voice, and I always enjoyed reading her posts. She got married and life got in the way of blogging. I get that, but I do miss her posts.

All right, so those are the blogs I currently miss. The ones that I worry about missing are a little more difficult to nail down, because I listed them, mostly, already. But there are some, so let's take a look at those, too.

1. Briane Pagel: Okay, Briane Pagel is not a blog, but he does have more than a few, more than I can keep track of, actually, so I've picked two of his that I follow: The Best of Everything and Thinking The Lions. On a regular basis, Briane posts more than should be humanly possible. He has twin 6-year-olds and is a lawyer yet can post more in a day than I can in a week. His posts are long, often rambling, and always full of interesting thoughts told in an interesting way. Really, I love his blog, and, of all blogs I follow, I would hate to lose Briane the most. He's also incredibly supportive of independent writers, and you just can't buy the kind of support he gives away for free. Seriously, he is completely under appreciated. I get that he writes long posts, but more people should be willing to make the time investment in them. I hope Briane never goes away.

2. A Beer for the Shower: I love ABftS. Bryan and Brandon have the funniest blog I know of and are great writers to boot. They now have a goat as president of their blog, so I'm hoping that doesn't have any huge impact on their schedule. If you don't know what I'm talking about, you should be reading their blog.

3. The Warrior Muse: Shannon has a great blog that covers a lot of ground. She writes great, in depth, pieces about historical people and places that are always interesting. She posts great photos of Colorado. She offers great links and support to other writers. I would be sad if she ever quit blogging, so I'm glad that she's still around.

Well, that about covers all of that. Go by and show these blogger some love. For the ones that are MIA, if you are a follower of them, go by and let them know that you miss them, too. Or drop by and say that Andrew said you had a great blog and you should come back and show us. Let them know that they are appreciated. Well, quit standing around here and get to it!

In other news, my computer died. I'm pretty sure it's completely dead. Well, okay, that's not quite true. It could be revived, but it looks as if the cost of trying to get my seven-year-old computer running again will rival the cost of an even better, brand new computer. I suppose I should be thankful for the rise of tablets for that reason, because I can, actually, get a brand new desk top for cheaper than the new i-pad mini.

You be wondering how this affects you... well, for those of you that are following Shadow Spinner, part 9 was due out on Monday. At this point, that is next to impossible as the document is still locked in the dead computer. I'm hoping, maybe, for a Black Friday release, but I don't know yet. This may also set back the release of my super duper, top secret project that I was hoping to release the Monday after Thanksgiving in conjunction with Briane Pagel's Christmas blogathon thing: The Merry Christmas To All (e)Book A Day Traveling Blogathon (of Doom!). I should still be posting on my scheduled days, but I may not be releasing anything new. We'll see how it goes.
More on technology next week.

Oh, How I Miss You Blogfest

So I was thinking...
Yeah, I do that from time to time. Usually, it's dangerous, but, this time, it actually worked out.
So I was thinking, "Boy, there are some blogs that I used to really love to read, but the bloggers have disappeared. I sure do miss them." And that thought lead to another thought which lead me to talking to Alex Cavanaugh and that lead to dragging Matthew McNish into all of it, and that lead to the

It's a pretty simple idea in all actuality, and I'm surprised no one else thought of it first. Here is all the official spiel:

Oh, How I Miss You

November 16, 2012

Hosted by Alex Cavanaugh, Matthew McNish, and Andrew Leon

The bloggers we really miss...

and the ones we would really miss!

Do you have a couple of blogger buddies that aren't posting as often? Those who've pulled back and seem absent from the blogging world? Do you have blogger buddies you're grateful are still around but would miss if they vanished? Now is your chance to show your appreciation and spotlight them!

On November 16, list one to three bloggers you really miss and one to three bloggers you would miss if they stopped blogging, then go leave a comment on those blogs letting them know.

Our blogger friends are special; it's time to let them know!
The sign up list is down below all the news. Make sure you don't miss it!

Item #1: The Great Review Contest
As far as I can tell, since no actually came back and said, "Hey, I left a review," I got four new reviews during the contest. Using super secret technology to choose a winner, also called having my wife pick a random number, Rusty Webb is the winner of the free e-book! Yea, Rusty!
I'm grateful for the four new reviews I got. I can't say how much. This review thing is tough, so every little bit helps. Thank you all so much!

Item #2: Shadow Spinner
I'm about to hit my rollover on the first part of Spinner, "The Tunnel," and that means I'll get five new free days for it! Woo hoo! But before that happens, I have one FREE! day left that I want to use up. No sense in letting those things go to waste, right? So, today only, Monday, October 22, I'm making

"Part One: The Tunnel" FREE! Because that's just the kind of guy I am. Also, because part two is nearing its rollover date, also, I'm gonna throw it onto the FREE! train along with part one. That's "Part Two: The Kitchen Table" for FREE! for one day only! If you haven't picked them up yet or know someone that hasn't, make sure you drop by and do it! Don't forget to click the "like" button when you do!

And now back to the blogfest!

Sign up on the linky list below: