Preparing for Blaugust 2024
Because I have taken a nine month break from maintaining this blog, I thought it would be a good idea to give Contain Moderate Peril a makeover prior to Blaugust: Festival of Blogging commencing on 1st August. Initially I intended to outsource the work but the cost was prohibitive. So I made some changes to the existing blog template myself and had a new logo created via a designer from Fiverr. The changes are sufficient to quash my subconscious concerns and I am now in a position where I won’t obsess (too much) with the look and feel of the site. There is still some work to be done. I have to repost all previous instalments of “Walter Watches”” and ensure that the existing domain for that site points to its new home here. I also have to tweak the blog archive page, so that older content can be found easily. There are over a thousand posts published but it is immediately apparent.
Although I often write “from the hip”, I also keep a lot of draft posts. Whenever I get an idea that I think may make a suitable blog post I make a note of it and then when I’m sitting at my desk, I create a new document via Google Drive. Some of the draft posts get developed and published quite quickly but others sit in development hell and never see the light of day. Today, I trawled through the drafts folder and expunged those proto-posts that I feel have missed the boat, are unsuitable or no longer interest me. I also added some new draft ideas that came from talking to other bloggers on the Blaugust Discord server. There’s also a lot of mileage in responding to someone else's blog post. It’s a great way of sharing ideas and highlighting other writers' blogs. It is also handy if you’re having one of those days where you’re running low on your own ideas.
Another preparation I made in getting ready for Blaugust was adding all the new participants of this year’s festival to Feedly. I currently have 177 blogs listed in this RSS aggregator but not all are maintained. Some have definitely gone to the wall, so at some point I need to prune them. However, that notwithstanding, it is pleasant and reassuring to see such a substantive quantity of blogs still active. I’m sure there will be more to add over the course of the forthcoming month, as Blaugust always attracts numerous late arrivals. I always try to trawl through Feedly each morning and see what’s new. During Blaugust I also endeavour to leave a comment on all participant blogs as a sign of solidarity and encouragement. I find that comments on my own posts are always a shot in the arm, as it means that at least a handful of people are reading my output. It’s nice to know that I’m not just shouting into the void.
Finally, in the lead up to Blaugust, the community Discord server has gotten busier. I appreciate that not everybody likes this medium but I find it most useful and agreeable. It is nice to meet new and returning bloggers, offer support and encouragement and just swap stories about our respective experiences when it comes to writing. Furthermore, we have a very diverse community who write about a multitude of different subjects. Hence group discussions can provide a wide variety of perspectives. I also find that the Discord server really does create a sense of community. For me that is what is at the heart of Blaugust. Encouraging writing by creating an online community. Hence I am looking forward to tomorrow’s start of this year’s festival of blogging. I hope all who are taking part enjoy the experience as well.
