So again, this thing hasn’t really gone far. I think it’s time to re-evaluate the direction. There are a few reasons to the failure.
1. Lack of an Audience: I haven’t felt comfortable with what I was writing to really make it public. It was too personal; at times too risque. To make it public in today’s world means to promote it in other social arenas, like on Facebook and via Twitter. And because being public is what blogging is all about, the lack of an audience has thus depleted any motivation I may have had initially.
2. No Strategy: For a venture such as this to be successful, having parameters means defining an audience, developing a strategy, and carrying it to fruition. There’s an old marketing phrase (at least I believe it’s an old marketing saying) that goes: You Can’t Be Everything To Everyone.
3. Abundantly Broad: Because I haven’t created parameters, there is no focus. In operating any business, promoting any product, you must (in a manner of speaking) create a unique niche. I have yet to find that niche. Now, the problem with doing this is that you can narrow it too much and thus doom yourself by overly limiting yourself.
Now that I’ve pinpointed my failure, it’s time to revisit the purpose of this blog and determine an appropriate direction. I have a few ideas - ultimately it could mean combining both of them, but I again do not want to be overly broad.
Both ideas stem around being an amateur, which works well with the title of the blog, On The Fense. Am I good? Do I suck? While I will always believe myself to fit the former, recounting my progressions at a particular cross section of… life… has potential appeal. Here are my thoughts:
Idea 1: Do It Yourself
Last year (wow, it’s not 2009 anymore!) I bought a house. It’s my first house and it shows a lot of potential. Potential both inside, outside, and in the yard. While I’ve already started, it could focus on taking a perfectly adequate but basic house and taking it to the next level. The problems are that projects take a long time and thus posts have the potential of being spread far and wide.
Idea 2: Food
I’m an amateur when it comes to cooking, but last week proved that I can at least make a mean enchilada sauce, even if it made the whole family sweat on Christmas eve. And my mom keeps the house well below a comfortable temperature. One of my two New Years 2010 resolutions is to lose 20 pounds, and part of that will be eating healthier, eating less, and cooking more. This could be a good step toward achieving that goal, and follow my passion for food and cooking.
If you have a thought, let me know. While the latter may sound a bit too much like that recent film Julie and Julia (or is it Julia and Julie?), I am leaning in that direction. Another item that makes me lean that way is Andi’s love for retro cookbooks. It might be fun to highlight a wild book from the 1940s, take a recipe from it, and make it our own.
OK - I think I’ve made up my mind. I will take it in the food direction. Andi and I need some new meals anyway, and this will give us a chance to change things up a bit. One key: she’s gluten intolerant, so things might get interesting.
January 1st, 2010 by admin | No Comments »