Cinder and I have opened up our shared blog topic challenge for everyone to join in on. The more the merrier! Every second Saturday we post a new topic that’s open for a fortnight for everyone to write about. Cinder and I will link all posts for this topic on our shared blog website here.
A blog’s a funny beast; it’s a very public document since it’s on the most public place you can ever imagine where your views and words are out there open to judgement and interpretation by others but at the same time it’s an intensely private journal as it’s your own personal thoughts and feelings but above all it’s a small space of the internet where the author can claim their space.
I don’t tend to look too deeply into my site stats, I know I have a fairly tight knit (such a cute way of describing small) circle readers. A lot of them are friends, guildies and most are other bloggers that whose blogs I also read, but the other day I noticed a huge spike in visits to this site. It was sitting at triple figures which for my modest blog is rather unusual levels of traffic. So being curious about where this influx of visitors was coming from, I traced their clicks back to another blogger who was chatting about bloggers and who had mentioned that they were working their way through the blog roll of another blogger (wow, this is getting complicated). They were, quite frankly, rather unflattering about the majority of blogs they had read through. As part of this little tirade about boring and mundane blogs which were no better than posts of virtual food, the decision was made to link my blog as a stunning example of boringness (yes it’s a word!), along with a disclaimer to not visit my neck of the woods (obviously that bit of advice was ignored or I wouldn’t have seen the rampaging horde coming to visit to my blog).
Interesting enough, my first reaction was one of utmost shame, that kind of hot shame that floods you and makes you feel incredibly insignificant and that your very worth is pointless and I should just walk away from my boring little blog. So I did what all people should do when faced with that feeling and reached out to Cinder (well no- not what all people should do – you go find your own Cinder.. pretty sure she’s got enough on her plate constantly reassuring me). Anyway being Cinder, she immediately set me straight with quite a few expletives and some lovely virtual support and then suggested that I use this week’s topic as a bit of a response if I felt like it. So I decided I would because the 2 comments in particular that I took exception to related pretty much back to why I write my blog.
- Most of the blogs are just “pictures of your in-game food”. They are alike the facebook pages of random nobodies that are full of everyday busywork that no one cares about (not even the poster) and literal photos of food. Why does someone cares to share a meal? Or a minipet? Or a storyline.
Well first off, regardless of whether anyone else cares about my words, I sure as heck do. My blog might not be the most well-written, or witty but it’s mine and I love it. I like to talk about a game that takes up a great deal of my thoughts. As much as I might want, not everyone in my circle of immediate friends want to see yet another screenshot of a game that they don’t play or hear me rabbit on about a new dress that my Druid picked up, but my lovely blog will take all my photos and excitement and not judge. And along the way, I just might just find a reader or two who is as interested as I am.
- There are no unique stories. There are no highs of victories and lows of defeats, just the boring, dime a dozen grinding over on-rails, piss-easy content.
Every single one of us has a unique story to tell, this blog challenge is the most true example of this. A group of us writing about the same topic, yet each answer is unique and from the perspective of the author.
And no highs?? Hello? Winning Invincible’s reins, or my kill of Mythic Gul’dan after working so hard to get there. Those, my friends, are highs that I hope I never forget. And Lows.. there are plenty of lows in this blog, when I fail at something I want to be good at, when a guild I love dies.. These are lows that I want to share because sharing can lessen the hurt at times and sometimes brings advice and another way of looking at things.
Why do I blog? Because I love this game, and I love to talk about it, and along the way if I find like minded people who enjoy what I’m saying then I get new friends 🙂
Oh and if you want to go look at the post, feel free to. I’m not about to advise censorship in any way 🙂 http://greedygoblin.blogspot.com.au/2017/07/pictures-of-your-in-game-food.html
Z is for Zeirah 
Pingback: Topic 23: Why do you blog about WoW? – Z and Cinder's Blog Challenge
The way I see it you should blog about things that you find interesting otherwise it’s just empty words. One of the worst things I people can do is put others down just to step on them to climb upwards: and I think that the whole purpose of that blog was just to gain some extra stats.
By linking in a whole load of blogs it probably served to generate more interest and in turn get some back lash and extra advertising for their own blog; you have to ask yourself do you really care about the views of such a person?
Carry on enjoying writing your blog and sharing what you love, the people that follow/ read your blog enjoy your take on things, and who cares if there are ones that don’t. Most people are not dickish enough to share those thoughts in such a manner 😉
Thank you for the kind advice, I don’t think I do care about the words though I did a bit at the time.
I shall keep on chattering, mostly rambling really, about what I’ve been doing. It keeps me happy and I’ve met so many lovely people who swing on by to see what I’m blathering about, that this is a great thing 🙂
Hah, Gevlon. Not that I’ve ever read Greedy Goblin much; whenever I try, I find his general tone to be entirely too arrogant, abrasive, and dismissive of things he doesn’t “get”. I bet he thinks that my Sunday Mog Shows are another prime example of “pictures of your in-game food”. And they are, but so what? It’s nice to get nice comments on them, but really, I’m not making that record for anyone else but me.
I confess that I usually just skim through most of the blog posts that I read, but I understand that it’s just as important for whomever I’m reading to have written those things about their experiences with their games as it is for me to write the things that I write about my experiences with my game. Gevlon cites being bored by reading multiple people making the same complaints about the Secret World Legends launch experience — but no-one should feel like they can’t or shouldn’t write about something just because someone else has already written something very similar about the same topic. Indeed, sharing and congratulating or commiserating about common experiences is part of what makes blogging a community rather than a collection of individuals shouting into the dark.
I haven’t actually come across his blog before, I’m actually surprised by how many people commenting does know of him.
I love Sunday Mogs, I don’t always comment but I do look and it usually sends me off into a flurry of old raid runs for my weekend as I’m reminded there’s a ton of outfits I want to make too.
I like the idea of us bloggers as a community and I actually like reading everyone’s take on the same subject, otherwise this blog idea wouldn’t even have been born 😀
I’m aware of the Greedy Goblin because he’s on Rades (Orcish Army Knife)’s blogroll, and I’ve probably checked out most of those blogs at least once or twice over the years.
Aw, thanks! It’s nice to know that my Mogging inspires yours 🙂
It’s fun to participate in shared blog topics because of how everyone has a different approach to the same idea 😀
Ah, Gevlon; the Anthony Scaramucci of the MMO blog world. He’s a loudmouth who is unafraid to be the person who picks at a scab just to see it bleed. Even if I didn’t disagree with his politics –his libertarian attitudes fuel his attitudes toward gaming and MMOs– his New Yorker on Steroids behavior would have turned me off long ago.
Actually, he’s quite a bit of a blend of Anthony Scaramucci and Martin “Pharma Bro” Shkreli, in both attitude and viewpoint.
The biggest thing to remember about blogging is to do it for yourself. I know that PC pulls in more search engine traffic rather than real readers, but I’m perfectly fine with that. I’m not interested in self promotion or trying to monetize my blogging, and I know that a lot of people aren’t going to find my views on topics very interesting. But I write because I want to write, and blogging for PC gives me a regular outlet where I can actually finish and publish pieces. (One of these days I’m going to actually finish Nanowrimo, I swear!) Blogging has also kept me playing MMOs when I would have likely dropped out when I finally hit the wall in Mists, and blogging has also put me in touch with fellow bloggers across the world who I care about and I call my friends.
Zeirah, write your blog your way, because in the end you only have to please one person: you. If others enjoy reading your blog then that’s a bonus.
Not keeping up to date with American politics I had to go google most of the people you mentioned 🙂
I love your words of wisdom. I’m happy to chatter on about my days in WoW and I love when fellow bloggers come past to visit, it also reminds me to go visit them 😀
I’d say that you should feel grateful to not know either person, but the (now) convicted felon Shkreli in particular. But at the same time, the “free market principles” that Shkreli embodies is remarkably similar to Gevlon’s take on life.
From my perspective, I’d consider castigation by Gevlon to be a badge of honor.
Gevlon, as I recall, he made massive amounts of gold by selling glyphs by the thousands and thousands. And then he paid top guilds to carry him through the content (no kidding). Then he posted his dps numbers to prove that he could play with the big boys, even though he was spending his time selling lots and lots of glyphs. I am surprised he’s playing WoW again but he is such a troll that he has us talking about him — which is what trolls do and that his why they are called trolls.
I like your blog! I read it every time that you post. Looking at your adventures kind of sets the bar on how much can be done while playing this goofy game.
Trolls should be left under their bridge!
I’m glad you like my blog, same goes for yours btw. Given our time differences, I normally start my day with coffee and your most recent post!
Yeah, if I were to guess; he is trolling all these sites to get more traffic to his blog.
Oh, gosh, dear Zeirah! I understand where you are coming from, but sweety! Gosh! I mean, that guy – he sounds as if he has deeper issues, really. Never listen to a being like that.
I mean; Not to “advertise” anything from my own site, or anything, but just as an example, MY response to this challenge was to link all the blogs I LIKE. (Guess what, YOU made the list, twice!)
I am no believer in the “say nice things or shut up”, but still.
Why would someone just trash talk someone elses site, just for the sake of it?
It’s bizarre, how this world seem to get more and more of “I don’t like” instead of just highlighting the good things.
I’m sorry you were so affected by this person, but look at it this way;
So he posted a link, to your blog this week, and meant it in a negative way.
I posted TWO links to your blog this week, and meant it, in a positive way.
So, the joke is on Gevlon; You win 🙂
hehe, I like your comments about your list of blogs you read so much more! And ooh ty for letting me make your list 🙂
Your blog is overwhelmingly positive (even your ‘ranty’ posts are lovely and well-written) and you certainty open my eyes up to just how much magic there is in this game that I miss as I rush on through.
No need to thank me, thank yourself 😉
I’m very glad to hear that, I do try to look at the bright things for sure 🙂 Magic is all around!
I’m so glad you’ve managed to stay positive in the face of Gevlon’s trolling. He doesn’t seem to get that so many of us blog because we have something we want to say, regardless of whether anyone else thinks it is worthy or exciting enough. We all have our unique stories and perspectives. The important part is that you have built a community, however small, of folks who enjoy hearing what you have to say here!
He is just an asshole who enjoys trying to argue with people. I read his blog way back when and quickly lost interest in his ranting. I’ve read your blog for years after finding it even during the times I wasn’t playing the game. Yes I’m one of the tight knit group, but I’d take your style over his any day.