Well, my two weeks of travel and shortness of time are now over. My fears about not being able to put up new posts on the site every day didn’t materialize — I did have time every day at least for quick items (even more than usual, precisely because they were quick).
Nevertheless, I’m truly grateful to all the people who responded to my call for help and gave NCS a safety net by sending us guest blogs. I really enjoyed reading every one of them, and judging by the hits on our site, lots of other people did, too. To all of you who contributed guest posts, both our readers and other metal bloggers, please don’t wait for another invitation — when the mood strikes you, please send more our way . . . It adds to the variety of NCS to have more voices.
And speaking of other voices, I also want to give a tip of the hat to our regular contributors Andy Synn and BadWolf for stepping up with a slew of reviews over the last two weeks.
Now, things around here will be returning to “normal”, for better or worse. With more time, I’ll be able to return to some of our regular features that have been missing for a while, and I’ll be catching up on album reviews — starting with the next post today about The Brown Book‘s new EP.
In addition to offering up my thank-you’s, I do have a question for you, after the jump . . .
During the last couple of weeks, with a least one guest post a day plus reviews from Andy and BadWolf to anchor the site, I was able to throw in a few short pieces every day, and the result was that we had many more than the one or two posts that represent our average daily output.
Sometimes I think it’s a plus to have only one or two posts a day, on the theory that people only have so much time to read and listen to songs or watch videos, and they’re more likely to spend time here if they’re not swamped with stuff.
From my own experience, there are blogs I visit regularly that feature only one post a day, or even one every few days, and I read all of those posts, even if I’m not immediately interested in the subject. And then there are other blogs (you probably know the ones I mean) that feature a half-dozen posts or more every day, and I find myself skimming over the posts or not reading past the jumps, because it’s just too much to take in.
On the other hand, I sometimes think our site might be more attractive if we could manage four or five posts a day. Of course, the subject is probably entirely academic, because I doubt we’ll ever manage a steady output of that many pieces. But I can’t help but wonder. So, if you have an opinion on this subject, please leave a comment. Is less better, or would you like more from us? Or is that a question that doesn’t much matter to you?
41 Responses to “A WORD OF THANKS, AND A QUESTION”
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Either way I’ll be a faithful reader and contributor as always. However, I agree with you that over doing it with posts can be overwhelming to some. The Number of the Blog is notorious for putting out a ton of posts daily. I enjoy having a ton to read at work no doubt but I think you can get overly ambitious and maybe lose some readers in the process.
All in all, it doesn’t matter to this guy. I’ll still be here regardless.
You’re a good dude! Thanks for that.
I usually won’t read all the posts regardless of how many there are. I stop by about once every 1-2 days, and usually only read 1-2 articles during that time.
Also, someday I might just submit an article for this blog, my passion used to be writing, before music, but I might still be able to raise some attention through my writing for my country’s bands like Revilement, Demise, Anthlion, etc. (Taiwan)
*Anthelion
You should definitely do a post, when you can tear yourself away from school and creating music long enough to do it. Would be great to get an intro to bands in Taiwan.
yeah, I’ll do it sometime I guess. when I go to concerts and see the unknown local opening band technically superior to the well-known headlining band (e.g. Lamb of God, In Flames), I am reminded that I do indeed live on an island.
I like it when there are a lot of blog posts. Though, I do feel as if I have a weight on my shoulders if I have to make up for what I missed earlier/yesterday/etc, if there are a lot of posts. I do however think that with more posts, the better the chance is of finding one that concerns me… it’s kinda’ like if I visit multiple times a day and find one blog post I’m dissapointed, but if there’s a load of posts I missed that I have to check out, it’s a chore. Idk, I guess I’d rather know a lot about the metal world, so if I had to pick, I”d pick more posts.
Also, I might consider contributing more, it never occurred to me that you’ll accept them from just anyone lol.
Thanks for those thoughts, and seriously, do consider contributing a post. I wouldn’t say we’d accept anything from anyone — I do have some modest standards — but so far I haven’t turned away any guest post that I’ve received, either during this most recent two-week stretch or during the other times over the last six months when I solicited guest contributions. I think people must get a sense of what works here from reading the blog.
He put up both my octoorgy thing and my christmas story, so…either Islander needs to drink less rubbing alcohol or…….he’s just too kind. Not sure which.
Rubbing alcohol is a vastly underrated cocktail. It lights on fire easily, and when the flames hit your esophagus, it’s a real fuckin rush! ‘Course, it does cause blindness, but so far, that’s been temporary.
Sounds like that time I did shots of Everclear…
Though, on the plus side Everclear gives you real fucking wings, not like that shitty red bull.
At least, I think it did. Can’t remember too clearly.
Funny, my Everclear memories are pretty fuckin hazy too. But that was high school, and that whole period is a bit of a haze for me.
I was a great kid in high school. The worst thing I did was come home 30 minutes late.
I’m still making up for lost time.
But Everclear…yah…….I don’t miss it, yet I do…
I was Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde in high school. Obedient, studious, aimin’ to please about half the time, and then there was the other half, steeped in intoxicants and life-threatening behavior, the part that’s only half-remembered. Come to think of it, that period established the generally schizophrenic pattern of life that I’ve followed ever since . . .
Maybe you’re just schizophrenic…
After all, how do you know I’m ACTUALLY REAL!?!?
Oh, I know you’re real. Just as real as the giant loris that’s giving me a slow back rub while I type these words, and the black thing with bat wings that’s crawling across my ceiling. And the worms that are squirming inside my skin.
And you think I’m the gross one?
Come on, interspecies back rubs are just wrong!
Sex is one thing, but back rubs go against all that is holy.
You don’t know what you’re missing. Nothing like a loris rub after they’ve lubed their fingers with the remains of their breakfast grubs.
He drinks rubbing alcohol? I thought I was the only person who did that!
You should start a club! Hahaha!
That club would need a really good health insurance plan.
I would say try to just keep an even pace. I always try to read everything you post, since this is pretty much my only metal blog (though I’m trying to keep up with Death Metal Baboon as well), but recently I don’t have time to even jerk off. Not sure why though…….it only takes a few seconds…umm….ANYWAY!
I don’t mind more posts, since it means I usually have something to read at work. But keeping your sanity in mind, it seems like keeping it to 1-2 posts a day and then saving other stuff for rainy days might be good?
Fuck if I know though, my only attempt at keeping blog crashed and burned when I realized it required actual, you know, work.
Man, if you haven’t had time to jerk off, you need to pick up one of those time-management books. I think that’s actually what gave rise to the time-management industry — the pace of modern life interfering with jerking off.
HAH!
Time management seems so…time consuming, though.
That’s funny — but for me it’s also true. I don’t have the patience to learn and implement time-management techniques, though sometimes I have tried, when I’ve felt feel overwhelmed with work on top of personal stuff. I suspect I just don’t have the right personality to be super-organized.
Indeed. I tried being organized once, but I get forgetting where I put stuff.
So much easier when it’s all on the floor.
I’d have to answer that question with the whole cliche about quality over quantity.
One or two a day seems to work fine; if there are more interesting or important topics to write about on a given day, by all means, write about them.
I do agree with your point that if there were half a dozen posts (or more) every day, I would be much more inclined to skim over them rather than reading each one…
Maybe it’s a cliche, but this one is valid. About the only way I can manage to have more than one post a day is to just serve up songs or videos I like without much verbal accompaniment, which is sort of what I did over the last two weeks, on top of the one post I actually try to put some thought/time into each day (and the guest contributors did those more time-intensive posts for me during that two-week stretch). And I don’t know if that kind of approach holds much appeal to people.
The only other way to have multiple quality posts each day would be to recruit more regular contributors, but I have a feeling I would then spend most of my time planning and managing and less time listening, thinking, and writing about what interests me (which is the fun part).
The problem with more posts here as compared to other blogs is it’s too hard to skim over them here. The other blogs I think you’re refering to cover sub-genres that are easier for me personally to skim over than what is covered here. More is not a problem for me though unless, as Utmu said, I miss a day or something.
This!!
If I miss a post here, I never know if I’ve missed the Most Important Band Ever.
Also, the comments are so much fun, I often feel like a jerk if I don’t say something.
As one of those bloggers who can only manage 3-5 posts per week, I always think it’s better to rock less posts but write them well then worry about churning out a certain number. If there’s 1-2 each day, I read them, more than that, I tend to skim, especially if there happens to be a lot of articles on my reader that morning.
Your blog is one that I had in mind when I was writing about what I find myself reading instead of skimming. You put a lot of thought, planning, and care into what you write, and it shows. Going back to what Eric wrote in a previous comment, quality is more important than quantity.
I only read my own posts as I am a raging narcissist.
You’re also honest. I have to like that about you.
pftft, I only read this post thinking there would be something about my guest post. Now that I’m disappointed I’ll go back to drinking.
Well, I certainly can’t argue with that. I’m just glad that more of our readers aren’t serious drinkers or I’d really have a hard time maintaining interest.
This blog > MetalSucks because the content is better, evokes intelligent conversation and I am not overwhelmed with 6-8 separate posts a day, most of which are “filler” and of little interest to me. Keep up the good work here.
THAT is very much appreciated. I’m starting to get the drift that less is more and I should just be happy with what we’re able to do.
You’re welcome. This site reminds me of an early MetalSucks circa 2007, when it was just a couple of no-names blogging about metal bands they liked.
I think we’re better with less content but stronger content, myself.
If this site gets too ‘filler’ a la metalsucks, sorry Islander, I will leave.
Well, I sure don’t want that to happen! Seriously, most of these comments are confirming my own preferences for the site — which is to keep it basically what it’s been all along (at least the way it’s been since you and Andy started contributing on a regular basis). I do like having periods when we get guest posts from readers and other bloggers, and I want to continue doing that.