One more post of a personal nature before returning to the hard-hitting sports reporting you have come to expect. Or, at least, a return to the ill-conceived, poorly written sports posts I usually offer. Actually, that's what I want to talk about--blogging.
I have found that a number of my favorite bloggers, Ian, Sam and Billfer, to name just three, are writing multiple blogs. Ian cranks out both Fried Rice Thoughts and the newborn, Sweaty Men Endeavors. Sam apparently does not sleep ever and in between classes at the University of Michigan writes Blue Cats and Red Sox, Chicks Talk Football and Roar of the Tigers. Sam, please toss in any other blogging efforts I missed. Billfer is also busy with The Billfer Blog, the Detroit Tigers Weblog and TV for Tots.com.
It's not just that they are blogging, but they are producing high quality work at a number of venues all at the same time. Never mind they have lives beyond the internet to maintain. I'm both in awe and somewhat jealous of their prodigious work. (I'm not even mentioning Rob's podcasting which is far beyond my comprehension.)
I have attempted to run two blogs, this one and Big Ten Hardball, a blog about Big Ten college baseball. I've been running Big Ten Hardball, both as a dotcom and now a blog, for a number of years. I love the college game and couldn't find any information on the Big Ten scene, so I began my own site. Yet, I find maintaining two sites next to impossible.
I often wonder if I should combine content of both into this blog, maintain both, but re-double my efforts at the other blog or just can Big Ten Hardball? Forget quality content, as I so often do, I can't even work out a direction for two blogs.
I know what you are thinking. "Brian, the difference between them and you is simple. They have talent. Oh, and they are more internet savvy than you". Well, yeah, I knew that, but how on Earth can they crank out that much stuff? Seriously, I think all three have more to do than I (no kids or UofM classes for me) and they seem to be busy somewhere on the 'net all the time.
In the end, I'm not quite sure what my point is. (Proving the naysayers right about blogging.) I think the only thing I can do is just tip my cap to my three blogging allies. Thanks for quality work and keeping my inferiority complex intact.
4 comments:
What's your purpose for blogging Brian? Is it for fun? Is it to hone your writing skills? Is it to get your stuff in front of an audience and interact with people?
In my case I'm running 3 blogs, for very different reasons. The Tiger blog is a labor of love. I sell some advertising, but I do it out of pure unadulterated love of the team. I enjoy doing a lot of the research, and I enjoy trying to broaden people's understanding of baseball.
With TV for Tots, it's a subject I'm familiar with but I'm doing it for the money. I view TV for Tots as a business opportunity. When I'm writing that blog I'm working. Fortunately it requires a lot less time and research than the Tiger blog. It was a lot of work to set it up, but now I've streamlined the way I find my information.
The Billfer Blog is just me spouting off about anything. I'm writing off the top of my head with no research. It's for my own edification.
In your case you have a couple of blogs that require quite a bit of time and effort. You should in no means feel inferior, and you have a ton of talent.
Brian, you definitely have talent. Personally, I don't know how they do it either. There is no way I'd attempt to run multiple blogs. I think my excuse is I'm old and inefficient.
Thanks, guys. I wasn't digging for compliments, although that's clearly not beneath me, more searching for clues as to how others get so much done.
Lee, I'm going to borrow the "old and inefficient" excuse. Hope there isn't a copyright issue.
billfer, I'm writing simply because I want to. In fact, I'd love to spend more time blogging, but I am attempting to keep a moderate balance in my life.
Brian, I appreciate the kind words, but I probably devote more time to blogging than I should. But that's the way things are working out right now. 2-3 months from now, things could change. It certainly IS a lot of work sometimes. But that's how I've chosen to delegate my time.
To speak to one of Billfer's points, I'm doing this mostly as an exercise in writing discipline. But I also hoped to find an audience for my stuff beyond my buddies (who I see less, because they're getting married and having kids) or a classroom. The biggest reason I started another (sports-oriented) blog was because I felt like I could better serve two different readerships.
If it wasn't fun, of course, I'd scale back or walk away. And sometimes, it IS a lot of work. Right now, however, it IS fun.
Ultimately, I would say you have to do what you want. I hope that doesn't sound simplistic, but it's true. We all love reading your stuff (truly - you're much more talented than you give yourself credit for), but what's in it for you?
One of your blogs caters to an underserved audience, which is a great reason to run that blog. But you've given yourself a forum to cover a wider variety of topics with Beyond Boxscores. So if it made things easier for you, fold one into the other. But if you think you're serving two different readerships, just do each to the best of your ability. In the end, you have to answer to yourself; it doesn't matter what anyone else thinks.
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