A big part of blogging is the sense of community and I enjoy visiting other blogs to read about other people’s opinions about specific movies. I’ve got more subscriptions to blogs than I am able to read each day which always leads to a big backlog in emails of blogposts I still want to read and comment on. I’ve been steadily trying to reduce the unread emails and my backlog ran all the way back to July. When you read such blog posts that late you notice something: Unless it is a timeless post there will not be any comments made after only a couple of days. The average relevancy for a post therefore is extremely low and it is quite a shame how “disposable” that time you have put into something is. It made me wonder how you feel about this:
Do you read older blog posts of blogs after you have seen a specific movie and how do you feel about the average relevancy of the posts you have written?
I do some of the time as I think of it what I did then as I felt I could improve them as I’ve recently have been writing new versions of reviews of films I had reviewed when I was working at Epinions.com. Even with films which I probably didn’t like years ago and having seen it again with new re-evaluation. My recent review of Heaven’s Gate is the best example of that where I have a link of the old review below.
Actually, I don’t. Here is the original review of Heaven’s Gate circa 2005 w/ some edits made in 2010.
That’s a good idea. I only occasionally will update graphics, but not the actual reviews. Should be looking into that.
Such an interesting question. I read old posts all the time, especially if the blog I’m checking out is new to me. It helps me “know” the blogger, or at least learn their style and get a feel for how similar (or dissimilar) their tastes are to mine. More importantly, it helps me figure out whether or not I like reading a particular blog. No, having similar taste to mine is not important, btw. I’ll even comment on those old posts. I think it’s nice to let fellow bloggers know that someone took the time to dig through a few old posts long after they’ve past their “freshness” date.
Another quirk of mine is that I try not to read reviews of upcoming movies I haven’t seen before I review them myself. I will for old movies, but try not to for new stuff. For instance, I haven’t read one review of Gone Girl even though most blogs I frequent have posted about it. I click on, see someone has blogged about it, I might check the grade they give it, but then I quickly click off of that page. Whenever I actually get around to seeing it, I’ll post my review then go back read some of the ones I skipped. Some I’ll comment on, some I won’t.
As for my own posts, I like to think that occasionally the people that drop by my place for a visit poke around for a while. Comments on older posts make me happier than ones on current posts because they’re proof that this has happened. I also get happy when I see older posts turn up among the ones that have been viewed on a given day.
Sorry for going off on a tangent, but I hope that means I answered the question thoroughly.
Yeah, it is a great way to get to know a blogger. Like you I’ll also won’t read reviews of movies I have not seen yet, which also results in a backlog of mails. It might sometimes take months before I read some of them. Yes, you have answered my question very thoroughly. Love long comments!
I’m not that fussed if nobody comments on my stuff, and analytics normally provides comfort for me that people are at least LOOKING at it in any case. I do wonder what incriminating evidence some bloggers have on folks, since I see a lot of poorly written (or small, single paragraph reviews) stuff getting loads of comments, while my sweat-producing work seems to get very few, if any.
I take solace in the fact that I write mainly for myself, to get my thoughts on a film (or other subject) out in a way I can understand. Historical stuff still gets hits on my site, and as a previous commenter said, it’s always nice when people “stumble upon” the older stuff and leave a note, but I’m never that fussed if comments get left or not.
But what would you rather have, more comments and less views or the other way around? 🙂 I know what you mean about some things getting loads of comments and others next to nothing.
As a blogger though it is, like you say, most important to do it for yourself and have fun doing it.
I notice spikes in my blog posts months later that I assume are connected to the release of the film on home formats. Some posts from years before start showing up at the top of my posts that get clicked on for no apparent reason. I read older posts if they concern a particular theme or genre. For example, if some one posts regularly about James Bond films, I will go back and look at the older stuff, and even post a comment if I find the discussion interesting. In a blogathon, I have read posts relevant to that topic but then have been side tracked onto other posts a person may have written years before. It is easy to become enamored with a site because of the writing or the theme of the site. If someone is posting several times a week, I am likely to just try to keep up with the current work. If i get drawn to an article but the posts are not regular, I sometimes explore a bit. I also look if someone recommends a post to me even if it is older, for instance, I’ll be looking at Steven’s Heaven’s Gate post after I finish my comment here.
Really interesting question, Nostra! I have gotten comments on posts I’ve written almost an entire year later after I have written them! Of course, this doesn’t happen very often, but when it does, I get really excited that I have written a few posts out there that still have some relevancy to them. For me, I often don’t comment on really old posts just because I fall behind, and I try to keep up with current ones as often as possible. Of course, I don’t comment on everyone’s posts I follow, sometimes just because I haven’t seen the movie getting mentioned, or I don’t have anything thoughtful to add. That’s often why I just like a post to let the writer know I’ve viewed/read it, but I don’t know what to say.
Interesting question, Nostra.
Since you and your site were the first to invite to me join in and offer a point of view.
No matter how many times I go over and proof read a guest review before sending it off. There are always typos and words added or missing. I guess it comes with the turf. Though these mistakes don’t have much to do with the critique’s overall perspective.
It’s a fun outlet to have fun with what I enjoy. And I’m proud and pleased with the number of others who enjoy my efforts.
Thanks much, my friend!