Friday, 21 October 2011

State of the Blog: checking in

Friday, 21 October 2011
I haven't done a SotB for awhile now, so thought I'd just check in with what's happening with Dan's Media Digest of late. You may have noticed that my star-ratings have become text-based, which is the only way to give an indication of a review's rating from the main page. I know a few people will appreciate this change, as they've told me in the past that noticing particularly high or low ratings on the main page sometimes draws them into reviews they might not otherwise read. Hope everyone's happy with the changes, as I've been experimenting with the layout of reviews again in general.

I'm a little disappointed so many reviews just lately haven't inspired much comment, as they used to. In particular, Fresh Meat and Homeland. I guess it's because there's not always much to add with comedy reviews (although they remain one of the most popular types of review here), and Homeland's not airing in the UK yet. I also suspect Homeland's one of those genres that, for whatever reason, doesn't tend to do very well here in terms of reader feedback (along with Breaking Bad). That's a huge shame, because it's one of the best shows around just now. But I can't change that. I can only review what I like to review, and hope an audience appreciates it—even if they don't always comment to let me know for sure.

I'm watching a few things I'm not reviewing every week (Person Of Interest, Boardwalk Empire), and that's partly down to muted response from readers. So just be aware that I sometimes stop covering something based purely on how much discussion it sparks.

Umm, I think that's everything. Obviously what I'm covering is in flux right now, as I work out (a) what's popular with readers, (b) what I feel I can write about every week, and (c) the amount I can fit into my schedule. There are still some new shows on the way (Misfits, Chuck), and because they're usually very popular here I may have to drop a few others to fit them in. Or hang on until a few shows end, like The Fades and Fresh Meat. It's a balancing act!

Oh, if you have Flipboard for the iPad, I recommend adding my blog to your favourites, because it looks fantastic in that app. Everything does, to be honest, but I especially like seeing DMD in Flipboard. It looks really slick and professional, with great fonts. (There, that's my trumpet blown for today.)

As usual, if you have anything you'd like to ask me a question, or discuss anything, feel free to start a conversation below. Recommendations and suggestions are also welcome.