Newbie Blogger Initiative – 4 Blogging Tips

 

Time for the obligatory NBI tips n’ tricks post! I really should have put this out sooner, but in any case, here it is now!

So you’ve got your domain name secured, your WordPress (or other blogging platform of choice) installation all set-up, and you’ve messed around with the theme settings a little and gotten some good, unique-looking results. Now, it’s just you and the keyboard in front of you – so what comes next?

First thing’s first – an introduction, of course!

A first post can be hard to pull off. In the case of this particular site, I kinda cheated since I had simply moved my blogging activity from my older blogger site to here, so my inaugural post was me basically saying “hey, this is where I’ll be doing stuff from now on, thanks.” No, seriously, check it out. But, luckily, your first post might be easier to do than you think.

I feel like a first post shouldn’t be anything but a quick introduction to what you plan to write about, what games you play, and just something to let people get a feel of what to expect. If you jump straight in to blogging about a specific topic, it doesn’t leave people with much to go on besides what you wrote – although it’s great that you’re eager to start! It’s much better to just write up a quick introduction of sorts, even if it doesn’t end up being super in-depth. In fact, I should mention that Syp’s links to new blogs with simple, one-sentence descriptions have grabbed my attention as a reader much better than anything – simply because I know what I’m getting, and that’s important. Also, throw in short n’ sweet description somewhere in the sidebar as a permanent way for newcomers to get a general idea about your blog – chances are your first post won’t be the only entry on your site for very long!

Find out what kind of blogging works best for you.

I’m a regular reader of dozens of blogs, all with different styles and post types, as you would expect. Wilhelm at The Ancient Gaming Noob regularly posts about his in-game experiences complete with screenshots and often humorous little captions. These posts have a very narrative and personal feel to them, and it’s often very enjoyable to read through as a result. Other bloggers like Keen take a more analytic approach, breaking down the design behind MMOs in particular in a very thoughtful manner – this too, makes for an enjoyable read. Syp happens to do a bit of both, you’ll notice his posts can be several paragraphs or simply a single screenshot – remember, anything goes. Just keep going at it, and eventually you’ll find several styles of writing and post structure that suit you!

Stick with it!

During your first few weeks, or months, even, you may begin to feel some writer’s block, as we all do from time to time. If you’re sitting there at the keyboard, and it’s been days since your last update, but you feel the ideas aren’t flowing – don’t be afraid to call it quits and try again another time. Who knows, you may suddenly think of some exciting topic only minutes later while in the shower or on the couch – inspiration is like that sometimes. It’s best never to update for the sake of updating – take a break, distance yourself and do something different for a while – and come back later when you feel like blogging. Never force it upon yourself to update – pressure to do anything hardly produces good results.

Pick a name that works!

I personally had some trouble with this. I registered “nomnom.info” during a GoDaddy promotional event where they were selling domains for super-cheap, and instead of putting it to use, I just kinda let it sit. I was still blogging – lightly – on blogger at the time, and one day I got tempted to move from blogger over to my own, self-hosted site, simply because I’d have more control over the site and how it operated. So, I did just that – and decided to put the whole thing under “nomnom.info” because I couldn’t think of anything else at the time. I still, to this day, regret that, and it’s not exactly hard to imagine why, I’m sure. I mean, “nom’ing,” or eating in general, has little to do with video games. Sure, it’s almost the dialogue trademark of Team Fortress 2′s Heavy, but I make no mention of that on the site because it’s never really been relevant enough – maybe it would work if this was primarily a TF2-themed blog, but it isn’t.

So now I’m kinda stuck with it. I’d love to change it, but I have yet to come up with anything better. Coming up with a good blog name is one of the hardest parts of starting one, actually – so don’t settle for anything until you’re entirely satisfied with your choice! The best blog names I’ve seen are ones that aren’t game-specific, and are usually kind of witty in some way. It’s a good idea to make your title not specific to any game because it kind of ties down your entire site to that one game, and it’s best to stay general. I’ve seen so many bloggers go from game-specific blogs to more general ones because it’s just a lot easier. Having a blog called “StarCraft II is the Shit,” and then finding out StarCraft II really isn’t the shit doesn’t really do you any good. Stay general with your name, and you’ll be much better off.

So that’s it! Four tips to consider as you work your way into the blog-o-sphere. Man, that term sounds so 90s.

As always, check out the NBI HQ for more delicious info on all things blogging!

-rav4ge

Tera: Alting it up

Do I play as the giant-sized, brute-force of a stone warrior, or the unrealistically hot pink-haired elf supermodel? Hmm...

Things in Tera have been pretty good. Not only has the game been holding my attention reasonably well (although I’m still eyeing Max Payne 1&2 as MP3′s release date draws ever closer), but my guildmates have provided what I would honestly consider an essential part of the whole experience. We had a guild picture event a while back during the last hours of open beta, vent is always active on some level, and we just hit 100 members. I bring all this up because without these guys, my interest in this game would not be anywhere near what it is now. I’ve discovered I need that social draw of MMOs in order to keep me playing. Alone, I’d much, much rather go off to play, well anything else. As good as Tera’s combat is, soloing in MMOs is not something I really enjoy, so I’m really grateful to be a part of these great bunch of guys and girls. Also, ponies.

During my past week with the game, I decided to try something a little different. I had been playing a Baraka Slayer, and although I was enjoying the class and being lovingly referred to as “Mr House” by several guildmates because of my character’s size, I felt an urge to try out one of the ranged classes in the game.

I went with the Mystic, which is the support caster of Tera. You get ranged AoE/Cone abilities, heals, and the ability to summon minions of varying sorts. Unfortunately, I found the minions to be mostly useless – sure, they draw aggro and can hold their own pretty well – but their attacks are, for the most part, rather weak. The only thing they’re really good for is creating distractions. It’s kinda nice sending in your minion over as a punching bag of sorts to a group of mobs while you fire off bolts at them from afar. Of course, the fun doesn’t last for long once the mobs get wise and realize you’re the real target. Still, ordering your little guy with his club towards a pack of ravenous wolves or something similar and watching him take off eagerly is kinda smile-worthy.

Something that initially bothered me upon making the character – and will continue to bother me in the future – is that Tera’s questing zones are pretty much the same for every character you make. That means you’ll be doing the same stuff again if you decide to make an alt. That’s a serious flaw. Most MMOs start you off in different areas of the world depending on what race you pick, but for Tera, everyone starts in the same place and continue from there. Luckily for Tera, the combat saves it again regarding this problem. I basically just played through the same content this past week, only with a different class, and I definitely enjoyed myself. The Mystic is a lot of fun to play since you can teleport around past or behind enemies pretty frequently, and then line them up for quick AoE/Cone attacks for pretty substantial damage. It’s a nice contrast to the Slayer, where missing attacks and combos felt like a huge letdown because of how slow your attacks generally are. With the Mystic, I felt a lot more nimble and quick, and mistakes are less penalizing since cool downs on most abilities are very short. Overall though, it’s quite the change going from a giant piece of walking stone with a sword to a pink-haired elf who is roughly half the size or less – but big where, you know – where it counts.

Anyway, just wanted to piece some of my thoughts together. I’ll probably be hitting 20 on my Mystic tonight. Some of my guildies are already level 60, which is just crazy.

-rav4ge

Newbie Blogger Initiative – Introduction

Blogging is a pretty hard thing to do. First of all, you need to have something worth writing about – whether it be a topic of debate, opinion, or an event, of which hopefully you’ve been mulling over in your head. And then you have to actually sit your ass down, type it all out, and hope nothing gets left out during the translation. Finally, you’ll sit back, look over your words, and think to yourself – “Is this really worth posting?”

That last part is what stops a lot of people from hitting that publish button, and therefore releasing their thoughts into the swirling virtual vortex of the internet. It’s kind of a daunting thing, throwing your writing and opinions out there for all to see. Sure, coming up with topics in the first place is difficult, as is actually putting them into words. But I feel like a lot of would-be bloggers out there call it quits on the last step because they don’t think their stuff is worth reading.

But! The way I see it, blogging will always be worth it. I’ve met so many people over the course of my brief eighteen years on this planet who are incredibly thoughtful and knowledgeable people with unique, often charismatic views. Whether funny, or eye-opening, I like hearing what they all have to say – and that’s really what blogging is – extending your thoughts onto the internet. If these same people I described had blogs, I’d be all over them, avidly keeping up via RSS and commenting whenever I had something to say. Sadly, blogging isn’t something everyone picks up, but it is something that everyone should try.

For me, I’ve kept myself blogging here and there, and although I don’t post as much as I would like, I’ve continued to do so for almost three years now. I don’t have a large reader count of any kind, and my posts rarely get comments – but I continue to enjoy blogging, simply because I have this opportunity to put stuff out there, whether people read it or not. Putting it simply, I do it because I enjoy it, and I also greatly enjoy being a part of the blogging gaming community, across all my favorite blogs, or on Twitter. It’s great to feel among so many – virtually, even – and feel so accepted as apart of something – to have my voice, although small, heard. That’s why I’m encouraging you – yes, you – to start a blog of your own and hopefully get the ball rolling!

The Newbie Blogger Initiative, lead by the incredibly passionate blogger Syp – who, ironically enough, was one of the bloggers who originally inspired me to start a blog of my own back in 2008 – is a collaborative community event being supported by over 70 blogs. We’re hoping to inspire and kick-start those looking to get started in the world of blogging, and it’s all happening this month!

If you’re curious about blogging, or have ever considered starting a blog of your own – gaming related or not – I highly recommend heading over to the NBI HQ here and signing up. Throughout the month we’ll all be posting tips and advice on getting started, and you’ll receive support and  from all of us over there, plus a good amount of traffic to get you started. I’m very curious to discover and read the early posts from all you beginning bloggers out there!

Thanks for reading, and happy blogging!

-rav4ge

Podcast Episode 30 – Where’s Michael?

It’s our 30th episode, and Michael is nowhere to be seen! Oh where, oh where could he be? Even Jim Carrey’s Riddler, in all his fluffy red-haired glory doesn’t know. He’s just there because I thought it made sense with the question marks and all.

Even though Michael isn’t here, episode 30 is very much a thing! We talk more about actual video games this week than anything else, which I am especially happy about. League of Legends, Front Mission Evolved, StarCraft II, Max Payne – there’s some good stuff in this week’s hour-and-twenty podcasting session. Give in to Riddler’s eccentric gaze and click that play button!

Continue Reading…

Play

Tera – Open Beta Impressions

As you might know, the Tera servers opened up for all pre-order accounts yesterday at 12:00 PM Pacific. I just happened to get out of school much earlier than usual, at 11:45 instead of 12:55, so I made my way home, poured myself some celebratory Dr Pepper (67 cents for a litre, couldn’t go wrong at that price), logged into my guild’s vent, and got playin’!

Now, I didn’t play Tera’s closed beta, so apart from what I had seen in videos, the game was completely unfamiliar to me. I literally took a leap of faith when I pre-ordered this game, and so far that’s proven to be a good decision. Continue Reading…

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