I try to keep the reader ass-kissing and advertiser knob-polishing to a minimum, but I really am so grateful to have been building a loyal following with this crazy little venture that I hope you'll forgive me a little gushiness from time to time. But the great thing about a blog is that if you find my brown-nosery off-putting, you can scroll or click around until you find something that better suits you.
I thought the New Year would be a great time to offer thanks and to give a quick update on the blog, in reverse order.
First, the update. After about a year of posting under another guise and in another place, I started The Malcontent on July 25, 2005, and began keeping track of my statistics two days later.
Between July 27 and the end of 2005, we logged a total of 417,395 unique visits. In that same period, Robbie and I have written 738 posts (an average of 4.7 posts per day), and we have received 2,765 comments – many of them worthy of posts in their own right.
I am not proud of every word that has been written or every post put up, but I am proud that we have tried to be entertaining and provocative, and to offer a lot of original content that you won't find on any other blogs. In that, I hope that we are succeeding.
You might have noticed that we are putting more and more "MalcoVision" content online. Robbie has invested in the necessary hardware and software to ramp up his own contributions. In the past year, I bought a top-of-the-line Sony Vaio PC, in part to facilitate my own videos.
We rely on an ISP outside of Typepad to provide the bandwidth necessary for potentially thousands of clip views per day. (Our server space has been pushed to its very outer limits and has held up wonderfully.) And, as I have alluded in the past, it is entirely possible that we will need an additional ISP once the current one discovers the extent to which I exceed our current bandwidth allotments, an investment I am prepared to make if needed.
I am almost entirely amateur in many of the creative elements that go into this site. I have had Adobe Photoshop for quite some time and bought a book to help me make better use of it. In addition to my previous video software, for Christmas I got (from myself and the Malco-hubby) Adobe Premiere Pro and Adobe After Effects, which could offer a quantum leap in the quality and types of video we can offer. (You can see the early fruits of this in the new introduction to more recent MalcoVision clips.)
I have some past experience with Premiere Pro, but I see a couple of book purchases in my future, and they will both have either "idiots" or "dummies" in the title.
The Web was created for the purpose of integrating images (especially moving images) into the Internet experience, and I am always looking to push the envelope of that potential – even being one with no background to speak of in programming or computers. I won't pretend that every hardware and software purchase has been made exclusively with the blog in mind, but either way, this little hobby of Robbie's and mine probably comes with far greater expense and labor than the average blog.
So now, the thanks. Thanks to Cathy at City Rag for inviting me to join the world of BlogAds. It was a step I took reluctantly because I never wanted to send the signal that my goal was to make a profit from this site (a mark that we are still a long way from achieving). But my day job and the shekels that BlogAds tosses our way every so often have made it easy for me to resist any temptation of groveling with a "tip jar."
And while I am on the topic, I am long overdue in thanking the people who take out those ads. Our current bandwidth supporters are:
EcheBlog: New and improved! Music, pop-culture, politics, movies, general gayness and some hot guys, to boot!
Gay.com: More than meets the eye. Find men near you, and see everything you've been missing.
Shades of Gray: If you lived in NYC, what would your love-life look like? This is Ethan's. (He's funny, he's sexy, and The Malcontent thinks he's a great guy too!)
Jeff Cook for Congress: Another old friend of mine. He's trying to oust a supporter of the "Federal Marriage Amendment" from Congress. So help him out!
Boozhy, A Blog: Politics and Culture direct from the mouth of the Gay Bourgeois. Recently voted Snarkiest Gay Political Blog of 2005. (The Malcontent loves snark!)
Lambda Legal: Help them raise $50,000 to go toe to toe with the antigay Alliance Defense Fund.
Boi From Troy: He's gay, Republican and he's been giving some of the best sports coverage and analysis of any blog, period.
And "The L Word": It's the dykiest show that this gay boy loves, and I've seen every episode! Watch the season premiere this Sunday and see why "L Hath No Fury."
If you don't already make a habit of clicking on ads that are placed on blogs you like, please consider doing so. It is a great and pain-free way to keep the love flowing in all directions, and to support the important and fast-growing medium of blogs.
Finally – first, last and always – thanks, thanks, THANKS to you, the readers. In my few months at The Malcontent, I have experienced things I have never thought possible. I have grown to feel a connection with countless people I will never meet, as well a few that I have. I didn't know what to expect when I started this, but I would take gentle exception with some of our readers who feel that this blog and others like it don't foster a sense of "community."
Quite the contrary, as I have traveled the road exploring and coming to terms with my sexual identity, I can't think of another means that has given me a stronger personal sense of "community" than the blogosphere. I have interacted with more people that I ever would have imagined. I have learned an enormous amount, and been exposed to ideas and subcultures that I was previously unaware existed.
What keeps me so excited about blogging every day, and reading other blogs, is entirely that feeling of connection. What I experience in my virtual life, I feel, makes me a better citizen in my life in the real world.
And I know that I'm not alone.
I don't pretend that being a D-list blogger makes what I have to say any more important or worthy than anyone else's ideas, which is why I have the most unrestricted comments policies that I am aware of. (Basically, unless you're spamming or making death threats, your comments are welcome.) Actually, I'm not a fan of policies in general, so the fewer bounds I have to take the time to set, the better.
That said, I will continue to rely on your feedback. When it comes down to it, I'm doing this for me and hoping others find it interesting too. But it is always nice to know how off-base I am with readers.
Is there too little MalcoVision? Too much? Is the site safe enough for work? Too safe? If there is anything we could be doing better, anything you'd like to see on the site, or if you'd just like to tell Robbie and me we're a couple of self-loathing Uncle Toms, then please send us a line.
Uncle Tom, yes.
Self-loathing, never =)
Posted by: Robbie | January 03, 2006 at 03:12 PM
so far so good, guys. and i like the libertarian attitude. it's refreshing (especially from where i come from), even if it's only in the virtual world. one request: please keep malcovision work-safe but don't lose that edge that keeps us all hooked. so, how can i send some belgian chocolates to you guys as a new year's gift? :*
Posted by: marc | January 03, 2006 at 03:21 PM
Bravo, guys! You have quickly become a type of gay homepage for me. You have some of the most well-rounded and robust commenters in the gay blogosphere (thanks in no small part to my generous contribution), and I know I'll always find something worthy of comment in your posts. You both have a unique style and contribute in different ways to make the blog fresh and entertaining. And your traffic obviously reflects the verity of these claims.
Keep up the great work!
Posted by: Aatom | January 03, 2006 at 03:57 PM
What Aatom said.
But there's always room for more reader ass-kissing, especially if it's mine......:)
Posted by: North Dallas Thirty | January 03, 2006 at 04:52 PM
Whoohoo!!! I love reading your blog... every day. I have no idea how you stay on top of all the stuff you add to the blog, not to mention Malcovision. It's all great. You're not part of the whacko left... you're not a right-wing wingnut. You attract an interesting crowd of commenters. You don't seem to fit a specific political or social mold. I think that's what I like most... and identify with most. Keep up the great blog... thanks!
Posted by: Gunther | January 03, 2006 at 10:21 PM
The check is in the mail, Gunther.
Posted by: Malcontent | January 03, 2006 at 10:57 PM