I’m spending much of the early part of this lovely Saturday in Savannah trying to catch up on stuff. I’m not fundamentally an organized person, and I’m arguably overcommitted. Sometimes I manage to keep up with things pretty well, but in some weeks . . .
Anyway, some rather random updates about this blog and other issues:
Peach Pundit update:
I continue to post a couple of times a week or more to Peach Pundit, the most important political blog in the state. It’s a vital resource for anyone trying to keep up with the prevailing political winds and details about specific political races, government departments, funding issues, and on and on. Click here for all my posts, which generally cover the Savannah area but also deal with statewide economic issues.
A lovely rising moon in Forsyth Park on the Friday night of the Savannah Jazz Festival.
I’ve been putting a lot of photos up on the blog in recent months, and I plan to continue to do more of that. If you want a quick glance at one page with photos from lots of the events I’ve covered — with links back to the blog — check out my tumblr. I’ve started seeing more of my photos floating around on the web these days, so I’m typically adding a copyright watermark to them. I’m pretty flexible about them being used with permission.
I’m going to get a new camera body eventually, which should give me a lot more versatility, although I’ve been really happy with the purchase earlier this year of a Nikkor 1.4 50mm lens. It cost as much as the Nikon D40 that I use it on, but I can manage some pretty good shots with minimal effort (i.e., even if I’m in a crowded club with a drink in the other hand).
Ad sales:
Does anyone have any idea why local advertisers have shown so little interest in the small direct ads at the top of the right sidebar on every post and page of this blog? They’re $20/month, and I’m not taking ads from any business that I might have occasion to write about in my print columns in the Savannah Morning News. I’ve had about 46,000 page views in the last three months (September is going to come in at around 12,000), so it’s not like no one will see it.
Thanks to Melaver McIntosh for their current support. I make a little off the Google Adsense blogs that you see on this page, but a bit more income from direct ad sales would help what I’m trying to do here.
If anyone is interested in one of those spaces, please hit me up at billdawers[at]comcast.net or on Facebook.
Bloggers and blogging generally::
I continue to toy with the idea of bringing guest bloggers or regular contributors on board.
If you have a suggestion you’d like to discuss, get in touch at billdawers[at]comcast.net or on Facebook.
Beyond my blog, however, why isn’t there a more active music blogging community in Savannah? It’s a big obvious need — some bloggers posting previews, reviews, photos, video, and so forth and so on. A disproportionate amount of the local music scene is being covered by a very small number of middle-aged writers. Nothing against middle-aged writers(!), but we have our limitations.
I’ve been spending a little less time on this blog writing hardcore economics posts, mainly because they’re time consuming and because they often are very lightly read. Clearly, my readership is most interested in the twin worlds of Savannah city issues and of music, art, and culture. My most read posts over the last quarter have been those dealing with the filming of CBGB, but the most recent month’s top posts have dealt with the City Manager issues, The Unchained Tour, the recent horse carriage controversy, and Fashion’s Night Out. You can find some of those posts in the right sidebar. Over there along with links to my recent Savannah Morning News columns >>>>>>>>
Thanks to all who have made this blog a part of their regular online routine and of course to those who are here for the first time.