While I was visiting the chat rooms the other day, I got to thinking about what other neat things I could add to this blog. Yes, I know its weird, thinking about something while doing something completely unrelated.
Yes, I learned my lesson about making any kind of change to this blog without first getting input from the people who would be most affected by it, which are the good friends who read this thingamajig.
The idea I came up will not take anything away from this blog, but in fact, enhance it greatly (I hope).
I'm thinking of doing a weekly post that will showcase the early history of Cedar's Mountain. This little old blog came into being some sixteen months ago, and while I presently have a fantastic reader base that appreciates what I write (for which I'm eternally grateful for), back then it wasn't the case. Why? Well, for starters, not too many people knew that I existed, and for enders, I didn't do as much surfing back then as I do now.
So what do you think? Would you be interested in experiencing this blog from the very beginning? To see how G has evolved from a blogger who used to post up to ten times a week to the blogger that he is today? To see what kind of topics he used to write about then, as opposed to what he writes about now?
Inquiring minds really want to know what your opinion is of this potential new feature.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Moving onto a different tangent, I have another question to pose to you. Or at least after I write this particular part, maybe you can find the question for me.
Yesterday, I was over at Beat To A Pulp reading the latest piece of fiction that was published at the time (A Wild And Crazy Night by John Kenyon. Good story BTW), when I decided to take a look at my story to see if anyone left any more comments to it.
Sure enough, someone did, although it has left me somewhat puzzled. The comment that the commenter left said this: Very nice George. I like this side of you better. Keep up the good work.
Now I appreciate any and all comments I get for my writing, but this one left me stumped. Why? Well, for starters the person who left the comment knows me from elsewhere, and by elsewhere, I mean the real world. Secondly, the name that the person left, although cryptic, does give me a few hints as to their identity.
I guess what I'm trying to ask is this: Have you ever had someone who made a comment about a story or blog post of yours, who may know you rather intimately but leaves their identity surrounded in murkiness, and thus throw you for a loop with the comment?
Sunday, September 27, 2009
23 comments:
Go on, give me your best shot. I can take it. If I couldn't, I wouldn't have created this wonderful little blog that you decided to grace with your presence today.
About that comment moderation thingy: While yes, it does say up above I can take it, I only use it to prevent the occasional miscreant from leaving thoughtless and/or clueless comments.
So remember, all of your comments are greatly appreciated and all answers will be given that personal touch that you come to expect and enjoy.
G. B. Miller
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Hey G -
ReplyDeleteThat might be interesting to see. I say, go for it.
I haven't had that happen with comments exactly. I am certain though that a family member found my blog and just hasn't said so. She referred to something I wrote that I am positive I didn't tell her. It doesn't matter to me if my family reads it - I've just never told them I write it. My friend Whitney put a link to it on her blog, so that's probably how it was discovered. :)
I think it's a great idea to see those early Cedar's Mountains posts. It will be a good way to learn even more about you. I haven't had any mysterious comments, but it would be sort of intriguing to try and discover the source :) Good luck in the search!
ReplyDeleteLynn: Thanks.
ReplyDeleteIt was really tough during those first five or six months. I wrote some nifty stuff, but as they say, it takes time to build a good clientele/readership.
So it really felt like I was writing for myself.
Interestingly enough, that one comment is the only mysterious one that I've gotten in the past 16 months.
Septembermom: Thanks.
I figured that since I'm starting to really hit my stride, the least I can do is revisity myself to see what I was coming from then, as opposed to where I'm going now.
It should be interesting if I could ever find out who left me the comment.
I say yes to recycling the posts. It's exactly what I did while I was taking a blog-break, thinking that many of my readers hadn't been to my blog a year ago, so many of the old posts might be new to them. It would be interesting too to see your original intent with the posts.
ReplyDeleteI had worse than the blog comment thing. I had one of my best friends in the world intentionally screw w/me through a chatroom, using a different handle. One of our mutual friends chastised him seriously about it & we spent an entire night talking about it. Eventually the friendship was repaired, but it hurt me badly.
ReplyDeleteGood luck w/the possible blog change, whatever you decide. :)
Joanne: I think it would be interesting to see what my original intent would be too. I think at this point some 16 months later, I clean forgot why I started.
ReplyDeleteI'll probably print out the first five or six months, just so I have a basic idea of what I'm talking about.
Lana: Many thanks for stopping by.
I gotten burned a couple of times in the chat rooms, most notably behind the scenes with my personal e-mail correspondence to someone who still hates me to this day some two years later.
I eventually reconciled with the other people involved, but it has made me quite jaded and cynical in the process.
With this particular comment though, even though I'm glad that one of my RW friends/acquaintences thought highly enough of my writing to say so, it still leaves me somewhat puzzled as to what else they know about me.
As for the blog thing, thanks. I'm just trying to take small careful steps this time.
I think it's an interesting idea. It's strange because when I read back over my early posts on my blog I realise I was writing to a readership of about 5 people! I knew them all and I think because of it my posts were very different. I'm not sure I'd want to go back and re-live them really.
ReplyDeleteI have 2 people who comment as Anon, on my blog. For ages I assumed they were the same person until they both commented on the same post! I know who one of them is, but not the other, and sometimes it freaks me out a bit.
To answer your questions: yes, I'd like to read it! And yes is the answer to the last question as well.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I'm constantly doing something while thinking of something else...
I'd be pretty freaked out by someone I knew making a comment on my blog if they were hiding their identity
ReplyDeleteJoe: I think it would be interesting to.
ReplyDeleteI think back then for the first few months, I had a following of one: the person who suggested I take up blogging in the first place.
Basically back then I wrote for the pleasure of me. I still write for the pleasure of me, but with an eye towards the pleasure of others.
As for the anon commenter, I think I have an idea or two on who it might be, so it will be interesting to see what kind of research I can on it.
RK: Ummm....okay. Not sure if I want to explore that last statement. :-)
Nurse Myra: I did get freaked out once. Someone from my local chat room who lives in another part of the state, happened to make a comment on a post of mine back in the late summer of '08 (I think).
Freaked me out so bad that I briefly considered doing something very stupid to my blog. But cooler heads did prevail.
Yeah, why not Georgie. At one point when I was relatively new to blogging if I found a blog I liked (rare) I went back and read the entire blog - guess I'm just interested in people and the different way we lead our lives. These days I don't have so much time as I've taken on so much stuff but certainly I'd like to see a sort of "Georgie's Greatest Hits" blog compilation:)
ReplyDeleteThe anon comment wouldn't bother me especially as it's complimentary. If it were rude that would be a different matter. It could be a simple matter that your commentator is just nervous of giving their identity on the net because all the nutters out there. Some people are really paranoid about that kinda stuff, especially if they're an infrequent user. Let sleeping dogs lie I say:)
Yes, I indeed like the idea of resurrecting some "Older Georgie." I'm sure however you present it will be fun.
ReplyDeleteAs to the second part, hmmmn, no I don't think anything like that ever happened to me. However my two insulting comments were both "Anonymous." What's up with people??
Jane: Thanks.
ReplyDeleteI actually got the idea of doing something like this, believe it or not, from a blog I used to follow when I first started blogging. She used to post a link that said, "One year ago" to whatever current post she was wrting.
Stopped visiting when she got more busier with college (she was nice enough to explain why her blogging would be dropping).
I suppose I should let sleeping dogs lie, but there is always that little thing in the back of my head that screams, "Yes, I finally rehabbed my rep with that person!"
Very long story, but there are still one or two bridges that I burnt here in the real world that I would love to fix by any means necessary.
Jannie: Welcome back! I didn't even get a chance to say "Hope you had a happy camping trip!" at your blog.
But I digress. I think a best of compilation would do wonders for expanding and expounding on my blog writings.
I think I remember those anon posters of yours, because I think we both built a blog post around them earlier in the year.
I guess it would only be fair since I hide my identity too haha
ReplyDeleteI did a "retrospective" once of old blog posts. I may do so again. I think it can be cool if used judiciously.
ReplyDeleteAs for the other thing, I don't think I've had that experience.
That might be a neat thing to do, but perhaps you might do like I do and just periodically repost things. it won't eat so much of your time, either!
ReplyDeleteBTW, I'm having a contest on my blog--horror speculative fiction. Cool prizes to be had! http://writtenwyrdd.typepad.com/writtenwyrdd/2009/09/announcing-a-contest.html (I hope you don't mind me mentioning it here.)
Bearman: Unfortunately, I don't hide my identity very well (just look at the cover of my first book)
ReplyDeleteCharles: I will do it judiciously. I'm slowly running out of pre-written blog posts to use (currently had about 12 or so sitting in a notebook), so this wil be a good addition to the blog.
What I'll probably do is print out the first year, so I can get a better grip on what I wrote.
I do have a tendency for people that know me quite well to leave me very cryptic comments.
Writtenwryd: No problem in leaving the link. If you can get a few more people to it, more power to you.
As for re-posting, usually what I'll do is simply provide the link to the old post in question, whenever I use one of my old posts for a new post.
I'll probably do the same thing this time: create a new post around a link to the old one.
I think that the weekly post is a great idea. I'd love to see how things have changed.
ReplyDeleteAs for the second question, I really don't know. I don't think that anyone I know in the flesh reads my blog. But, who can really tell?
It would be interesting to see the old posts and how your blog evolved.
ReplyDeleteI haven't had anybody I know in the real world leave a comment (even anon ones) without them telling me they had and they only did anonoymous because of not wanting to create yet another account. Still, G, better a compliment than an insult!
Think I've read bits of your older stuff already, but think it's a good idea to revisit sometimes.
ReplyDeleteI especially like when I remember an old post has a direct subject connection with the new post- Those links sometimes take hours to dig up, because I don't remember the titles or when I wrote them, n have to search my archive by the month in my sidebar.
Yowza.
ReplyDeleteI think this time, I'll give a general answer to all of your comments, since they seem to be in the same vien.
In regards to the old posts, what I'll probably do, since it can be a royal pain in the buttocks sometimes to do a search and destroy for an old link, is to print out most of the first year and stick it in a notebook for easier referenceing.
As for the second question, I'm not sure if anyone that I know (friends, family and/or co-workers) actually reads my blog. Most of them know that I do write a blog and I do tell them about certain posts and things about it.
I did get a couple of comments privately about my story, but this was the first that someone left me who apparently knows me quite well in the real world. Thats what makes it so spooky.
I guess I will have to post on that camping trip soon. :)
ReplyDeleteQuite.
ReplyDelete:-O