The State of the Community Blogs

Two days ago, EternalDeathSlayer wrote a blog that prompted a lot of you to air your long-penned-up grievances in regards to the Dtoid staff and, more specifically, the state of the community blogs. While none of us like hearing that we've failed in our duties, what we hate even more is knowing that we've let down our community. For that, we couldn't be more sorry.

I've seen a lot of our most talented community bloggers jump ship in the last several months, and I can't really blame them. Their work has gone largely (if not completely) ignored, and the once-guaranteed front page promotions awarded to quality blogs have dwindled to the point of near-nonexistence. Put simply, it's been pretty fucking depressing around here lately.

But no more! With this blog, we recommit ourselves to that which makes Dtoid great: you people! Writing as your newly appointed Community Blog Manager, I've detailed a few areas I'll be focusing on in order to bring this place back to life. Please share your thoughts (and especially any other suggestions) in the comments below. I promise, you'll be heard! (Yes, even you, Funktastic.)

Front Page Promotions: Let's get the most important thing out of the way first. Remember when we used to do these all the time? Yeah, I'm bringing that back. Any quality blog -- not just those prompted by our Bloggers Wanted requests -- has a chance at getting promoted to the front page, and I'll be making it my personal goal to cultivate an environment where those who put in the work will get the exposure they deserve. I won't be fulfilling some quota of one community blog promotion per week or anything like that, either. Rather, stellar blogs will hit the front page as they are written, whether that's once a month, once a week, or once a day (schedule availability permitting, obviously). For time-tested tips on how to increase your chances at getting your blog on the front page, check out Kauza's guide!

Bloggers Wanted: JRo will still be posting these, but they'll be a bit less frequent in order to give you more time to craft your best possible essays. Going forward, expect new prompts once or twice per month, depending on the subject matter. Again, outstanding entries will be promoted to the front page just like any other quality blog; their purpose is only to get your creative juices flowing!

Monthly Recaps: Similar to Mxy and Zodiac's "Forums, we have them" posts, I'll be throwing together a recap highlighting some of the trending topics, notable blogs, and overall highs (and lows) for each month. On or around the last day of every month, I'll post a blog asking for suggestions, after which the post will go live on the front page for all to see. That way, even if your blog doesn't get promoted via the normal route, it still has a chance at getting a second read for those who may have missed it the first time around!



What's Next: You remember that scene in Battlestar Galactica where Roslin tells people they need to start having babies? Well the same goes for all of you! I know you've all got blog ideas in the backs of your brains, just waiting to juice out all over your keyboards. In order to even begin to bring the community blogs back to their former glory, we first must start unleashing our blog babies on the world again. Now's the time to get started!

And hell, some of you already have gotten started. In the last 12 hours alone, we've already seen new blogs from old timers like Kraid, Beyamor and Magnalon. Keep 'em coming, people!

Help Me Help You: I have an open e-door policy, and I welcome and encourage any and all feedback you may have at any time. That said, I'll do my best to keep an eye on the blogs throughout the day, but you know as well as I do that the travel bloggers don't sleep, so sometimes a quick email or tweet alerting me of a problem is the best way to get it handled promptly. You do your part and I'll do mine, and together, we'll take back the world!

AND THE BONERS!!!!!

Postscript: If it feels like you've seen this all before, that's because you have. Kauza tried his best to keep things running around here, but life got in the way of that as it often does, and unfortunately you all had to suffer. I can't guarantee that I'll be perfect, but what I can promise you is that if I feel like I don't have the time to keep up with the fast pace of this place, I'll step aside before things start to slide. I love this place more than anywhere else in the world, and I want to see it succeed just as much as you do. Please don't give up on us; we're all only human, after all :)