Blogger Buddies

Eager to see how my rock and roll blog compares to others, I set out on yet another new mission this week.  I wanted to find another blog that would give me some inspiration for my own..

Most rock and roll blogs seem to be professional ones, however, I was able to find one called “No Rock and Roll Fun” by Simon Hayes Budgen that sparked my interest.  I liked Simon’s blog because not only did he give out song recommendations, but he also puts music and today's entertainment industry in discussion with each other.

The main difference between our blogs is Simon’s focus on current rock and roll, my tendency to look into older music.  When I started my blog, I definitely want to go from more of a classic rock sort of angle, starting with the basics of rock and moving forward from there.  Simon’s rock recommendations include artists like A Fine Frenzy and mentions bands like One Direction.  Not exactly old school, but I like it. 

And I do LOVE A Fine Frenzy.  It was the first thing I saw on Simon Hayes Budgen's blog- so I had a good feeling about him from the beginning.  He put up a picture of their latest album and a link to where you could get it on Amazon.  I was excited.  I had no idea that A Fine Frenzy had just released a new album, and Simon directed me to where I could go purchase it for myself. 

(And I totally would have bought it if I wasn’t already deeply invested in my free subscription of Spotify... Help me, I’m poor!)

This was surprisingly new and simple idea. Yes, I had been providing links to YouTube videos, but giving readers a link to a place where they could purchase the song for themselves was a fantastic idea.  Although perhaps if I was feeling especially kind and insightful, I would write a blog for my fellow college students about the merits of Spotify.. Another time.   

I also liked Simon’s use of pictures and quotes from reliable sources.  The pictures helped give a face to the name of these artists, and the quotes made his writing seem more credible.  This are both things that I should be incorporating into my work, especially considering the only thing I have quoted thus far is Wikipedia and that may or may not have worked in my favor credibility-wise.

Another thing that Simon did well was use the sides of his blog to show songs to download, Youtube highlights to watch, radio, performance and download sites to listen to, band websites he likes and other useful music sites.  Looking at all of the different information he provided, it is easy to see that Simon has put a lot of time and effort into his blog, and that he is extremely knowledgeable when it comes to music.  I actually have no idea how to format all of that information, but it's something I should definitely look into.   

I would say that my blog has perhaps a little more structure than Simon’s, generally addressing similar topics in similar ways.  But if Simon has taught me anything, it is the value of mixing things up to keep readers engaged.  Looking at my own blog, I am afraid that perhaps the way I’ve presented my thoughts has become too regimented.

Food for thought.