One of the best bits of snarky criticism I see leveled at artists, bloggers, and RPG writers is that of "attention whore." It's the safest insult to throw because it's universally true. Who writes/draws/creates something, posts it on the web/publishes it/sells it and doesn't want to be recognized, doesn't want their creation experienced?
Now, the nature of the attention-whoring will often match the nature of the thing being whored. A musician who makes songs about filthy and unwholesome things will likely seem more shameless about drawing attention to his work. A writer who composes thoughtful pieces about non-controversial subjects probably isn't going to be so outrageous in the manner that he presents that work. It's part and parcel of the whole creator/creation relationship. It's only remarkable when the tenor of the work and the artist are quite different. It's only a negative state of affairs when there is nothing to draw attention to, the act of drawing attention is done for its own sake, and the entire thing is merely a distraction (note that this is different than having one's attention drawn to a thing from which a particular individual can draw no value...).
I have no way of knowing which of my posts on the blog here are read the most. My little counter on the lower right only goes back to sometime in November (I should have had such a thing on the blog immediately, since I seem to care so much...), but I can't track how many times each individual post has been accessed. So the way I interpret interest in any individual post is by the amount of comments left on the post. It's probably a poor scale, as a post which many people read just might not inspire comments (and "I agree!" and "What crap!" aren't what I want to read in comments anyway... I want reasons and stories about how my post relates to experiences and things like that... meaty stuff for me to read, not just tally), but it takes a moment of conscious thought for me to separate the concepts of "most commented on" and "most read."
That said, here are the Top 12 (would have been Top 10 but for the tie at the end...):
1. I Hate Fun 51 comments
2. D&D and Racism 48 comments
3. Closed Circles of Old Truckers Hurdy Gurdying 29 comments
4. The Cowardice of the Modern Grognard... or... Supplement V- Carcosa Reviewed 26 comments
5. It's a Great Idea and It Will Make Us Stronger... So Let's Crap All Over It! 22 comments
6. Holmes D&D - An Overview 21 comments
7. Hook in Mouth 19 comments
7. I'm in a Different Hobby than All These Other Folks... 19 comments
9. My Problematic Interpretation of Clerics... 16 comments
9. The Lord of the Rings Movies are Feces 16 comments
9. Guide to Adventure Writing 16 comments
9. Did Simulacrum Games Just Become Obsolete? 16 comments
Analysis?
People like commenting on how their gaming relates to Real Life issues, first and foremost. People really like bitching about Carcosa and bitching about people who bitch about Carcosa. People like commenting on commentary concerning the "scene." And something actually game-intensive has to be damn extraordinary to get a lot of people offering their opinions.
You know which ones I wish had gotten a lot more attention?
This one, because a lot of work went into it and I think if it had been more widely read it could have meant something. Not that the second post of a new blog is going to get any attention, and not that I give HERO System fans a reason to ever stop by...
This one, because I wonder just how common this sort of play really is, where it came from, and how to move the group away from it if you find yourself in that sort of situation as a player. Bonus trivia: I have since found out that one of the people involved is in our circle of mystic bloggers. No, I'm not telling. And you should have seen the rant my friend originally gave me before I told him I was publishing it... :P
This one, because it works. The post has gotten plenty of hits, and has a fair amount of comments, but every time I hear someone whining that they can't find a group, or that players won't play the game/edition someone wants to run, I want to slap them around, pry their eyelids open with fishhooks, and sit them in front of this post. It works.
If I can Attention Whore a little more, maybe you bloggy type people can go through your old blogs and note your Top 10 Most Commented-On as well. The Manage Posts screen puts it all right there.
Now, the nature of the attention-whoring will often match the nature of the thing being whored. A musician who makes songs about filthy and unwholesome things will likely seem more shameless about drawing attention to his work. A writer who composes thoughtful pieces about non-controversial subjects probably isn't going to be so outrageous in the manner that he presents that work. It's part and parcel of the whole creator/creation relationship. It's only remarkable when the tenor of the work and the artist are quite different. It's only a negative state of affairs when there is nothing to draw attention to, the act of drawing attention is done for its own sake, and the entire thing is merely a distraction (note that this is different than having one's attention drawn to a thing from which a particular individual can draw no value...).
I have no way of knowing which of my posts on the blog here are read the most. My little counter on the lower right only goes back to sometime in November (I should have had such a thing on the blog immediately, since I seem to care so much...), but I can't track how many times each individual post has been accessed. So the way I interpret interest in any individual post is by the amount of comments left on the post. It's probably a poor scale, as a post which many people read just might not inspire comments (and "I agree!" and "What crap!" aren't what I want to read in comments anyway... I want reasons and stories about how my post relates to experiences and things like that... meaty stuff for me to read, not just tally), but it takes a moment of conscious thought for me to separate the concepts of "most commented on" and "most read."
That said, here are the Top 12 (would have been Top 10 but for the tie at the end...):
1. I Hate Fun 51 comments
2. D&D and Racism 48 comments
3. Closed Circles of Old Truckers Hurdy Gurdying 29 comments
4. The Cowardice of the Modern Grognard... or... Supplement V- Carcosa Reviewed 26 comments
5. It's a Great Idea and It Will Make Us Stronger... So Let's Crap All Over It! 22 comments
6. Holmes D&D - An Overview 21 comments
7. Hook in Mouth 19 comments
7. I'm in a Different Hobby than All These Other Folks... 19 comments
9. My Problematic Interpretation of Clerics... 16 comments
9. The Lord of the Rings Movies are Feces 16 comments
9. Guide to Adventure Writing 16 comments
9. Did Simulacrum Games Just Become Obsolete? 16 comments
Analysis?
People like commenting on how their gaming relates to Real Life issues, first and foremost. People really like bitching about Carcosa and bitching about people who bitch about Carcosa. People like commenting on commentary concerning the "scene." And something actually game-intensive has to be damn extraordinary to get a lot of people offering their opinions.
You know which ones I wish had gotten a lot more attention?
This one, because a lot of work went into it and I think if it had been more widely read it could have meant something. Not that the second post of a new blog is going to get any attention, and not that I give HERO System fans a reason to ever stop by...
This one, because I wonder just how common this sort of play really is, where it came from, and how to move the group away from it if you find yourself in that sort of situation as a player. Bonus trivia: I have since found out that one of the people involved is in our circle of mystic bloggers. No, I'm not telling. And you should have seen the rant my friend originally gave me before I told him I was publishing it... :P
This one, because it works. The post has gotten plenty of hits, and has a fair amount of comments, but every time I hear someone whining that they can't find a group, or that players won't play the game/edition someone wants to run, I want to slap them around, pry their eyelids open with fishhooks, and sit them in front of this post. It works.
If I can Attention Whore a little more, maybe you bloggy type people can go through your old blogs and note your Top 10 Most Commented-On as well. The Manage Posts screen puts it all right there.
Bonus trivia: I have since found out that one of the people involved is in our circle of mystic bloggers.
ReplyDeleteBecause I'm the sort of person prone to use weird portals and giant rabbits, I feel obliged to say "IT WASN'T ME."