And I Don't Even Like Jay Leno

Forgive me, readers, it's been 11 days since my last post.  I've been having a blogging crisis.  What began over five years ago--a time before the word blog became slightly passe--has slowly shuffled off visitors through no apparent fault of my own.  Or is it my fault?  I never really had an endgame in mind for this site but it's almost as if my hand is being forced in that direction.  I started writing this blog after I saw my wife's blog take off; she was really enjoying the community she had created and without siphoning off her visitors, I was able to build and foster my own community and had a really good thing going.  What I always liked was how I was able to cover any number of topics and slowly hone my voice to where I'd almost created a 'brand' where people would expect certain things out of me and come here for that.  Give me your attention and I'll give you my 3 paragraphs/500 words 2-3 times a week.

As the blog picked up steam (it took a year or so) I was constantly encouraged by not only the comments I received, the regular visitors, both friends and strangers alike, and the page views I was generating but by the 'lurkers' who would let me know (privately) that they enjoyed reading what I wrote.  I also heard from people and bands I wrote about here, all with positive feedback.  All the while, I've grappled with ways of promoting this site without those methods being too obvious or cheesy.  I always post comments on other people's blogs/sites and link here and got a lot of people here that way and toyed with 'link sharing': promoting others' sites in exchange for reciprocal promotion but it brought the wrong audience.  I contemplated writing one of those posts that get people who write blogs noticed: a controversial, issue-oriented, 'lightning-rod-in-a-bottle' post that would put me on the map, like an acquaintance of mine did with this. But that wasn't me either.

Ultimately, I began promoting myself with the very instrument that may well be undercutting the volume of visitors I once enjoyed: Facebook.  If I wrote what I felt was an especially interesting or thought-provoking post, I'd link to it on my Facebook profile.  It worked, the days when I posted links to here, I'd see a huge uptick of visitors but rarely would I see any of it stick; I wouldn't promote the next post and the numbers dropped down to their 'normal' levels.  I didn't however want to be constantly pimping my blog on Facebook because, in addition, I regularly promote my radio show there and didn't want to become one of those people who only update Facebook when they have something to plug. Like here, I have a nice little community of people on Facebook who regularly visit and comment. I believe too that the inherently pithy nature of Facebook and Twitter has pulled people away from blogs.  In the 2-3 minutes it takes to read a 500-word post on my blog, someone could read 20-25 status updates or tweets and even comment or 'like' a few.  It's tough to compete with that.  Even I found I read fewer blogs than I did a year or even six months ago. Then again, a good friend of mine who was a near-constant presence here started his own (totally hilarious) blog which draws a lot of people daily with very little promotion.

So, what to do, dear readers?  Do I run this thing into the ground (a la Jay Leno) and tarnish whatever reputation I once had for delivering quality content?  Or reconfigure the site to reflect the dominance of social media, all the while using sites like Facebook and Twitter to promote it?  Or, set a timetable for 'withdrawal' and bow out gracefully?  After all, five years isn't a bad run.

Comments

[Andy]

Don't tell me you're going to make me join Facebook.

Well if those are the only three options, I would like to suggest either #2 or #3. Running things into the ground is a waste of time for everyone concerned. Using social media for what it's good for (quick status updates of limited content) and a blog for what it's good for (somewhat longer-form writing) is OK. And if you want to call it a day, there's no shame in "bowing out gracefully" -- and anyway, you can always pick it back up or start something new if you find that you miss it.

What do you want to do?

[HESS]

just got to figure out the next big thing. hint: it's not twitter or facebook.

[Brian]

Hey Ken -
I also am not on Facebook and have no plans on joining it anytime soon. So, I hope that you stay with this format or start tweeting or stay visible in some format. We still need your end of the year lists and maybe even an end of the decade list or two from you.

I know I haven't been as diligent as I used to be about checking in on your blog, but I still like seeing what you have to say.

As a thought for future blogs, maybe throw out more "Heard it Here first" type blogs. I am always looking to find some new music and while XRT does a decent enough job, there is a lot more out there that they don't play. Listening to some podcasts, like Sound Opinions and All Songs Condidered, has really opened my eyes to some groups that I really hadn't heard before.

It would be great to get more of groups you thing we should listen to or albums we should give a listen to. I know you have the links on the side of the page, but getting your thoughts on things would be great.

take care...

[ken]

Well, I appreciate all of your input. I still do enjoy doing this and will continue to do so for now but do think that Facebook is worth joining and you might be surprised at how much you might enjoy it.

I may tinker with the format a bit and not be so stringent about which days have which content. If I feel like doing a Crucial Music on a Wednesday, I will. I also may shorten my content when needed. I have this odd compulsion to give you 500 words a post, not sure why but I do. I guess I feel that you've made the choice to come here, the least I can do is offer you something substantial.

I'm currently working on my Best of 2009 Lists. I'll likely have one or two next week.

Thanks again.

[Ara]

Please don't go anywhere, Ken, this is good stuff. I used to visit your blog on a daily basis but I'm one of the guilty ones that tends to "check in" or lurk when I've realized it's been some time since my last visit. I used to comment more, from time to time, and will more often going forward. Happy Holidays.

[drcastrato]

hey ken, sounds like you are taking a good approach. if you find that the self-imposed guidelines (500 words, weekly schedule, etc) are too much for the amount of feedback you're getting, then scale back. But don't give it up if you still like to do it. There are at least a handful of us that still read. Maybe not everyday, but we always check in. I agree with Brian that I would love to hear your takes on more new music. Even if you don't have a ton to say about a new band, a recommendation coming from you is enough to get me to pay attention to them.

[Joel]

I'm sure I'd be much more diligent about checking your blog if I didn't have a full-time job and a labor-intensive 2.5-year-old daughter. Yes, that's it.... If it weren't for her, I'd be running 20 miles a day and reading three masterpieces a week...

Anyway, I don't swing by here nearly as much as I should. But I always enjoy it. You've got a great writing voice -- very easy to read, conversational, and smart. You clearly know your stuff, and you care deeply about it. Readers can sense that type of passion.

But I understand that you're a little frustrated. I like the suggestion above, about "you heard it here first" type of things. Can you swing that? Maybe move toward more weekly features, which will give readers something to look forward to. Also, do you have an RSS Feeder? That will let people read your stuff as soon as it comes out...

Whatever you do, I'm glad you do this, and always enjoy your presence on 'XRT.

[Tom Teuber]

I think your answer is contained in your post. Readership goes up when you post on Facebook. It slows down when you don't. You need to link where the people are and , notwithstanding the comments above from folks who don't want to join, it's the busy place right now.

Facebook (and Twitter!) can serve many purposes. One of them is letting people know when you've updated your blog. The notification, with the link, will drive traffic and help you reach new followers.

As long as what you post on Facebook is a range of things....links to your blog, plugs for your radio work, links to others' blogs and columns, no one will mock you for shameless self-promotion!

Now get out of here and go write something, you knucklehead!