Blogging back for March, and thoughts on April and beyond

Sorry for not being more active, real life takes its toll once again.

I haven't really had any time to read around the blogosphere or to get anything written, but here's a whistle stop tour of the (active) blogs that sent me hits in March, as a thankyou!

of Dice and Dragons, of course, has been keeping the RPG Blog Carnival rolling - please go show your support if you can, there are still some slots available to sign up to host in 2023 I believe!

Seed of Worlds has several very readable recent posts, and many better and more frequent blog link lists than I do (or can)

Hobgoblinry showcases some Oathmark Orcs and some Mordheim Skaven and terrain

Sea Of Stars has not only been hosting the March carnival but is also embarking on an A-Z blogging challenge for April (good luck!)

DIY & Dragons has a 2022 in review (not just gaming) in a smorgasbord of interesting things

and Shuttered Room has been cataloguing creatures, all the way to Z! (more talent and tenacity than I)

I'm planning on getting back on this horse every month, as part of my bid to be a more sociable blogger, and trying to participate in the Carnival and just see what great stuff is going on.

Dungeon23 has burned me out but I'll hopefully be back on that as well ... I have a whole shelf of stuff I could review ... comments welcome on anything you'd particularly like to see more of!

RPG Bloggers - Join the Carnival!

I've blogged before about how much I love the community, so what better time to celebrate one of its best parts?

How the RPG Blog Carnival works:

Every month there is a different topic for the carnival, set and hosted by a different RPG blog and I have enjoyed participating when I can in the past. The carnival, being a movable feast, will move on somewhere new every month so be sure to check the main page (link below) for updates.

All bloggers are welcome to participate, the host sets an open topic, or suggestions for posts, and it becomes an open conversation starter across and between the participating blogs.

These are the original guidelines from the first RPG Blog Carnival post from 2008:

1. There's no submission guidelines per se. Simply blog about the chosen topic (see below) on your own blog, and leave a comment to this post letting me know that you would like your post to be included in the the carnival. If you don't have a blog, make one.
   
2. Limit your submissions to one post, so make it good. This will encourage people to write well and offer a wide variety of authors.
3. This carnival closes [at the end of the month].
   
4. Once closed, I will post a summary and linklist of all the carnival's submissions and announce who will be hosting the next one, what the closing date will be, and what the topic is.
5. If you are interested in hosting the next (or any future) carnival, please send me an email or leave a comment here so that I can sign you up.
   
6. I'll maintain a list of who will be hosting each carnival, and the order in which they will hosting them. I'll also make that list public as soon as I have it.
   
7. Other than the chosen topic, that's about it.

Head over to the main RPG Blog Carnival page, either using the link at the top of this post or in the sidebar, and see what the current and upcoming topics are.

How to take part in the RPG Blog Carnival:

1. Write a blog post on or inspired by the topic of the current carnival and including a link back to the carnival hub.
2. Comment on the host's carnival hub post with a link to your carnival submission post.
3. Head over to the other blogs that have taken part in the carnival, check out their submissions and leave some comments...

How to host the RPG Blog Carnival:

Signups to host RPG Blog Carnival are hosted on the official page on the Of Dice And Dragons blog and there is full information on the process and benefits for both hosts and submissions over there, but in a nutshell:

1. At the start of your allocated month, write an opening/introductory post that will serve as the hub for all the other carnival posts for your chosen theme.
2. At the end of your month, review all the carnival submissions and post a round up handing over to the next host.

The RPG Blog Carnival has been running for over a decade (you can find the archive here) and I hope it will keep on rolling on; please support this cornerstone of the RPG blog community by visiting the submissions every month even if you don't participate.  Kudos to all who have been involved and who keep it running, and I hope even more bloggers join in the fun in the future.

5 Ways to Support The Blogosphere (And Why You Should)

Image (cc) Ivy Dawned, on Flickr

Way back when, round about 2010, there was something called the RPG blogosphere.  It was awesome. It was like some kind of interconnected network of blogs, a web that went worldwide. Then with the increasing uptake of "social media" the blogosphere dwindled - but now it's back I think it's important that we keep it running.

Comment
We like comments, that's why we have them enabled.  These blogs are public spaces to share thoughts, ideas, and resources where feedback is always welcome; nobody likes to think they're just shouting into The Void.  As a bonus, comments on blogs add links back to the author's blog and links mean a) more curious traffic shuttles between them and b) better SEO because it counts as a word of mouth recommendation as far as search engine spiders are concerned. It was part of the original design philosophy and it's why spammers spam and why some blogs have limitations on who can comment, or require moderation.

This is a social medium, so lets be social.  And it only starts there...