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A blog with my thoughts regarding games I am playing and other stuff in life. Please read my Terms of Service
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Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Out of the limelight
A reader wrote me to tell me that I *didn't* make Massively's top 10 MMO bloggers list, in spite of the fact that there are 31 MMO blogs on that list. Interesting. First I wondered who Shawn Schuster is, and what I did to piss him off. But then I realized that actually that suits me just fine, I've always been bothered by the negative consequences of the popularity of this blog: The trolls, the spammers, the entitlement kids, the people wanting to censor me.
In related news, I confirmed the secret of successful blogging by applying it in reverse: By moving away from a daily publishing schedule I lost a third of my daily visitors, with Google Analytics showing a strong correlation between number of posts and number of visitors. Again, this is working as intended. Contrary to the generally held belief about websites, I am not actually better off with more readers. I would rather have a smaller community of people willing to intelligently discuss MMORPGs, than a larger, noisier, and much less intelligent crowd. As I don't really monetize this blog, apart from the failed donation experiment, being out of the limelight has only advantages for me. It gains me the freedom to express my opinions when and how I want, without attracting mobs with torches and pitchforks bothered about something "blasphemous" I said about their favorite game.
- posted by Tobold @ 11:07 PM Permanent Link
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I'm with you, I really couldn't give 2 hoots about the "Top 10 MMO Blogs". Does it really matter if you make that list?
I actually only read 1 of the top 10 (Kill Ten Rats).
I actually only read 1 of the top 10 (Kill Ten Rats).
Well if it helps I have only heard of one of the blogs on that list and I don't read any of them, but do obviously read yours. I appreciate your analysis and don't mind that you don't post every day anymore. Much better to post when you actually have something to say in my opinion than try to force it.
I've barely heard of any of the blogs he listed. Yet I'm perfectly content with my reader feed. Should I seek psychiatric help?
I liked it when you posted every day, but at the same time, I don't miss the trolls or fanbois.
I'd definitely post at your own leisure, when you actually feel like writing and responding. You don't owe your audience anything. When you do give us posts, they will be because you actually have something to say. And those are the best posts.
I'd definitely post at your own leisure, when you actually feel like writing and responding. You don't owe your audience anything. When you do give us posts, they will be because you actually have something to say. And those are the best posts.
Gordon from We Fly Spitefires is actually a really good blog. I've tried most of the top 10 but feel they are shallow when it comes to thoughtful posts.
To be fair though Tobold, I'm surprised you and Keen weren't top 10.
To be fair though Tobold, I'm surprised you and Keen weren't top 10.
If you're not reading TAGN and West Karana, you're missing two of the best-written MMO blogs out there, and Hardcore Casual is always good value, as I'm sure most of Tobold's readers know. We Fly Spitfires and BioBreak are very good reads too, and Kill Ten Rats is top-notch commentary.
I read all those regularly. Given the quality of those, I am confident the rest of that top ten will be well worth readign too and I'm going to take a look at the ones I haven't yet read.
I read all those regularly. Given the quality of those, I am confident the rest of that top ten will be well worth readign too and I'm going to take a look at the ones I haven't yet read.
And thus why I still read your blog and even have my phone update me when you make a post... no sponsership no bias always entertaining!
Going by the fact that Syncaine is on the list, I'd say you are probably better off NOT being on the list.
If the author's opinions are really THAT far askew as to what good blogs are then you definitely would've gotten some commenters you wouldn't like.
...and I now realize how sycophantic this sounds. To avoid being an echochamber to you I promise to insult you in your next few blog posts...
If the author's opinions are really THAT far askew as to what good blogs are then you definitely would've gotten some commenters you wouldn't like.
...and I now realize how sycophantic this sounds. To avoid being an echochamber to you I promise to insult you in your next few blog posts...
I only read two of the blogs on that list. The others were boring.
As if we needed any more proof that it is a garbage list, I failed to even get into the #11 zerg rush.
As if we needed any more proof that it is a garbage list, I failed to even get into the #11 zerg rush.
Not listed != actually hated.
There are a lot of good blogs out there, many that are ambitious, and those that are NOT ambitious are not going to make such lists. Since your intended goal includes not to be ambitious in this regard == no big deal.
Let them have the lights and the trolls. Life is good.
There are a lot of good blogs out there, many that are ambitious, and those that are NOT ambitious are not going to make such lists. Since your intended goal includes not to be ambitious in this regard == no big deal.
Let them have the lights and the trolls. Life is good.
there-there Tobold :)
i guess they consider you a WoW-blogger as opposed to a general MMO blogger, but who knows
in regards to their list - it's a mixed bag... i personally like K10R and KiaSA (for the style), but i also check a few of the rest (AGNoob f.e., Wolfshead (usually to thoroughly disagree), PvD and Broken Toys, etc.
i guess they consider you a WoW-blogger as opposed to a general MMO blogger, but who knows
in regards to their list - it's a mixed bag... i personally like K10R and KiaSA (for the style), but i also check a few of the rest (AGNoob f.e., Wolfshead (usually to thoroughly disagree), PvD and Broken Toys, etc.
Kinda strange. It's not like Syncaine posts every day EITHER . He posts like once every 3 days since like always [unless there's alot of anti-darkfall chatter, then he'll ramp it up].
I don't see Keen & Graev or Spinks on there either , so i guess they looked at some specific criteria in terms of the game they support.
As in, people who have a blog about LOTRO -specifically- and going in great detail about the specific game [i.e. like writing some sort of guide or "event calendar" thing].
So i guess despite Tobold playing WoW , the blog was still pretty neutral , and not actually "punting" WoW as much as say Syncaine is punting Darkfall.
Maybe if you sold copies of WoW to people and linking directly to Blizzard [and getting some sort of commission] then you might make the list ;)
I don't see Keen & Graev or Spinks on there either , so i guess they looked at some specific criteria in terms of the game they support.
As in, people who have a blog about LOTRO -specifically- and going in great detail about the specific game [i.e. like writing some sort of guide or "event calendar" thing].
So i guess despite Tobold playing WoW , the blog was still pretty neutral , and not actually "punting" WoW as much as say Syncaine is punting Darkfall.
Maybe if you sold copies of WoW to people and linking directly to Blizzard [and getting some sort of commission] then you might make the list ;)
I was surprised you and Keen weren't on the list. Maybe that would have just been too predictable? To be fair, Matticus wasn't on the list either and he's probably got the most popular WoW blog there is.
# posted by 
: 30/12/10 12:24
: 30/12/10 12:24
there's a certain amount of irony in the fact you write a lot about the world's most accessible mmo but your blog isn't; It is pretty intellectual at times! But that's why I/we like it.
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