Friday 18 July 2014

My Birthday - The Change


Today is my birthday.  Due to the aging process, I'm starting to feel a new sense of maturity about myself.  It's been literally days since I laughed at a fart. I have survived 28 years so far on this planet and I’ve been posting on Muppets For Justice for 7 of them.  That’s one quarter of my entire life.  Granted, I only starting posting regularly 3 years ago when I finally found my voice (it’s always under the fridge isn’t it?), but even so, that’s a long time to have been blogging.

Not only that, I’ve posted over 400 times, written several guest blogs, recorded a short podcast series, and put together a book.  I’ve put a lot of time into this whole Muppets For Justice thing, and I think it’s fair to say that I’ve had a modicum of success.  I’ve got a small, cult following, regular hits, and I’ve met some fantastic writers and bloggers through this whole thing, which is incredibly important to me. However, from small trees do mighty acorns grow (I think that’s right), so lately I’ve been trying to promote the blog more.

Recent efforts on that front have been pretty slow.  I’ve been trying to promote Muppets For Justice on Facebook and Twitter more regularly, but I don’t feel like the blog is growing much at the moment.  Things seem to have reached a plateau on that front. I’m not very good at putting myself out there and vying for that recognition.  I think it’s a mixture of apathy (since everyone’s trying to promote something), plus a lack of faith in my own abilities that are holding me back on this front.  I need to try harder.

However, I also think that there’s a distinct problem with the blog itself.  While Muppets For Justice is a unique name that I used to love, I think it’s also become a big burden hanging around my neck.  The casual observer probably sees this place as a Muppets fan site, especially since I have a picture of the cookie monster up there. I think Muppets For Justice is a confusing blog since the Muppets are an established brand and wildly popular in their own right.  To try and build a successful online presence off of the back of this was always going to be an uphill struggle.  It’s a bit like trying to start a robotics company called Skynet.  It’s also not very unique since this blog’s very existence probably breaks copyright law in some capacity.

I think that there’s also several layers of obfuscation here; there’s the Muppets For Justice blog, there’s my Internet handle Addman, my Twitter account Ollie The Pigeon, and whatever else I happen to be writing as that day.  None of these elements seem to tie together very well.  Since the advent of social media, it’s more acceptable to use your full name online. I think people feel a little disconnected from me as a writer when they see the name Addman and the puppet avatar, especially when coupled with my usual content. 

All of this is a convoluted way of saying that I’m thinking about making some changes.  I’m thinking of ditching the handle and using my real name (gasp!), tying all of my associated accounts together and, biggest of all, renaming Muppets For Justice.  I have a couple of new names in mind that don’t infringe on existing copyrights, which I’ll reveal later if everything goes ahead.

What do you folks think about this?  Would Muppets For Justice not be the same if it was called something else?

Please let me know your opinions.  I’m eager to change things up, but I don’t want to alienate the people who stop by regularly and I'm nervous about ruining everything I’ve built so far.  Any feedback you can give is valuable and will influence my decision tremendously.

Thank you for reading and I’m sorry it’s not as entertaining as usual.  Normal service shall resume next week.  This has to be the strangest birthday post ever.

20 comments:

  1. OOooooOOoooo I'm part of a cult...following...emphasis on CULT? Awesome. Happy Birthday, sir. As someone completely embarrassed by my idiotic internet handle, I don't think I'm qualified to comment on other people's monikers. I understand the desire for change, and SEO recommendations include making sure your names sync across social medias, but I have no problem with your current blog name. If you change, I'll follow, because dammit, you're entertaining. There, that's your birthday gift, a compliment. I'm not good at compliments, they're humbling. So it's a good gift.

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    1. Thanks man. A compliment from the almighty Pickleope is probably the greatest gift I'll get this year. I'm pleased to hear that you're willing to follow if the name change goes ahead. I was hoping that people hadn't become too attached to the name of this Blog.

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  2. Happy Birthday, Addman! And, though a name change may entangle the fragile wiring of my mind, I think I might be able to handle the metamorphosis. As long as you keep up with the brilliant content, then I see no reason why anyone would leave. And if you feel like dropping some cash, you can go to the website Fiverr andn pay people $5 to promote or redirect traffic your blog using various. I've always considered doing it, but I don't have much content on my site worthy of taking such measures. Unfortunately, I don't know much else in the ways of blog promotion.

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    1. Thanks bud, and that's not a bad idea. I always forget about Fiverr, which is a shame because there are many times in my life when I could do with some cheap labour.

      The name change will be something unique and striking, hopefully with a similar effect to Muppets For Justice. I have several ideas which I'll float at a later date and get people's opinions on.

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  3. Happy Birthday... ADAM, (if I may call you that.) I would still read it based on the content and not the name. Unless you called it Gay Burning A**sholes or something like that, then maybe not. Tying all the Addman brands into one unified message doesn't sound like a bad idea. If you need anything in the way of drawrings or whatever, let me know. You're the best. Happy Birthday.

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    1. Noooo! You've lifted the veil and now people know my name and my ugly, ugly face! I promise not to call it Gay Burning Assholes, because I'm British so I would have to change it to Arseholes.

      I might take you up on that offer by the way. A piece of Flip artwork would really set off the new logo nicely. I'll be in touch!

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  4. I have the same problem with self promotion and putting myself out there. I wonder if it's just a British thing. If you want to go through the changes then I would recommend going through them. I was pretty confused until I realised that you were Ollie The Pigeon. Getting rid of that disconnect can help you out and help you connect properly. I'm not too sure on a name change, because I've not really done one, but I do encourage you to do what you think is best. When you reach success, teach me your secrets.

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    1. My secrets? Well I once called the teacher "mum". That wasn't a great day.

      I suspected that people found it all too confusing. I created Ollie The Pigeon as something completely separate, but then I thought "hey, Twitter is a good way to spread my Blog!" so I tried to use them in tandem. It doesn't really work.

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  5. Happy Birthday Mr Addman. I would say a consistent alias or what ever across the internet is useful I can see how the Mippets (sorry muppets) for Justice logo could get lost in the huge american muppet promotion furry cute things stuff. I tend to stick to Rob Z Tobor, it may not be entirely my real name but in cyberspace it is.

    Remember do what the Marathon chocolate bar did, call yourself (whatever) and add the formally bit . . . Example :- Steppum Woof formally known as Muppets for Justice. . . yes that formally known as is useful if you are a chocolate bar. . . . . . and I should know?

    I'm with Mr Flip if I can draw a pic to help. . . . How come he said you're the best, I thought I was the best. Hes fickle that Mr Flip

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    1. None of us are the best. Whoever Tina Turner sang to is simply the best.

      Thanks for the offer, it would be greatly recieved. I'll be in touch once I know a bit more about what exactly I'm going for. Thanks dude!

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  6. I think you need to do what you think is right for your blog. It's important to keep it fresh, and if you think changes are in order you're probably right. I'll continue reading your posts no matter what you rename your blog.

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  7. 1st of all, Happy Birthday that man! I don't remember being 28 and so I have nothing in the way of advice apart from "always check yer zipper" and "never wear white chinos when on a first date."

    On the other hand, for your blog, I recently started the Sinkingship stuff and linked it to twitter and G+. Like you I'm not very good at the self promotion and I should be doing (a hell of a lot) more to promote it.

    I have no advice of any real value to give as I can't even spell my psudeomn correctly let alone pretend I know what I'm doing.

    Good luck with it all buddy.

    Either way, I'll be here, there and bloody everywhere, mithering you and passing off your funny stuff as my own.

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    1. Thanks man. I think I will need to finally sign up to Google+ too, so first thing I'll do is sign up to whatever you're doing on there. You'll have to show me around.

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  8. I've been to the plateau point a few times, and it is frustrating. as great as it is to get comments and hits, when I see my numbers don't change and it's ONLY the same people coming back, I start to make plans.

    And honestly? I tend to just work on the quality side of things. I'm not much of a promoter. Also, every time I start to catch fire, I change addresses, which loses me 1/2 my audience.

    Would writing under your real name make you more restrained? Anonymity seems to = freedom in writing...

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    1. I don't think so. Most of my family and friends read this anyway. My mum quite often tells me she's read my posts, so I don't think anonymity is really doing me many favours.

      I probably do need to work on quality too, or least make sure to keep it at a certain level while I try to grow the Blog.

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  9. Wait. This blog isn't about Muppets?! What the hell have I gotten to myself into? My world has been up ended! Nothing is as it seems anymore. Is this educational?! What are letters?! THIS ISN'T PORNOGRAPHY IS IT?!!

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    1. It kind of is pornography. Everything is porn if you can get yourself off to it.

      Hi Elton, not seen you for ages. How's tricks?

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    2. Tricks are for kids oh, and hookers. The kids are good but, the hookers won't stop whining!

      I'm slowly coming back around. It's been a hard year indeed, you have no idea. Keep up the good work, good sir! You're inspiring.

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    3. Sorry that life is getting you down, but I'm pleased to see you back around here. Especially when you compliment me you little flirt!

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