Dan's Media Digest is 10 Years Old

DMD - circa 2007

Insane. Dan's Media Digest turns 10 years old today. One-zero. A decade has passed. Astonishing. Oh, and a little frightening. You don't start writing a blog with the serious belief you'll still be writing it all those years later. It's just shy of a quarter of my life! I genuinely thought I'd probably get bored of blogging after a year, maybe three, but instead I keep hitting these big anniversaries. I thought five years was something to celebrate, but TEN? It's just crazy.

State of the Blog - shifting priorities

Hello, readers! A lot of my focus and energy is going into editing and writing for Frame Rated right now. To be honest, in an ideal world it's going to stay that way as FR grows and finds its own audience. I still have no intention of consigning DMD to the waste bin of cyber-history, don't worry, but you're going to have to be patient when it comes to new material.

2015/16 TV Season: The Shows I'll (Probably) Be Watching...

Hey, everyone! It's been another slow week here, sorry, but I've been maxed out with some exciting Frame Rated developments and real-world concerns. And besides, I'm sure you're all aware there's not much happening in the world of TV and film right now. I've been using the time to catch up with Rectify, actually—the Sundance Channel drama about a man on Death Row given an unexpected reprieve two decades into his sentence. Three seasons have already been made, but they only amount to 22 episodes, so it felt like an easy enough catch-up before the September-October wave of TV crashes ashore. And with that in mind...

State of the Blog: blog content, writing distractions, and autumn TV

It seems like I'm always apologising for a lack of new content recently, but ironically I've never been busier! Frame Rated is inevitably taking up a lot of my spare time lately, as I'm editing every post that goes up and trying to organise a lot of people's time and workload. Which isn't easy when you're doing that through e-mail and Twitter. But it's been a fun challenge and I encourage you to check out www.framerated.co.uk, even if you're only really interested in my own writing there. I hope something of my personality is seeping into the site's tone and overall quality levels, even if the majority of the content is being generated by others. I will continue to link to pieces at Frame Rated that I myself have written, and post the entire week's updates every Friday.

FRAME RATED: NOW LIVE

My new site, FRAME RATED, is now
live at www.framerated.co.uk!

Like DMD, FR will cover television and film reviews and features, but in more detail and with less emphasis on episodic coverage of TV shows. (Only a select few will get that weekly recap treatment.) More notably, this is a team-written site coming from a group of talented freelancers donating their valuable time and energies. I will be the Editor in Chief, but also a prominent author of articles myself.

Intermission: summer break

I'm away from 29 August - 6 June, so regular updates will be less guaranteed. I will be covering the Outlander finale, but it may be a few days later than usual. I will also be reviewing the return of Hannibal, but it won't be as immediate as I'd usually aim for. Unfortunately, my Angel/Buffy catchups will have to take another week's break, too. My new site, FRAME RATED, will also be launching a few days after I'm back, so my focus will inevitably shift to that for awhile. I do hope you've all bookmarked www.framerated.co.uk already!

Coming Soon: FRAME RATED

It's time to share some news that has been developing for the past few months, with the readers of this 'ere blog. I'm creating and editing a new site, called FRAME RATED. Full details below:

What is FRAME RATED?

This is a new Wordpress site I've created, also focusing on TV/film reviews and features. You can visit and bookmark www.framerated.co.uk, although it isn't live yet.

Intermission: Easter break

I'm away from 3-11 April, so regular updates will be less guaranteed. This comes at a time when TV shows I plan to cover weekly are airing (Outlander, Inside No.9, Mad Men), but I'll try and find some time to write about those. Angel/Buffy catchups will continue as usual, and I'll make time for the Better Call Saul finale. I will be back in time for the return of Game of Thrones and the debut of Daredevil, but not sure if I'll be reviewing those beyond their premieres.

Rough n' Tumblr

Dan's Media Digest is now on Tumblr! I will only be using it to mirror some of this blog's best content, in an attempt to get down wit' the kids. Who knows, I may even start re-blogging funny GIFs and whatnot. So if you're one of the 30-50 million active users of Tumblr, please consider following 'DMD on Tumblr' (DMDoT) and sharing some content!

Dan's Media Digest turns 9 today

Wow. 9 years ago today I started this blog.

I don't want to make too much of a fuss this year, because something tells me DMD's 10th anniversary in 2016 will be a more appropriate time for BIG celebration, but thank you to everyone who's ever visited and continues to keep checking back.

Oh, but especially if you're kind enough to leave comments, or disseminate posts you enjoyed through Twitter, Facebook, etc. You seriously can't underestimate the value of engaging with this blog on social media (which helps promote it to new readers), and DMD certainly wouldn't be around today without my knowing there are folks out there who enjoy it.

A special shout-out to Laura Schumacher, Bob, 'Moretears' and Kevin Bachelder, who can usually be relied on to instigate some discussion here... or cheer me up when my enthusiasm dips.

Thank you for reading, one and all.

State of the Blog: peaks and troughs

I know. Output's still much lower than it's ever been. Blame me. Um, who else CAN you blame? Owing to a batch of autumn/winter TV shows that either weren't good, or interesting to review weekly, I found myself scaling back the blogging at DMD. And that became oddly enjoyable, because it enabled more time for real-world pursuits. The daily itch to blog gradually became a weekly itch, and then I began to rethink my whole approach to DMD—in terms of providing a good TV/film blog for readers to visit, which balances the changing needs and desires of myself as its sole author.

Intermission: Christmas & New Year

In general, blogging's taken a downturn in the past month, so maybe the fact it's Christmas won't make too much difference to readers... but, just so everyone's aware, I won't be around now until 4 January—although there's always a chance particularly juicy news will be blogged about, or I'll find time to review a few Christmas specials. A review of tonight's Doctor Who special will definitely happen at some point, of course.

I'll be back full-time in the New Year, and hope that a combination of better TV shows and a boost of personal energy will see DMD get back to its usual output levels. But I make no promises. In some respects it's been great to watch and enjoy November and December's television, without knowing some hour-long shows have to be followed by a further hour toiling over 800-words.

Vote for DMD at the UK Blog Awards!

Dan's Media Digest is one of the many entries in 2015's UK Blog Awards. If you have enjoyed reading this blog and have a minute to spare, please vote here. All votes must be registered by 3 December, so you only have a few weeks.

If you want to help out even more, please encourage other people to vote. Adding the hashtag #UKBA15 to relevant tweets of support is also a good idea. I'm sure the chance of winning is a thousand-to-one, but it would be nice to see a valiant effort. Vote! Vote! Vote!

Slow blogging week...

Sorry, readers! I haven't been blogging much because real-world issues have taken priority. Nothing serious, just a few things that have been soaking up my time and focus.

I'm also feeling ambivalent about reviewing THE WALKING DEAD and THE FLASH all of a sudden. My appetite for writing about those shows has sunk, which isn't necessarily a statement about their quality. I've enjoyed recent episodes, but don't feel a hunger to put pen to paper. (Or finger to keyboard?)

All of that, together with me deciding to stop reviewing GOTHAM and HOMELAND, means there's suddenly not a lot of TV shows being covered at DMD. Sorry about that!

Maybe it's time to write some fun features instead, or just "mini-review" more shows every week? Or perhaps resume the BUFFY and ANGEL catchups? Or just wait until my enthusiasm levels spike.

Intermission: late-autumn break

It's time for me to take another week off, so blogging will once again be at a premium until 9 November. Don't expect reviews of The Walking Dead or The Flash right away, and I've decided to stop writing about Gotham and Homeland just lately. If you want to ask me a question, suggest a feature, request a review, or just comment about anything TV/film related, please leave a comment.

St★te of the Bl★g

I've reconsidered my star rating system. It's been a four-star system for a good six years or so, but I used half-star increments. So, technically it was a ten-star system? Hmm.

The Television Shows I'll Be Tuning Into this Autumn...

The summer's almost over, TV-wise, but which new and returning shows am I likely to be watching and reviewing this autumn for DMD? Let's take a look...

If you care, share

Page-hits are so yesterday. Today's all about the number of shares you inspire.

Anyone can create a click-bait headline, or get lucky with a search engine's ranking. There are all manner of tricks to get people to visit a blog; some of which it's only common sense to put into practice, without it becoming too sly and insincere...

But shares? Those are a different story, and are more highly prized these days. If a reader decides to share something with their own friends, family, or followers... you know you're doing something right. That's high praise without even commenting. It's the new word-of-mouth.

Intermission: late-summer

I'm taking another week's break (25-31 August), so DMD updates may not be as regular. Luckily, I've planned ahead with some posts queued ready to 'auto-publish' over the next 7 days, but I'm not sure when I'll have time to watch and review the True Blood series finale, Outlander episode 3, The Intruders premiere, next Saturday's Doctor Who, or this Thursday's Amazon pilot releases.

State of the Blog: New template and reader engagement

I didn't get much feedback about DMD's new look from people here. This seems to be part of an ongoing change in visitor habits, as Twitter seems to be the preferred choice. Are comment areas doomed because they feel so isolated from the wider world? It's starting to feel that way, which is a pity. You can get into fun, in-depth, ongoing discussions in a well-moderated comments area, but obviously it needs someone to start the ball rolling.