... how honest I can be in a blog like this and how to keep things fresh and interesting for people to read..
I know it has been a been while since I last posted and although there have been a number of reasons for that, one has been the difficulty I have had writing about one of my Airbnb stays.
The issue could be summed up as “what if the hosts were to read this?” and a sudden panic about putting stuff out into the public domain. This hasn’t been helped by what has happened to a fellow blogger Craig Murray in Scotland. Now I know this is a very different situation as Craig is a political blogger and he was recording his impressions of a high profile court case but what struck me – as being something all bloggers should take notice of – is that as part of his conviction, a claim of jigsaw identification was made. This means that the information that should not have been posted wasn’t done in one lump, but in small portions, which potential investigators would have to piece together to make a whole. That being done, it was claimed by the prosecution that people could work out from his blog who the accusers in the case (who had a right to anonymity) actually were. My problem was that although I would like to write about the problems I had with one of my stays, the place itself would give things away. The people concerned are very recognisable and, although the actions of one of the protagonists (so to speak) is in the public domain (and what happened has been reported by the mainstream press), I am no expert in the field of defamation etc., neither do I feel I have the wherewithal to be paying people to look into this for me.
So for several weeks I have been working on this piece and I have written over 2000 words directly, and far more indirectly, whilst I grapple with this beast.
Meanwhile the clock is ticking and you, dear reader, are not hearing from me – and for that I apologise. But I think it does raise a whole issue about how honest I can be in a blog like this and how to keep things fresh and interesting for people to read.
As part of my research into how people perceive my blog, I had feedback that it lacked direction and was unfocused. I think that I am very clear that I am recording my own journey as a recovering compulsive gambler and my coming out as a world traveller, but I am aware that the two things are not very sexy at the moment. Because it has been so long since I last gambled, I hardly think about it anymore and because of lockdown and the fact that I am starting my world journey close to home, the stories I am writing about are not exactly thrilling. Will they ever be, given that I am nearly old enough to be collecting my pension and I am not known for being an action adventurer? Trying out a new beer is probably as exciting as it gets these days.
I hope that the blog is useful as well as entertaining. On the travel side, I have tried to write about what interests me – which is not the usual tourist sites, but rather the quirky and offbeat which I have discovered in the smaller places or unusual parts of the bigger cities. On the recovery side, I have tried to make it useful for people who are maintaining their recovery – as well as for those who are wondering if they have got the problem or not, and then what to do about it. I have felt that there are lots of sites out there helping people to stop, but I think most compulsive gamblers reach a “what now?” stage and I am hoping that reading my experiences can help with that.
So, I have decided to keep going for at least the next six months. In this time, I will read up on Search Engine Optimisation – the art of keeping things in the eye of Google, etc. – so that strangers can find me! I will be trying out new looks to the blog, so don’t be surprised if you see some changes. I may try and find some people to help me out, particularly on the technical side of things. This may cost some money and as I don’t want to take any advertising on the site (there could be a whole other blog post about why not) then I may try out a Patreon page. I would be interested in comments on this strategy and whether people would be prepared to pay to support the blog, especially if I could ethically source the help.
Finally, I will work on making sure that I post more regularly – to give you good people something to actually read. It is no use having half-written blog posts on my computer if no one else can see them.
In the meantime, if anyone has any messages of support or criticism of my ideas I would be only too happy to hear them and I will leave you with a few pictures of my year of lockdown in England and Scotland – which has not been too bad, all things considered. Expect more posts very soon!
