Blog content strategy for 2021.
I’m halfway through my once-every-two-years blog design revamp, and I thought I’d write a little about my content direction this year.
This is also an … advertorial of sorts for those investigating whether to … sponsor me for content. But wait a minute! Let me rephrase that in pleasant-sounding corporatespeak.
- Like too many blogs, I’ve embarked on too many series, only to, because of circumstances unforeseen or unavoidable, abandon them.
- Firmly in middle-age, I’ve developed a peculiar fondness for categorizing and documenting stuff. I currently have Excel sheets for my music scores, my games, my (censored), and so on.
In other words, this post is also for the purpose of my own record keeping lah! For me remembering what I really ought to be working more on too …
Additionally, if you’re a fan of any of my post series, and I hope you are, the following indicates whether there would be similar content to come. Or whether you should, you know, switch to being a fan of my other series.
😛
Scribbling Geek Blog Content Strategy for 2021
1. Snappy Movie Reviews
A couple of well-meaning netizens have written to me, suggesting that I stop wasting time on these highly competitive, low paying, a dime three dozen type of posts.
I understand where they are coming from, and I completely agree that as far as SEO is concerned. I will never be able to compete with major movie review sites.
But, I genuinely love watching movies. I love ranting about them too. My weekly excursions to the cinemas could in turn be considered my one and only high point of each week.
And so I’d be continuing these. I’d be writing more as well! One thing I’d change, though, is to review more older movies and Asian productions. (My “Red” and “Green” reviews, in other words)
Other than the greater traffic potential for such reviews, I generally find them more enjoyable to write. Easier to dissect and analyze too.
2. Singapore Festive Light-Up Posts
Like movie reviews, there’s a lot of blogging competition for these, although I’d highlight I’ve survived relatively well.
Such blog content has long since gotten dry, though. I mean, while there is no shortage of great opportunities for write-ups, it’s ultimately the same deal each year, right?
Head to Chinatown, take the main showpiece, walk around, photograph the street lights, head home. Oh wait, I forgot to take additional pictures of the sausage stand!
Same old same old, for Christmas, Deepavali, and so on.
But I intend to continue, and I will still focus on light-ups and illuminations. No particular reason for this except, it’s sweaty going about with a DSLR photographing everything but it is ultimately still enjoyable.
Plus, I do think street illuminations count as one of the most enjoyable aspects of Singaporean living. As long as you don’t … erm, mind the energy consumption, we seriously are a twinkling wonderland 12 months a year.
3. Free Electone Sheet Music
This, I certainly intend to continue. In fact, I will push myself to churn out more, far more, this year!
I will also broaden my repertoire. While I’d still focus on retro Cantopop, I’ll make the effort to arrange more jazz pieces, video game music, festive music, and perhaps, golden oldies from both the East and West.
Yeah, definitely more of these. I’d go to the extent of saying this is the heavyweight of my blog content strategy for 2021 too.
If you’re wondering, it’s also not for traffic, or any aspiration to someday be a pro-Electone arranger. It’s because I truly, truly, love this instrument.
4. Video Game Tourist
This is my misery and passion, and far as this blog is concerned.
I get very decent traffic for my Persona 5, Uncharted 4, and Yakuza series. Which in turn means I ought to play more open-world games and write more such posts.
But I never did. Reasons being
- I’ve never quite found the proper format to do these. If you’ve been reading my archives, you’d surely have noticed I’m still experimenting with different formats. I have never found the proper way. (Copyright concerns are major issues for me too)
- I don’t have the time to play that many open-world games. I just finished Breath of the Wild and lordy, it took me four months! Four months!
- To make everything worse, I still play World of Warcraft. If you remotely have any experience with this Blizzard Entertainment sinkhole, you’d know nothing is more effective at eating up your gaming time than this.
Yeah, the misery and passion of my blogging life …
But I intend to persevere! And I’ve already made arrangements to game more. (Sounds terrible when I put it that way, doesn’t it?)
I’ve also meditated on it and I think I finally found a sensible way to write these. Hereby, I’ll invite you to keep an eye out for my first “revamped” video game tourist post/series. This will be for Breath of the Wild. I REFUSE to let four months of shrine hunting go to waste …
5. Geeky Restaurant Adventures –> Dining Adventures
Argg … my geeky restaurant adventures. Sometimes I look at my old posts and wonder why on Earth I started this.
It’s like, yeah, we have the occasional pop-up themed café in Singapore. Before the pandemic, we had DC Superhero cafes and Hungry Heroes too.
But everything considered, geeky dining establishments just aren’t the big thing in SG, are they?
Plus, I mostly dine alone. I’d be honest. Most of my restaurant posts involved multiple visits just to be able to check out more dishes.
Major changes, therefore, for this “series.” For a start, I’d be renaming the series to get rid of the deadweight words.
I will also take a leaf from my company-managing days i.e. capitalise on my inherent weaknesses. All posts in 2021 and beyond will just focus on the dining experience, and not aim to feature abundant dishes.
Whether this would be a good blog content strategy remains to be seen, but it’s seriously getting expensive going multiple times to a restaurant, just to write a post. More than a little silly too.
6. Geeky Lifestyle Lists
To share, I’m affiliated with some marketing platforms, and a manager from one of those recently emailed me.
“Hey dude, we notice you’re getting a lot of clicks but have not sold anything. Is there anything we can do to help?”
(Read: Can you please SELL something before we are forced to trash you?)
… …
I know what are my shortcomings are. Right from day one, I’ve never angled this blog to be for affiliate sales. My content has always been … pure content.
Frankly, I’m a dreary person when it comes to gift ideas too. I loathe having to buy stuff for people.
The above said, this is a new series I started late last year and I hate giving up without a fight. In consideration of everything, I think I will re-angle the series to focus more on (geeky) experiences rather than products.
Going to be a tough challenge working along that line. But well, what’s the fun in doing something that’s a smooth ride?
7. Home Tourist Series
To be honest, I started this series in 2019 for two reasons. To be honest, I started this series in 2019 for two reasons. Both of which aren’t because of any blog content strategy.
- As I mentioned in my very first home tourist post, I took a sweaty evening walk through the older parts of Toa Payoh, and thoroughly enjoyed it.
- I’m also the sort who can’t delete a picture from my phone without experiencing excruciating mental anguish. Thus, the series was a picture-dump for all the shots I took during my evening walks.
Surprisingly, these posts received decent traffic. Decent and constant traffic. In view of that, and the harsh reality that I need the exercise, I’ll be continuing these “with a passion.”
Yes, passion! (And sweat)
I’d be expanding the content too, in the sense they wouldn’t just be about the walks. I’d focus more on the shops, eateries, and mini attractions I encounter on the way. In other words, I’d be making these into mini Singaporean travel guides.
Post-publication, if there are things I should add, I’ll happily do so too. In other words, I will accept submissions and recommendations. Feel free to email me!
8. Product Reviews
Late last year, I did a couple of sponsored reviews. While working on one at my mom’s place, she asked, “Are you okay? You look really intense.”
She asked because I was, you know, really concentrating on what I was doing. With a grim face and dark eyes and all that.
But don’t get the wrong idea, I deeply enjoy doing these reviews. The grim face and dark eyes are because I make it the point to write a full-fledged review each time. Also, to include unique content found in few other similar reviews.
Long story short, I’ll be continuing with these. You can expect even longer reviews from me too.
9. Short Stories
Like many aspiring writers, I began with creative writing. My “milestone” in this aspiration being I was accepted into MOE’s Creative Arts Program in the 90s.
Unfortunately, however, I soon realised two things after starting this blog.
Firstly, fiction really, really sucks as far as SEO is concerned. Even for a reputable platform like Maven Inc’s Letterpile.com, traffic struggles. In other words, creative writing is an area to steer clear of for any blog content strategy.
Secondly, I am caught in that sort of situation. I daydream every week about writing my magnum opus. In the end, I churn out not even a title.
Not to mention … I think I lost most of my storytelling drive over the years.
But, but … I really wish to get back into it, if only to fulfil a lifelong dream! To do so, I think I’ll finally swallow the reality pie and START simple. No big epics and sagas! No magnum opuses about rings and evil gods and wizards in white robes! Just … stories.
Yeah, just stories. Probably still the speculative, sci-fi, fantasy ones too.
For the sake of my mental health, though, I’ll just be writing about … fluffy things in 2021. In a non-judgemental way too. No clear idea, though, how I ought to go about this. So in the end, I might just trash this category altogether.
10. Essays
I wrote quite a number of these between 2016 and 2018. From 2019 onwards, I wrote none.
Only one reason, I got really tired of socio-political stuff. Only one reason, I got really tired of socio-political stuff. However great they are for any blog content strategy.
I’m not going to denote the reasons why. I’d just say, I usually end up having insomnia after writing because I’m still upset by whatever I wrote about. A case of catharsis not kicking in.
My gripes about such blog content considered, I do still feel such “editorial” blog content is necessary for any publication, even if only a personal blog.
For the sake of my mental health, I’ll thus just be writing about … fluffy things. In a non-judgemental way. No clear idea, though, how I ought to go about this. So in the end, I might just trash this category altogether.
New Series to Come
A. Electone Technical Series
This is an idea I’ve been toying with since July 2019.
You see, the single biggest joy and woe of the Yamaha Electone is how there’s painfully so little information about it online. Correspondingly, it’s a huge thrill to “discover” secrets yourself. A real pain in the behind when you need urgent information to do or correct something.
The Stagea models, in particular, have a lot of new functionalities that are doubly mystifying for HS and EL trained players. Players such as me.
But information is ultimately not non-existent; you just need to know where to hunt. I will thus devote research skills acquired during my varsity years to preparing mini glossaries useful for Electone players.
Lots of work involved here, truth be told. Lots of potential criticism too, I foresee. For real experts or otherwise.
All I can say is, I will do my best. Naturally, I welcome all corrections too.
B. Retro Gaming Memories
Just last week, I did my annual winter ritual. One that I’ve been indulging in since 2015.
I logged onto Steam during its annual winter sale. I then bought a whole bunch of discounted retro games. Specifically, games that I enjoyed playing in the 80s and early 90s.
To highlight, I always buy for the sake of buying and re-owning. Nine out of ten times, I don’t even download my purchases. I am satisfied with the knowledge that I now “own these games again.”
Ridiculous, isn’t it? And wasteful. But it’s going to stop! I will start “sharing” my experiences of replaying these retro gems, with screenshots galore, in a new series. So as not to end up with the usual retro game review type of posts, I’ll “share” the life experiences gained from these games too.
For example, how I morphed into one of my favourite 80s game characters. I have many laughs while playing Sierra Online’s Leisure Suit Larry series in the 80s. Now, I look and talk like Larry Laffer.
Yeah, I’m a complete lounge lizard now. Or am I not? Stay tuned!
