Throwback Thursday: Where have all the bloggers gone?

As I've been known to say from time to time, I get my ideas from unusual places.  This time it's from World Soccer Talk, one of the places I frequent for my soccer fix, where an interesting article notes that 55% of the 100 best soccer blogs, as chosen in 2011 by the English newspaper The Guardian, are now gone.  For those of you who are mathematically-challenged, that means 55 blogs that have either disappeared altogether or have ceased to exist for all intents and purposes,* and another 12 are considered endangered.

*The definition used in the article is that no new articles have been published since March, a period of time that would have included the recent World Cup.

As for why so many highly-regarded blogs have disappeared, the author suggests a number of reasons ranging from social media (many of them are still alive via Twitter feed) to media consolidation (the best bloggers leave the independent blog field to take up with larger sites such as Grantland).  The 30+ sites that continue have carved out their own unique niche, filling the need with content that remains unique and valuable.  It's an analysis that makes a great deal of sense.

Blogging does seem to ebb and flow.  I don't think there's much question that there aren't nearly as many blogs around today as there used to be; I know a good many that I've had to remove from the sidebar over the years, many of which were around long before either of mine started.  For many, it's a case of real life intruding - if you want a good blog, you have to devote some time to it, and that isn't always the easiest thing to continue, especially when you're doing it for little or no money.  Others have said what they have to say, and have nothing more to add.  Still others probably get bored a few months after the novelty wears off, and leave the site deserted.

My ideal writing forum always has been, and remains, the novel.  I've written two so far, and I'm at work on a third.  The latest one is probably going to be the first one published; I'm about a third of the way through it, and the subject matter is time-sensitive enough that I'd like to see it in print sometime next year, probably through my own publishing efforts.  My second book was almost self-published a few years ago, before I started changing jobs and moving across country; it needs no little revision, but it has good bones and might make it next year as well.  The first book I finished likely will never see the light of day, at least not without major changes.  It served its purpose, though - it taught me that I could write a story from beginning to end, and fill all the pages in between.  Add to this a couple of non-fiction books I hope to get from It's About TV, and you can see how the blogs can be something of a challenge.

In fact, I probably could get a great deal more writing done if it weren't for these two blogs.  I don't get paid for them, and every word I type for free takes away from one I could get paid for.  So why do I continue?

With It's About TV, there's really no secret.  I get a great deal of pleasure writing about television, and I think the blogging has helped me not only to refine my writing style, but organize my ideas for the inevitable books that will grow out of the blog.  It may take away some of the time I'd spend on my novels, but in now way do I think it is a waste.  It is, as I've said before, one of life's simpler pleasures.

As for this site, honesty commands me to disclose that I've seriously considered closing shop at least twice.  The first ending was averted when I rebooted the site from one with a focus on religion to that of a general cultural awareness, which included religion but also politics, television, movies, books, and sports.  When I spun the TV portion off into its own blog, I considered wrapping this one up again, but then I looked at the outstanding contributors that keep it running - Bobby, Steve and Drew - and there were so many pieces that each one had written that I loved, I couldn't see the sense in letting them fade away.  Even when It's About TV became the primary blog and I could have abandoned this one, I decided instead to give it a face lift, a new name, and redouble my efforts to keep the content coming.  Indeed, I don't know if you've noticed, but we've already surpassed last year's number of posts, with over four months still remaining.  The two blogs have, in fact, an equal number of posts, though this one can make that claim only because there are four of us working on it.

Eventually the time will come when this blog stops being a useful form of communication, when Bobby and Steve and Drew decide they've got other things to do, and when that happens I might pull the plug, or keep it going on a much more limited basis.  Likewise, there may be a point when I fell It's About TV has run its course, when it's completed its mission of demonstrating the link between television and American culture and it becomes time to move the discussion to the book format.  But until then, I enjoy the challenge of succeeding where others have given up, and as we come up on the tenth anniversary of In Other Words (!), it's my goal to continue writing here for as long as I can.  Every time another blog fades away, I become more determined than ever to keep this alive.   Besides, we'll never stop having opinions, and as long as that's the case, we'll keep expressing them here.

Originally published August 19, 2014

Where have all the bloggers gone?

As I've been known to say from time to time, I get my ideas from unusual places.  This time it's from World Soccer Talk, one of the places I frequent for my soccer fix, where an interesting article notes that 55% of the 100 best soccer blogs, as chosen in 2011 by the English newspaper The Guardian, are now gone.  For those of you who are mathematically-challenged, that means 55 blogs that have either disappeared altogether or have ceased to exist for all intents and purposes,* and another 12 are considered endangered.

*The definition used in the article is that no new articles have been published since March, a period of time that would have included the recent World Cup.

As for why so many highly-regarded blogs have disappeared, the author suggests a number of reasons ranging from social media (many of them are still alive via Twitter feed) to media consolidation (the best bloggers leave the independent blog field to take up with larger sites such as Grantland).  The 30+ sites that continue have carved out their own unique niche, filling the need with content that remains unique and valuable.  It's an analysis that makes a great deal of sense.

Blogging does seem to ebb and flow.  I don't think there's much question that there aren't nearly as many blogs around today as there used to be; I know a good many that I've had to remove from the sidebar over the years, many of which were around long before either of mine started.  For many, it's a case of real life intruding - if you want a good blog, you have to devote some time to it, and that isn't always the easiest thing to continue, especially when you're doing it for little or no money.  Others have said what they have to say, and have nothing more to add.  Still others probably get bored a few months after the novelty wears off, and leave the site deserted.

My ideal writing forum always has been, and remains, the novel.  I've written two so far, and I'm at work on a third.  The latest one is probably going to be the first one published; I'm about a third of the way through it, and the subject matter is time-sensitive enough that I'd like to see it in print sometime next year, probably through my own publishing efforts.  My second book was almost self-published a few years ago, before I started changing jobs and moving across country; it needs no little revision, but it has good bones and might make it next year as well.  The first book I finished likely will never see the light of day, at least not without major changes.  It served its purpose, though - it taught me that I could write a story from beginning to end, and fill all the pages in between.  Add to this a couple of non-fiction books I hope to get from It's About TV, and you can see how the blogs can be something of a challenge.

In fact, I probably could get a great deal more writing done if it weren't for these two blogs.  I don't get paid for them, and every word I type for free takes away from one I could get paid for.  So why do I continue?

With It's About TV, there's really no secret.  I get a great deal of pleasure writing about television, and I think the blogging has helped me not only to refine my writing style, but organize my ideas for the inevitable books that will grow out of the blog.  It may take away some of the time I'd spend on my novels, but in now way do I think it is a waste.  It is, as I've said before, one of life's simpler pleasures.

As for this site, honesty commands me to disclose that I've seriously considered closing shop at least twice.  The first ending was averted when I rebooted the site from one with a focus on religion to that of a general cultural awareness, which included religion but also politics, television, movies, books, and sports.  When I spun the TV portion off into its own blog, I considered wrapping this one up again, but then I looked at the outstanding contributors that keep it running - Bobby, Steve and Drew - and there were so many pieces that each one had written that I loved, I couldn't see the sense in letting them fade away.  Even when It's About TV became the primary blog and I could have abandoned this one, I decided instead to give it a face lift, a new name, and redouble my efforts to keep the content coming.  Indeed, I don't know if you've noticed, but we've already surpassed last year's number of posts, with over four months still remaining.  The two blogs have, in fact, an equal number of posts, though this one can make that claim only because there are four of us working on it.

Eventually the time will come when this blog stops being a useful form of communication, when Bobby and Steve and Drew decide they've got other things to do, and when that happens I might pull the plug, or keep it going on a much more limited basis.  Likewise, there may be a point when I fell It's About TV has run its course, when it's completed its mission of demonstrating the link between television and American culture and it becomes time to move the discussion to the book format.  But until then, I enjoy the challenge of succeeding where others have given up, and as we come up on the tenth anniversary of In Other Words (!), it's my goal to continue writing here for as long as I can.  Every time another blog fades away, I become more determined than ever to keep this alive.   Besides, we'll never stop having opinions, and as long as that's the case, we'll keep expressing them here.

And now a "word" from the editor...

If you’re one of the half-dozen or so who actually still read this blog, you’ve probably noticed a few changes over the past week or two.  Although many of them are cosmetic, I think they better express the place this blog has in the grand scheme of things.

First of all, the title.  It’s hard to believe it’s been ten years since we came up with “Our Word and Welcome to It.”  As many have surmised, it’s a pun on James Thurber’s “My World and Welcome to it.”  It was originally going to be called “My Word and Welcome to It,” before I found out more than one person was going to write for it.  We’ve had writers come and go, and some who you might not have seen lately but are still here - and through it all, you’ve always been welcome to it.

About four years ago, I started a companion blog to Our Word – I called it It’s About TV!, because, well, that’s what it’s about.*  I found myself writing more and more about television and it’s relationship to American culture, but it was increasingly difficult to work these long-form pieces into the established format of Our Word.  Thus, the new blog.

*Clever, huh?

Over the years, that blog has become the dominant form of written expression for me, and it’s built up a loyal and intelligent readership.  It’s not an exaggeration to say that It’s About TV! is now the top blog in the Hadleyblog universe.  So a couple of weeks ago, I came to the conclusion that it was time to redefine where Our Word stands in that universe.  

The simplest way to look at it is like this: if you want to read what I have to say, you’re probably reading it at It’s About TV!  But what about those times when I’ve got something to say about a non-television related topic?  It does happen, though not as often as it used to.  And then there are my co-writers to consider, most of whom now write at this blog more than I do, or at least on a more consistent basis.    And so the changes began.

The blog’s name has changed to In Other Words because, literally, that’s what it represents.  They’re the words that aren’t about television, not primarily.  And they’re the words that aren’t necessarily written by me.  There will be more short posts, and links to and commentary on other pieces on the web.  Consequently, In Other Words has become a part of It’s About TV!, rather than the other way around.  I could have folded the blog completely into It's About TV!, but then it wouldn't be all about TV, would it?  If you prefer, think of TV! as the main channel, with In Other Words as a subchannel.*

*You didn’t think I’d let slide a chance to use a little TV lingo, did you?

You’ll notice this in several ways.  The layout more closely approximates that of TV!, for one thing.  I didn’t want to clone the look of the site, but I think anyone visiting both blogs will see a uniformity – a synergy, to lapse into business-speak – that shows the relationship between the two.  In the next week or two you’ll see a weekly digest appear on this site, giving you a rundown on what appeared over at TV! in the last seven days.  Hopefully, it will make you want to include that site in your regular reading as well.  Finally, In Other Words will assume a sidebar presence at It’s About TV!, so that if you only want to have one of them as a favorite, you’ll still be able to tell when a new entry appears over here.  And since the most recent posts will be listed by topic, you’ll also be able to discern whether or not they’re of any interest to you.

Someone once said it was impossible for any writer to successfully have multiple blogs.  By definition, one of them would have to suffer as the other monopolized more of the writer’s time and talent.  By keeping a good stable of writers here at In Other Words, I’m hoping to avoid that.  But it’s also important to let you know that there will be weeks when this channel will be quiet for days at a time – when there aren’t any other words besides what you see on the TV side.  When that happens, I’ll probably resort to that favorite tool of television programmers – the rerun.  Conversely, if there’s a subject of particular interest to either me or my colleagues, you may see more activity here than there.  A miniseries of posts, as it were.

Although most of these changes have been implemented, it’s not done yet by any means.  The weekly digest and the sidebar presence at It’s About TV! will happen in the next couple of weeks.  I’ll also be updating the links on this page, removing old sites, adding new ones, and expanding the list of blogs to cover additional topics.  If you’re a fellow blogger who’s listed Our Word as a link on your sidebar, a name update to In Other Words would be appreciated.

In any event, ten years is a long run for a blog.  I’ve been most fortunate to come into contact with some great people, many of whom have taken the time to write or comment.  I hope you’ll continue to make In Other Words one of the blogs you read from time to time.  And I hope you’ll invest time in It’s About TV! – in my humble opinion, it has much of the best writing I’ve done, and it’s a lot of fun to boot.  But don’t worry about this site – regardless of the name, regardless of the frequency of posting, it’s not going away any time soon.

Retro TV Monday - This Week in TV Guide, October 1, 1966

Over at the TV blog, I've been running a feature for the past couple of years called "This Week in TV Guide," in which I take a look at some of the more interesting cultural notes from back in the day.*

*A phrase just one step removed from "Get off my lawn, you kids."  Of course, the fact that I don't have a lawn right now is beside the point.

At any rate, here's a preview of this week's piece - be sure to follow the link to read the whole thing.

***

For the first time, the stain of the 1960s - Vietnam - graces the cover of this week's TV Guide.

Neil Hickey, TV Guide's New York Bureau Chief and author of some of the best news features published by the magazine, presents the first of a four-part series on how - and how well - television is covering its first war. It is a war "exorbitantly more demanding, both mentally and physically, than anything those earlier newsmen faced in Europe or the Pacific." It's a guerrilla war, replete with everything from jungle disease to ambush land mines and booby traps, field telephones that barely work, and as one correspondent puts it, "pushing the cause of journalistic profanity to new horizons." As NBC's David Burrington puts it, "There are so many imponderables and ironies here that it's sometimes difficult, if not downright impossible, to explain what's happening in terms that an American audience will understand." 

Read the complete article.  ◙