So as you’ve probably noticed, andydesoto.com has been quiet as of late; over the summer, I averaged around five articles a week or so, but it’s been difficult keeping that momentum up through the rest of 2008. Why have things slowed down for me?
I once read somewhere that it was a no-no to talk about this sort of thing on your site. I don’t remember who said it– maybe Chris Brogan, Problogger, or someone like that (let’s be honest, it’s all kind of the same anyway). They said, “Never, ever start off a post talking about why you haven’t posted. It’s unprofessional.” Sorry guys, I’m going to be unprofessional for a minute here.
Sure, it’s tough managing a blog and an undergraduate existence at the same time, anyway, but let’s put curricular activities aside for a moment; the news just isn’t what it was Summer 2008. Back then, before the harder economic times hit, new services and utilities were basically announced daily. That’s what I love– being the first to try out something new and share it here. I really am the typical tech early adopter. However, for a long period of time following, practically the only news flowing through top-tier blogs like TechCrunch were notices of layoffs and deadpoolings.
I don’t blog to cover the reality of social media and online networking– I write to share the magic of it.
I don’t blog to cover the reality of social media and online networking– I write to share the magic of it. Awesome things like being able to take a photo of a CD album on your phone and instantly order it online, giving a penpal from overseas a walking tour of your neighborhood, things like that.
And as the reality of the tougher economic times has settled in, things even more unusual have been popping up in the place of those dreadfully realistic job loss reportings. Aptly-named “bitchmemes” arise just to garner traffic on offdays. People take professional things personally and make their personal lives their professions. Even a service I once admired, now-overly-self-referential FriendFeed, has nothing better to do than crown an unwilling Queen.
Nobody seems to be having real fun, and I guess that’s why I’m having a hard time writing about it.
Where to from here?
Where do I go from here? The simplest option would be to close down andydesoto.com, as a blog that never publishes isn’t necessarily worth keeping around. I think that’s the easy way out, though, as there’s no reason the site shouldn’t live to see it’s first birthday. No, I’m still excited about technology, even in this unusual environment. Just take Robert Scoble’s recent interview of Tim O’Reilly, for instance– there’s no way you can watch that and not get excited about the future of the web.
Maybe I’ll turn to the recommendations of those that bump into this post. More than enough people are covering the tech basics. Perhaps I ought to drill even deeper into a niche.
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7 Comments
Stick with it!
If there’s nothing new then delve deeper into something old that you think is interesting…
Thanks for the support John! You’re right, there’s plenty to say about what we have already, that’s for sure.
Though I think your content is great as it is, I’m not aware of anyone blogging regularly about the psychological aspects of emerging technologies, so perhaps that’s something you could delve into.
Andy,
You still are getting search traffic from those older posts right? So why would you consider shutting down shop? Besides one day you will be getting out of college and looking for a job and take it from someone who knows a blog can be a great thing to list on a resume to get an awesome job in the SEM/Social Media world.
Worst case scenario, “let it be”. You never know you the itch might come back. My 2cent.
You make good sense, Kyle– no sense in removing any content, etc. as the upkeep is minimal (plus, it’s nice having such fine-grained control over my Google search results!)
Last time I checked (I can’t right now as Clicky is acting up), I wasn’t getting a lot of search traffic, actually. I will have to double-check my SEO (but also get writing more). My main pull is generally through social media, and with Pownce gone, I’m having a hard time finding another base of operations.
And I might need to start looking for jobs in the social media world if these graduate school apps turn out unexpectedly! We’ll have to see…
Just enjoy what you write, that’s the main thing. I focused my blogging mainly on Technology. Then I realised writing about Tech every single day was boring and I didn’t enjoy it - so I decided to mix it up a little.
Have fun with it, no need to be ‘oh so serious’ all the time. Not saying you are but you know what I mean.
JT
Thanks for the dash of perspective Jonny! You’re right, you’ve gotta do whatever it takes to keep your heart in the game. Glad your new recipe’s working out for ya.