Blog Features: What *Is* Working For Me

My last post talked about some of the things I’ve tried out on the blog that, for one reason or another, I stopped doing. In this one, I’d like to look at some of the stuff that I’m using to create structure without feeling constrained. These features have been pretty regular in one way or another for a couple of years now, and although my readers may disagree, I feel like they’re beneficial, either for the sake organization or for the content that comes out of them.

Quick Look and Game Over

My Quick Look and Game Over posts are basically the meat of this blog! Sure, I talk about my other hobbies from time to time, but mostly, I’m here to talk about games. I do some MMO content, but most of the games I play aren’t meant to be played forever. When I first start something, regardless of if I’m going to continue it or not, I like to give it a Quick Look, in which I’ll talk a little about what kind of game it is, my first impressions, and usually, whether or not I plan to continue playing.

Once I feel like I’m “done” with a game, I might write up a Game Over, although that doesn’t necessarily mean I’ve gotten to see the credits. These posts are usually written when I’ve hit my satisfaction threshold, and I really feel like I’ve spent enough time with it to give a real review.

Nerd Girl Goals and In Review

Nerd Girl Goals and In Review are my monthly bookend posts, where I look at what I plan to do in any given month, and then what I actually got done. Sometimes, they even resemble one another! Even on my worst months as far as actually writing blog posts are concerned, I don’t think I have yet to miss either of these two.

Community Game-Along

Although I don’t remember exactly how I stumbled across CapsuleJay’s Community Game-Along, I’ve been at least attempting to participate every month since January 2020. I say attempting because some of the themes just really haven’t aligned with the kinds of things I usually play. Sure, it feels a little awkward sometimes, because I think I might be the only regular participant for whom blogging is my primary medium – most of the gamers seem to be more focused on streaming, video, and podcasts.

I’m keeping up with it despite frequently feeling a little bit adrift because it’s both encouraging me to play games I might never have gotten around to otherwise, and because it gives me at least one thing I feel like I need to do in the sphere of gaming each and every month.

Steam Sale Analysis

This is probably my least successful regular feature, but full disclosure? I do this one for me. I like to have a record of what I was considering, what I bought, and how much I spent. I absolutely treat the two major sales (Summer and Winter) as their own games, and even when they’re not that exciting, I still have a good time. I love looking for deals, finding hidden gems, and creeping on my friends list to see what everyone else is buying.

As much as I love the interaction that tends to go a little crazy around Blaugust every year, there’s 11 other months every year, and during those? I realize I’m writing this more for me than for any potential audience. It’s great to get feedback and spark discussions, but I realized pretty early on that I would probably keep doing this if no one else ever read another word. I love having a record of what I’ve played, what I passed on, what upcoming titles sparked my interest, and what I thought about all things nerdy. I don’t intend for Nerd Girl Thoughts to ever be profitable, or even popular, and for me, that’s super freeing.

I would absolutely considering adding more regular features, if I felt they’d be enjoyable or otherwise beneficial.

Bonus Blaugust prompt idea: What types of blog posts do you feel are integral to the experience of your blog? What are you favorite posts to write? Are you writing for an audience, and if so, who do you feel that audience is? How does your blogging benefit you (or how would you like to see it benefit you in the future)? Is blogging your only / preferred medium of content creation, or is your blog part of a larger package?