Wednesday, December 20, 2006

The lifespan of a blog




I'm thinking a lot of blogs have a lifespan of about a year and a half. Mine has been a bit stale lately. It's December, but even before that it was seeming a bit on the blah side. I've thought about guest bloggers. About passing my blog to somebody else for a month or a week, but I'm not sure injecting something new into a blog will help, because I'm guessing it's following a natural arc.

So what's next?

I'm starting a new side project. It'll take group participation in order for it to work, and it's not something that will hold interest for very long. I think it will be fun for a month, maybe two. When we're done, it will be something for people to look at and hopefully revisit.


In Memory of Books

Anyway, I need help before the official launch. (Can a blog even be launched?) I'm looking for very specific photos. I'd like to have at least 10 to start.


Send me your images.
These images can come with text or without, fiction or non-fiction. Maximum of three sentences, please. and i'm not talking cormac mccarthy sentences.

I'm looking for intimate images of one person with a book. If somebody sends me something cool outside the guidelines I will probably change my mind, but the photo absolutely must have a book.

If you have an infant, I have an idea for a shot I think would be nice.

EDIT: I thought it would be nice to have a baby in the frame with an adult hand holding a book. Part of book and hand in corner foreground, baby in the background. So the story and focus is the baby and the book.


Feel free to send color, but the images will be posted in black-and-white or sepia.
This is an art project, so do keep in mind things like viewpoint, setting, mood. It can definitely be staged. Photoshopping is fine. I'm not necessarily looking for reality, but real is good too. photos will be credited and you'll get a link in the sidebar. or maybe just a link below the photo. haven't decided. depends on how it works visually. you can also participate anonymously.



Send photos to the email address in my profile. Any and all suggestions appreciated!

14 comments:

Sandra Ruttan said...

Cool idea Anne!

Kelly (Lynn) Parra said...

Wow, cool idea! =D

Stephen Blackmoore said...

Oooh. Neat. I've got an 1872 Don Quixote with Dore prints that would look faaaaabulous over there.

Anonymous said...

I'm going to do this. (Intriguing idea!)

A year and a half lifetime for a blog? Not sure, Anne. Most seem to burn out much more quickly.

Tami Klockau said...

Freakin' cool idea Anne! I'm back from the dead (I've had the major flu for the past 4 days and have started a new job) to find this amazing idea! I'm definitely going to participate. I have a few cool ideas for pictures, but i might have to wait to get the great shots while in Chicago after Christmas.

hmm, word verification is "smenita"...odd, it almost sounds dirty to me

anne frasier said...

thanks sandra and kelly!

stephen, that would be fantastic!

jason, i was hoping you'd participate! and you're right about the lifespan. seems like every six months is a breaking point for people. i guess my wall -- if you can call it that -- came at about 1 1/2 years.

tami, no hurry. i debated on waiting until the holidays were over to post this, but then i thought maybe people would be interested in taking some photos during the holidays. i'm just glad you're going to send me something!

and congrats on finding a new job!

smenita. i like that. maybe something you might call a smelly anita. so sorry to the many anitas who read my blog.
:D

Bill Cameron said...

So I have been going through my photos, and finding one with a book in it has been nigh on impossible! You can't take a step in my house without tripping over a book, and yet 90% of the photos are of the poodle.

I'm very intrigued to see what you're working on though! Your hints are VERY compelling!

I wonder what my blogging lifespam will be. I know I have ebbed and flowed in my few short months. I think if I keep it that way, spasms followed by quietude, maybe it will hang on for a while. Or maybe not! :D

Word verification: rhohohho

Santa as captain of a dragonboat team?

anne frasier said...

bill, i got the idea for this project when i was googling images trying to find a photo of a person with a book. you'd think there would be thousands, but no. i only found one i really liked that was personal and cool.

you said lifespam. heh. typos can be so entertaining. and i do think you're method of blogging might keep you going longer.

that word verification is a winner. somebody's messing with us.

angie said...

This sounds like a pretty cool idea. I've got a photo that might work. It's kinda sappy, but you can certainly use it if you like. Now to dig it out...

anne frasier said...

angie, this could be something that just fizzles. hard to say. i thought that about project pimp squad too, so you never know. you just have to throw it out there and see if it works. i also wonder if it's a last fit of mad blooming before i step away from blogging for at least a while.

angie said...

Well that would totally suck. It's been super slow in blogland - I'd just chalked it down to the holidays meet the winter writer blahs. I ain't gonna beg, but I'll keep my fingers crossed that it's just a passing blahdom for you.

anne frasier said...

angie, oh yeah, it's definitely slow right now. for me it's more of a time thing that's tied into an addiction. i could easily do nothing but blog. i'm an all or nothing kind of person, so i'm not sure cutting back will work. we'll see.
plus it seems as soon as you cut back people quit reading. but i could be wrong about that. it could just be that it's a different pace. less immediate.

Hulles said...

Why does everyone think your idea is such a good one? I think it sucks. I like things the way they are. Your posts are always entertaining and informative, and the discussion is always lively until I comment. So call me reactionary but I want to maintain the status quo. (Never thought I'd say that.) I want you to blog more, in fact. Just one man's opinion.

anne frasier said...

hulles: change is good. of course we know this annoying phrase is simply meant to make people feel better when the rug has been pulled out from under them.

i can see you're in that euphoric people-are-reading-my-blog stage. enjoy.

"maintain the status quo." hehe!