3rd Annual State of the Blog Post

Year 3: the rear-view mirror

Social media strategy 2.0

Revamping the blog's social media marketing was one of those plans that just never happened.  That was partially a function of time constraints, but I think the even greater contributor was the lingering feeling that I just didn't have a first vision for where I wanted the blog to go.  I'm just not sure that one can effectively advertise a product or service in this type situation. (More on that below...)

Post planning cycles

Last year, I endeavored to monitor individual post page-views, with the thought that I would put out more content that was similar to the most popular posts.  This seems like common-sense marketing, right? Well...it turned out that wasn't as great a plan as it sounded.  The undeniable trend of views/interactions went down after this change.  Perhaps the two events are unrelated.  The correlation may not represent causation...but it clearly didn't represent salvation either. 

Growth in blogging network

One positive that emerged over the previous year was the expansion of my blogging network.  Over the last twelve months the good folks at:  The Four Color Media Monitor, and Chris is on Infinite Earths have joined last year's blogging buddy The Peerless Power of Comics.  I sincerely thank all three of you, and in the upcoming year I aim to--in some small way--give something back.

Year 4: the crystal ball

Clean up the link lists

As I've done the last few years, I'll be giving the blog a face-lift with the new year.  I intend for this to roll out in the following sequence:

1. move all link lists to one side of the blog. (probably the left sidebar)
2. drop the popular posts gadget in the side bar and leave it in the footer.
3. drop the followers widget.  Despite having people who regularly read the blog, in three years I've had not one person sign up as a follower through this widget.  I'm befuddled at why this is the case since so many other blogs seem to have followers signed up and displayed through this widget.  I don't know if I'm just not marketing the site in the right way or what...but in any case, I'm dropping this widget unless and until I have a better idea of how to effectively deploy it.
4. drop the reactions widget. Much like the followers widget, this one just hasn't seen much use.  It's just cluttering the blog, so it's gone.
5. organize webcomic links.  I intend to keep the "Virtual Spinner Rack" for ongoing webcomics (defined as titles which have made a new post within the past year).  In addition, however, I'm going to add a "Virtual Long Box" that will feature discontinued webcomics (defined as having last posted over a year ago).  There's some good comics that, unfortunately, have lain dormant for years.  That doesn't mean they aren't worth reading.  (I hope also that if you're aware of any other webcomics you think deserve to be listed here that you'll drop me an email or a comment or something and let me know about them!)
6. repeal and replace the "Character & Team Blogs". A lot of the blogs currently listed are not being updated and I fear that the good stuff is getting easily lost amidst all stale content.  Instead, I intend to replace these categories with a single "My Favorite Comic Blogs" list that will be composed of  stuff that maintains at least a once-a-year posting.  (That seems like a more than reasonable standard.)

Tighten-down the focus even more

The successes and failures of the past year have left with me with the renewed conviction that my focus has been too diffuse.  Though a lifelong comic fan, I simply don't have the breadth and depth of knowledge to provide the type of entertaining and informative commentary I'd like over the generic category of "obscure super characters."  Consequently, moving forward I will return to a more tightened focus. The short term plan will be to concentrate on finishing out the series I've been writing on the Golden Age appearances of Midnight.  Based on the progress I've made thus far, my assumption is that this may take up the full year.

That being said, I do want to preserve the option to stretch out into some other characters.  Consequently, once a month I will do a one-off post on some other character.  When the Midnight series ends, I'll look back on the stats for those various one-offs to determine who the next focus character will be. 

Face-lift the blog to reflect the tightened focus

In light of the tightened topical focus this year, I'm refreshing the look of the blog by populating the side bars and margins with some of my favorite Midnight images.

Get around to monetizing the blog

When I started this blog, I had hopes of eventually making some money (however little) from it.  In that time, I've brainstormed and discarded a number of ideas.  This year I want to finally get around to setting up the necessary accounts to start putting some ads into the blog.   However, I definitely don't want to bog the site down with ads. Thus, here's my open call to you, dear reader.  If you find anything about the structure of the ads annoying or distracting from your reading experience, please let me know.  I want to keep this a hassle-free (and hopefully fun) place to learn about oft-forgotten characters.

Average 600 views per month

A final goal I've set for the blog in the next year is to average 600 views / month.  Based on recent performance, this should be very doable.  Part of the reason for setting a specific number out is to give me objective measures on whether the blog is moving in the right direction or not.  I'm pledging now, to track this and honestly report (at least, as best as I can based on the analytics I'm getting) on the blog's performance. 

Conclusion

After three years of blogging, in many ways I've come full-circle.  I sincerely want to thank all my readers.  You guys are great!