Hello,
I've recently been thinking of starting a blog, one I want to take at least semi-seriously.
In particular, I keep thinking of, and partially designing a lot of RPG content. More then I get to GM. In addition, I am a science student with some access to research papers/articles, lectures by renown scientists and other cool stuff like this. And recently there have been a few things were I went "this sounds straight out of SciFi" or "this would be a cool name/basis for a concept in an adventure".
To motivate myself to finish more design/writing work AND to put some more science into SciFi (Especially Starfinder!), I thought a blog might be a good tool.
If you've read all of this:
Would RPG/Starfinder content which is a mix of game design stuff, writing (plot hooks, lore, etc.) with an addition of some background on the actual science I based my ideas on be interesting to you? To gauge interest? Of course the idea for the "science background" part would be too be easily understandable, hopefully even making people want to learn a bit more about things! Not actual scientific writing, which can be very, very dry... more pop-science. And of course, I am no expert in... well, most of science. So, I'd try to only include as much as I... actually understand.
I've tried looking into it a bit, and I am confused and not sure how to start. I don't think tumblr is necessarily the platform for me, but I am not sure how to start otherwise. Wordpress? Make a twitter/tumblr/paizo thread (is there an appropriate forum for something like this?) too and try to create at least a bit of buzz? (I'd be happy about 1 person saying "that's neat/cool!" about anything I write, honestly.)
Also, for the audience, would it be an absolutely no-go if I deviate from my theme a bit sometimes? E.g. write a review of movie I like, or a "my favourite X of the year" article.
I'm curious what other people think and have experience with.
Thanks in advance!
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I think it's pretty much up to you to define the parameters of your blog. Do you want to adhere strictly to the research-based SF content, or leave yourself the option of occasionally doing other kinds of posts? Let your readers know early on what to expect, but don't be afraid to adjust that self-imposed charter now and then.
I started my own blog, "Studded Plate," in large part to share my ideas about building LEGO minis for RPGs. But I also post a lot of other RPG content, with occasional tangents outside gaming. I describe my blog as covering "RPGs and/or LEGO, with occasional forays into my other geeky hobbies." (For example, I've had posts that shared my artwork, gave DIY instructions for building a boffer lightsaber, talked about comic books, and so on.)
As far as promoting my blog, whenever I post a new article, I share a link to it on Facebook, here on the Paizo messageboards, and a couple other gaming forums that I frequent.
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WordPress is pretty good for starting blogs with - tons of template to choose from, lots of available support, et cetera.
However, depending on the type of content you plan to post and share, you may need to pay attention to things like the Starfinder Roleplaying Game Compatibility License, or at least Paizo's Community use Policy. It's not too hard - just a few things to keep in mind if you're using someone else's IP stuff. If you have any questions or concerns, you can email licensing@paizo.com and they should be able to explain anything you may need to do.