So this post is about some blogsphere rambling, normally I’m only pestering Miette-chan with these thoughts, but today I will give you an earful, too and some of my random pictures.
Worry not, this is no “Good Bye” post. I know there has been a lack of figure reviews in recent months, but this was due to my reduced Preorder Roadmap in the beginning of the year.
In the next few weeks I will have new figures again
Banzai!
After years of figure reviews and blogging I’m still no celebrity and nobody sponsors me. lol, actually that never was something I had in mind with this blog, but well you get greedy XD
I partially started my little blog figure review project, to make my freetime more productive.
I do these things since nearly 5 years now, my style definetely changed a bit compared to my first reviews, but I’m obviously not inventive enough to make this blog more interesting.
Well, I often thought about some things, merchandise for example, but I don’t feel confident enough to offer things like a photobook. Haha I’m not much of a business man, you know?
Or would you like me to offer postcards?
I’ve met many great and inspireing people in these few years, there was a lively exchange of great figure pictures, entertaining reviews and opinions so far. It’s still fun for me today, nevertheless often I feel a bit sad about certain things that changed within several years.
The most important thing is the general decreased activity.
What is left from this cozy figure blogsphere from once, not much I unfortunately have to say.
I’m someone that would like if good things would last forever, it’s a naive thought to be blunt.
Nothing lasts forever is something life tells us nearly every day, also in blogging things change. I often feel like riding on a “death horse” when working on a wordpress post these days.
I start to think “Oh, come on nobody is interested in this, why do you even bother?”
I don’t have an answer for that, I’m so used and happy to write posts regulary, that I don’t really care about other free time activities like playing games or things like that…
With enough motivation you can review and create content without receiving feedback for quite some time, it is far more difficult to deal with that, when you always had a certain amount of feedback. When this kind of feedback decreases over time, it’s somehow diffcult to stay as motivated as before.
Nowadays when I see uncommented post during my regular blog check, I often feel sorry for the author, since I know how much heart and effort is put into creating posts. But, I know it from myself, sometimes it’s hard to find something to say when you aren’t familiar with the topic or don’t feel like commenting on the same figure for a 4th or 5th time.
I saw many authors ceasing their blogging activities in every year, I’m honest about it, it always made me damn sad, but I won’t blame anyone for it. In life prorities change thats a matter of fact, family, partners or work have influence on what you want to do with your limited time.
I always enjoyed to comment on figure related blogs, as more and more blogs went in hibernation, I tried to discover new figure blogs, but except a few very positive examples, it was rather a disenchantment action. Unanswered comments, in my eyes are a really rude thing towards your audience, sure sometimes it’s difficult to create a somewhat sophisticated reply, but at least show some appreciation torwads the commenter, otherwise the motivation to comment again is pretty low, don’t you agree?
Still, it’s not that I’m angry about anything in particular, I actually wanna thank everyone who once or still delivers content in the figure or anime related community, I read most of your reviews and enjoyed exchanging opinions with you, don’t feel bad if you are doing something elso nowadays. Thank you for the inspiration and all the happy memories I received.
Do you have an opinion about that? Or an advice for me how to make this blog more lively 😉
Do you still enjoy creating posts, even when “no one” seems to care these days?
I was always worried to create this post, since it might upset a few people and made me look like a weirdo, what I certainly am, but so what it’s done. I know that this won’t change anything, but I feel better after I’ve put these thoughts into words.
Aya
Hmm I totally understand this, because I feel the same way 🙁 and yeah I admit made nonsense and useless comments sometimes ^^; I believe wieselhead is as good as ever and despite less comments, I am sure the view still high 😀 rarely see anime blogs these days, I am sure facebook,tumblr and twitter more popular for these anime rambling stuff especially after and episode being aired, unless it’s a series overview like what you usually did.
I made my blog as diary of my collection journey, that’s why i do it in amateur way and in a way my media for interacting with others outside of the local toy/figure forum(which also now mostly abandoned and they made facebook group instead >.<). you made me miss the good old days when people still around ^^
wieselhead
Yeah a rather sad trend, it was quite funny some years ago, not sure why this is happening.
No, don’t say this, I am actually happy that you always give me comments (＝⌒▽⌒＝)
Thank you, I’m always rather happy when I can work on posts
I actually don’t have so many hits ( p′︵‵。), I stopped worrying though, but the decreased comments somehow hurt.
I only read one anime blog, others can be quite offending sometimes XD I can’t write episodic reviews where I have to be on time, also twitterspamming is funnier ^^
lol, maybe we should go to facebook, I’m still not sure if I really want that.
sorry about that “cries”
Aya
I would say the same ^^ Thank You very much for the comments I am really grateful since most of my blogs contents might be out of your interest especially the last 2 years ^^;.Anime blog not like what they used to be so .. I won’t say much .. especially if they start making prediction/forecast or worse a spoiler from manga/LN which released earlier XD…
Actually, I had to reactivate my facebook account 2 years ago because that’s the only way to contact the local figures community,I don’t exactly use my account thought… seeing the atmosphere, I still prefer Hobbies blogs after all, even in the anime figures group other than figure news mostly just posting their loot boxes…
VIncent
Hey there, don’t feel sad. I know exactly how you feel, believe me I always check out any anime site that reviews anime figures. Infact you and tentaclearmada are the web site that I check out the most. I also run a deviantart site that reviews figures and popular anime as well, here it is: http://kwokheichan.deviantart.com/
But enough about me, lets get back to the topic here, I know how you feel and what you mean too because I have things in life that I need to take care of, like school for example. I used to update my site weekly but due to the high amount of college work load and now that I also are working at this new company, I can’t afford to update my site as often as I used to. Now not that I’m saying that I don’t want to, but it’s more like I don’t have the time to, I would be lucky to say that if I can even make time out of no where to update my site. So now you understand that it’s not because nobody watches your site but more like have no time to leave message and stuff. But most importantly I know alot of people come here to check out new figures and the fact that you’re not as active as you used to getting new figures to review them really help your cause here either. For example, since you slowed down on figure reviews, I don’t come here as often as I used to but that does not mean that I don’t dropped by every once in a while and just because they don’t leave comments dose not mean that they stop checking out this site for anime figure related stuff, it just mean that they don’t have much to say. So I’m sure if you do more figures reviews like you used to then they will be more active in your website and leave more comments.
wieselhead
Thank you very much for your elaborate comment I also appreciate that you are a regular viewer ( ＾∇＾)
Yes, fellow bloggers barely have enough time or motivation for updating their own blog,
so I can’t really expect regular comments from them. I know that I have a certain number of views,
still it feels somewhat lonely without comments, fortunately I often still receive 2 or 3.
The lack of figures was a little extreme since February, I admit it.
I can manage my blog at a little faster pace, as I started blogging I was faster of course.
Now I also have to shedule my time for shooting, postpocess and writing, why can’t a day be longer than 24 hours ^^
Well, I’ve seen other examples on more active blogs with new figure reviews, where the posts weren’t blessed with many comments.
Anyway I receive quite some figures in the upcoming months and will obviously do my best with writing reviews about them.
VIncent
Well, I totally know how you feel when you said, “I know that I have a certain number of views, still it feels somewhat lonely without comments”, believe me I’ve experience that too on Deviantart. But then I guess that’s how viewers are these days and I do agree with you on this part at least in my opinion wise. Thanks for dropping by my deviantart web site. I didn’t know you also have a Deviantart account, Why don’t we be deviantart friends and add each other on our watch list because I also like the figures reviews that you do on there^^
wieselhead
Well, your works received quite some comments, kee it up ^^
Your welcome ^-^ Yeah it was the first thing I’ve uploaded pictures too.
Ok, lets watch each other then =)
Orchidcat
Hi Wieselhead!!
I don’t know where to start telling my opinion… I usually read your blog (well, I’ve been reading it for years, even when I started collecting, with 2 o 3 figures), and I felt like I had to leave a comment here.
I think nowadays blogs with millions and millions of views are only blogs with random news, some of them silly news, like upsocl and so. Blogs like ours are read by a little part of the ‘figure collection’ community, and I think your statistics will tell you the same as mine, and that’s the major part of the views come from facebook or twitter. This is what you say in this post, all the people is there, so I consider my blog as a personal journal where I can find all my pictures, experiences, unboxings, etc, the only thing is that’s online so everyone can see 😛
But yep, it can be hard to work all day in a post and then no one gives you feedback, it really makes you think. You say anything last forever, so the only thing I can add is: do something as long as you feel happy doing it, the day when you feel like it’s more a weight than a joy, just leave it >__<
Thank you for writing this post, I think it's a really interesting issue 🙂
wieselhead
Hello
Haha yeah I mixed up my thoughts in this post a bit and it’s a heavy topic after all.
Oh that is good to hear, thank you very much. I don’t have the intention to force people to comment, but it makes me happy when I can read others opinions. Yeah that is probably true, it was and is a niche topic, considering that, I never worried too much about views.
That is true, but what is more painful is the thought that it was “better” before.
When I started blogging I was like “As long as one person reads it”, but after I got more feedback as anticipated in the first years, it is a bit difficult recently ^^
I’m glad that I still have fun with this kind of activity ;D
Thank you for the kind comment.
Kai
“Oh, come on nobody is interested in this, why do you even bother?”
Same, man. Same D: Activity in my blog as far as comments go had really died over the years. I used to be able to get, on a very good day, 60 comments per post, but nowadays, I should be glad if I can somehow even reach 10, lol. Not sure, but I think the fact that I only post (mostly) once a week is probably a factor.
Anyway, keep on fighting, for both of us :\
wieselhead
Oh don’t feel too bad about 10 comments, this is rather good, but I can understand that when coming from 60 it’s a “little” difference.
I think we both still find blogging is as fun activity, evn with less or a more silent audience.
Well, it can be a reason, maybe not. Commenting one many posts costs more time than a comment on one post ^^
Maybe they forget us, when we post only once a week XD
Hoshiko
Cheer up, Wieselhead. Let’s get this straight first: You’re an amazing photographer. A creative and sincere one. It’s evident that you spent a good amount of time creating your artwork and content and you have my respect for that. Know this, I’m a fan of your work.
Now, I’m probably one of the bloggers that has decreased activity over the past few years and you’ve guessed it: Life priority change. And hobbies come and go. It’s true that not just figure blogs, but also some aniblogs that I really, really like have lack of activities or disappear altogether and that made me sad. Maybe on some other parts of aniblogosphere, aniblogs remain strong, but I found myself getting out of touch. That’s alright though. It takes time to discover blogs that I really like. Hehe.
At the end of the day, do what you like to do most. If doing this: taking photos of figures and creating content by blogging is something you think is worthwhile, then by all means, continue to do so. All I know is this blog is always a blog I’ll return to reading. =)
wieselhead
You know what, after writing this post I felt much better.
Sometimes you just have to adress the problem to get over it.
Thank you for the friendly words, I’m already bright red (*≧∀≦*).
Still you create more posts than some others, don’t worry ^^
I was also thinking I missed some new talents, but no, not really.
Thank your for the comments and encouragement, you are always very welcome here
Tier
I must admit that I stopped paying a lot of attention to the figure-collecting community XD I figure a lot of them coalesce on MFC or Tumblr or something, and I don’t read most of the MFC comments and I only look at Tumblr for porn. I do feel pretty bad about the slowness of my own site, since I have a ton of figures I want to photograph and a ton of ideas, but work and video games have kinda gotten in the way in the last year. But you can take the lead on all the cool new figures XD
wieselhead
And there is not much left to pay attention to ^^
Makes it partially difficult to find reviews of figuress I’m curious about.
Don’t feel bad about it, sometimes it’s good to make other things, I’m not really a Gamer person haha.
lol, hopefully I can get into a more regular posting pattern then, after my june vacation ^^
Haruna Ren
Wieselhead and also Tier, I follow the both these sites more than world news. I get so inspired by the both of you I look up to you two as leaders, paying the way for future photographers. I’m an artist myself, but I absolutely love your photography. I completely understand your struggle. I’m going through that right now with my art, questioning myself and wondering if I could ever make it out there. I just want you to know, that there are people out there who absolutely love your work, whether it be photography or other reviews. I see both you and Tier as Veterans of your craft, people who know what they’re doing with a camera. I never like using Japanese words in my usual speech but…you guys are my Senpais. My Mentors. I feel excited when either of you comment back on one of my comments. You guys are like celebrities to me. Please don’t give up because I love this site. 🙂 oh and I would totally buy your figure book or postcards even!
wieselhead
Hi, thank you for your kind words, the praise makes me all bashful.
Glad, that I can be a little inspiration and that you like my stuff,
even though I’m doing this since some years now, but still have this humble attitude about everything I do ^^
Don’t worry, I still have fun with blogging.
Oh cool, haha I will think about it more seriously
thx for this comment.
Duqs
The struggle is real bro, I know how you feel. I also look at some of my friends who works so damn hard on their youtube videoblogs (like 2 vids, 20-30 minutes each week) with good post prod and they only have like an average of 30-50 views.
I’d also like to thank you man for commenting on my blog because that one commenter can keep one blogger going. I remember someone thanked me online when I posted content on the fighting game community in the Philippines since it helped them know that there is one. On the figure side of things, I sometimes get people like from China PM-ing me for a review (Alleyne I believe) and it helped them in deciding which Alleyne boobie figure they wanted (my reply was “HANDS DOWN, NATIVE ALLEYNE”). I sometimes don’t get to comment nor post anything because work is crazy for the most part because of work hahaha
If you want to put more fun to your blog you can ask a local distributor there if they’d want to partner up with you. They lend you figs, you take pics and review them and post link to their website. Not only do you enjoy taking pics, but you also get to meet new people =)
wieselhead
Haha social media can be a real pain, there are probably some tricks, but I rather do other things than shameless advertising.
I’m always happy to read reviews, I also have fun with commenting when I have something to say,
so partially I also want to thank you for your activity, I like your posts and reviews
Oh I never really thought about it like this, that is actually a nice idea ^^
Not sure how good I could handle deadlines, though .