Little Help
I need a favor.
I need you to take a look at the other blog I operate, "DVT Sports Blog."
I'm doing some journalistic housekeeping, and I'm contemplating shutting it down because it doesn't get much action or visitation.
This isn't a shameless ploy to lure you to another ego-stroking blog.
I want your feedback here as to whether I should keep it or dump it.
Scott, ol' buddy, I'd really appreciate your appraisal.
I also would value the input from those of you who have continued to visit the Workman Chronicles, who already know my style and haven't run screaming into the woods yet.
Don't hold back, let me know what you think. (As Hemingway said, "we have to kill our darlings." It may be time for some delete-key euthanasia.)
I appreciate it.
posted by Workman Chronicles at 12:30 AM
8 Comments:
I had been thinking of separating my thoughts on sports and my thoughts on everything else into two separate blogs, but I had the fear that nobody would read it.
So now I just make my non sports fans (yes, Alison, that's you) suffer through it.
I figured if I started pandering to whom I thought was my audience, it would defeat the purpose of having "my" blog-- it would be more of a 'blog of the people.' And in my fascist head, that just didn't sit well.
I think when you just put yourself all out there, you end up being happier with your work.
8:48 AM
Another way to look at it (in a completely less articulate way) is to take the Super Wal*Mart approach. If you can buy red cabbage, Goodyear tires and Spiderman action figures in the same place, you'll get a wider and more diverse audience.
... or something like that. It made sense in my head.
It's up to you whether to hire a fleet of geriatric greeters.
8:54 AM
I also have a separate sports blog that I never, ever post to. In fact, I seldom write about sports other than to answer Tommy Kramer's questions about who the frontrunner for the Payton Award (I-AA football's Heisman, I'm a voter) might be in a commenet. In fact, when I'm not being a sports writer, I usually read (love the King), work on my own fiction, play basketball, see a movie, drink beer or listen to music. I mean, an accountant doesn't go home and do taxes, right?
But if you want to have your sports blog gain more traffic, you have to make a concious decision.
If you're aiming at your local audience, publish a house ad in the newspaper inviting people to read "additional content" in the blog and quit reprinting DVT stuff. The blog should be the place you put the extra 10-15 inches you trimmed from the 25-inch feature about a kid who deserved more words. The blog should augment, not mirror, the coverage of the DVT.
If you want to reach a wider audience, you either have to sell us as a wider reader base on what's so cool about sports in Mesquite or you have to widen your own horizons. Then start visiting other sports blogs, leave comments, invite others to see your sports blog and just wait.
I'm lucky because much of my traffic started when Mike Davis, my friend that works PR for Dale Earnhardt Jr., linked my NASCAR Weekend series to his blog, which thousands of NASCAR fans read. (You can read that blog under my Greatest Hits).
If you would like any of my tips & tricks to tweaking your writing (which is pretty good already, but we're all looking for an edge), just email me at statesboroblues@lycos.com. I can go into more detail that way.
Plus, it'll help me stay connected. I believe I'm close to leaving journalism in the pursuit of the almighty dollar, although I'll still blog and also get very serious about completing my first novel.
11:42 AM
Morris, I can say with all honesty that I would rather unscrew my own toes and soak my bleeding feet in rubbing alcohol while feasting on a smoked toe stew, than read a sports related blog. ;~D
No offense, just not into reading of sports. Not even soccer, which is my favorite sport.
12:31 PM
I may be in the minority here, but I enjoy reading sports-related websites, but only national sports news. (Nothing against the kid in your area who made all-region, I'm sure he's a fine, upstanding student, just not my cup of tea.)
While I certainy don't want my blot to become entirely dominated by sports, that's what I'm in to, so that's what I tend to write about. Hopefully I'll get out of that rut soon.(spending 5 hours a day listening to ESPN radio certianly isn't broadening my horizons.)
I don't know your schedule, but you could have a certian day you post sports-related blog entries on this site so people know what to expect. (I realize with sports, if you wait a few days, it loses its urgency.) I do think having everything in one location would be most beneficial to reaching the most number of people I'm assuming that's your goal)
So bascially, I've been rambling here and haven't offered any real solutions or brought anything new to the table.
1:07 PM
Fantastic, guys! I knew I could count on you!
This is exactly what I needed.
Kenbob, I think it's a great idea to incorporate both into one. Will save me some work, as well.
Alison, I think that's the key to incorporating the two blogs, to use a sports theme in a weekly series instead of trying to write something new about sports every other day. (Which, as Scott can attest, gets a little tiresome after already spending 8 hours at the office cranking out sports news.)
Brad, I getcha. One-stop discount blogging, a la Wal Mart. Even more ammunition for the "combine 'em" constituency.
As for greeters...I'm thinking scantily-clad women and former Chippendale dancers who were fired for fraternizing with audience members. (See, I'm an equal opportunity perv.)
Scott, you are my Yoda. I can think of no higher compliment.
You're right, when I first started the blog, it was directed at the local sports scene. And yes, I use the blog for plugs when building the sports section.
When the Workman Chronicles blog took off, (which coincided with the introduction of my weekly humor column in the op-ed pages), I tried to broaden the appeal on the sports blog to attract other readers from outside our area. I've succeeded in drawing neither.
I originally thought that publishing the Hard At Play in both the paper and the blog was a chance for those I had managed to hack off in the paper to vent directly, publicly, and immediately instead of waiting until the next edition. It hasn't worked that way.
I think the "augmented" coverage instead of the mirror is exactly the right prescription, like "bonus coverage."
You nailed it on the "wider coverage" issue. I'm a homer in a small town where Friday night football gets better attendance than Sunday morning's sermon. But there isn't anything unique about the Mesquite sports scene, other than the Big Stakes golf tournament ($3 million purse for first place, only open to amateurs and non-touring pros. Maybe you heard about it, since it was founded by Steve Bartkowski and another gentleman from Atlanta) and the Remax Long Drive Championship. (Be honest with me...do you find golf as boring to cover as I do?)
Thanks for the journalism tips. Just run me a tab.
Ted, I feel the same way about watching soccer and golf on TV. Would prefer a kerosene enema over waiting for somebody, anybody, for the love of God, to PLEASE put the ball in the net or the hole!
(Watching our local kids do it is a lot more fun).
Luke, thanks for the confirmation about scheduling a specific day to mention sports. I probably won't be too rigid about the scheduling, because I'd rather call an audible and write about another topic rather than force a tepid sport story just because it happens to be (fill in the magic weekday).
As far as your five hours a day of ESPN radio...I think they have a 12-step program for that now.
To all of you, I appreciate your help, your input, and your inspiration. I'm pretty comfortable with my writing, but needed some perspective on what's worthwhile.
Thanks so much!
*Morris
5:42 PM
Growing in in Georgia as a Falcons fan, Bartkowski was my hero. Most underrated arm of his generation because, well, he played for the Falcons.
10:10 AM
I agree with Alison... add categories to this blog so you can pick your topics and readers can choose.
7:00 AM
Post a Comment
<< Home