We get mail.
Hey J,
Have you considered opening the blog up to other authors? The hillku persona did a great job and it seems like things are slowing down a bit lately.
First, um, thank you very much, dear neighbor, for your kind note. We’d like to introduce you to yet another new blog in the neighborhood — say hi to cap to the hill.
So, neighbor, you’re right. We’ve slowed down lately — we only wrote 46 posts in March and are on pace for a piddling 50 or so in April. Over the two years we’ve been doing the neighborhood blog thing, we’ve toyed with ways to get other people involved. In the early days, we added some friends to the author list but some people are born to blog and some aren’t. We tried a spinoff. We had guest hosts that were, indeed, rad. We’re thinking a lot about the multi-contributor system that powers Central District News.
For now, we’re still just two people playing around with a new way to be part of our neighborhood. Which brings us back to cap to the hill and its “bikes, dykes and everything in between…” We’re not the only voice on the Hill. Here are a few others:
- 8 block walk
- Blogazar
- Broadway Seattle
- cap to the hill
- cap16
- Capitol Hill 98102.net
- Capitol Hill 98112.net
- Capitol Hill Times
- Capitol Hill Triangle
- Central District News
- hillku
- Miller Park
- Seattle PI’s Capitol Hill Blog
Between the 14 of us, there’s a good story being told. Suppose it will get even better when number 15 shows up.
As the Daddy of all CapHill blogging, J and/or K, we come to you for insight:
Have there been other CapHill blogs that have come and gone?
How long is the average CapHill blog life span?
What is the average viewership for CapHill blogs?
Oh, jeez, wish we’d been paying more attention. Guess we’ll do what most elder statespeople do. Make some shit up.
Have there been other CapHill blogs that have come and gone?
Depends on what you call a CapHill blog. We call them blogs that focus on Capitol Hill issues and culture and resist the nearly irresistible drift to write about things non-Hill. We’ve seen lots of not-necessarily Hill focused blogs come and go — but nothing off top of mind that was Hill-focused, made a big impression and then faded away up here. But we’ve definitely seen the fade in other neighborhoods. Place blogging suffers from the whole real estate thing — you need to live in the place you’re writing about. So, you see good sites like Pioneer Square Blog disappear.
Maybe we should start a tally of fallen comrades to mark our success.
How long is the average CapHill blog life span?
We’ll pretend you’re asking about neighborhood and place blogs in general. Across the whole universe, let’s say most do about 3 posts and throw in the towel. But only looking at the sites that make a real go of it and that garner a little attention, seems like 6 months is the wall. Make it over that and you’ll end up famous. Just like us.
What is the average viewership for CapHill blogs?
Puny-icimal. The writer plus the writer’s girlfriend plus the writer’s mom = 3 (hopefully). We get anywhere from 300 to 1,000 people per day — usually no more than 500 — plus whatever the 700 or so feed subscribers means. Compare that to about 5k per day over at thestranger.com. If you’re trying to decide between starting a city-wide alternative weekly and a capitol hill neighborhood blog, we recommend going with the weekly.
thanks for the shout-out chs.
we dig shameless self-promotion, but you’ve saved us an e-mail.
we’re pretty new and furthermore impressed that we’ve already made your blogroll.
we dig ya
-pumpkin
I’m lovin’ on your anecdotal stats, J. There’s some interest things there, eh?
I think you should add in a weekly post of neighborhood blogging tips and tricks. Like, how did you get your mom to read your blog? Sometimes Final doesn’t even read our blog and I’m just talking it half sentences to myself.
As the Papa Smurf of the crew, we look to you for guidance on survival.
And I dig the fallen comrade idea. Well, you know, other than the part where some one has to fall.
Well, Smurfette, I do so much blabbering about neighborhood blogging for my day job — not sure I could add much here. I think it would be fun to do a “In other neighborhoods” post on a regular basis though.
As for getting people to read your work, just write about Dan Savage and he’ll not be able to help himself from writing about you. Even your momma reads the slog.
I hope I didn’t hurt any feelings. I just think reporters are cool and am a lazy ass who likes the idea of delagating things.