Issue #7 | July 4th, 2015 | Volume 1 |
Edition
Nerd Bacon News: July 2015 (1)
First things first: I hope all of you are having or are planning to have a wonderful Fourth of July! As I've gotten older I've lost of some of my resistance to heat, bugs, and sitting in the grass, but I still love the sight of fireworks and the smell of a grill as much as anyone! Be sure to eat a cheeseburger or two for me - Carolina style with onions, chili, and slaw. Now let's dig into what both The Bacon and the video gaming landscape in general looks like in the aftermath of E3...
Hey, we understand that a lot of you may need a little break after the craziness of E3, but don't forget about us! We're off to a little bit of a slow start and we had really hoped to see more post-E3 articles roll out. If you do have any post-E3 pieces you want to see published, try to wrap them up pretty soon and get them submitted.
The summer is not a friendly time for gamers - in fact,
we probably won't see much action until later in September or October as far as top tier
titles - but that doesn't mean that we have to slow down! Use this
as a chance to catch up on games you haven't gotten around to playing or as an excuse to
dig into your older systems! Or make this an opportunity to chase down badges and see
if you can get your box as big as Nerdberry's and myself!
New at The Bacon?
We have had a lot of newcomers join us in the last couple of months, and yet we can't seem to get any of you to really get going when it comes to regularly writing articles. Where are you!? What are you doing!? What's standing in your way!?
We do have rules about membership here, but since we've been so busy lately, we're willing to offer a small reprieve to those on the verge of deletion. If you're having trouble getting started, please let us know and we'll do whatever we can to help.
Maybe you're one of a few newcomers who had his or her first article rejected. If that's the case, I urge you not to get discouraged. In the interest of uniformity and quality, we do have a lot of rules in place and we all realize that this can be a lot to get used to and difficult to get right the first time around. Know that we really do want to publish your work! If we didn't, our editors wouldn't take the time to go over them meticulously and then follow up your article with emails on how to craft a piece that's ready for publication. We put just as much time and energy into critiquing a piece as you do writing it, so don't give up. Take it one step at a time, follow the documentation, and if you need help, ask!
Occasionally our new members are plagued with technical issues; issues as simple as losing their password, or those of a more complicated nature such as finding their way around WordPress. If you've lost that first email we sent you or you've logged in and found everything a bit daunting, don't hesitate to let me (The Cubist) know and I'll get you sorted out just as quickly as I can!
C'mon raw Baconeers! Show us what you've got and help us make Nerd Bacon even bigger and better! Turn yourself from a cold, limp, mushy piece of meat into a hot, crispy, crunchy slice that everyone wants a bite of!
Nerd Bacon (Still) Needs Reporters!
That's right, we still want to officially bump 1 or 2 of you up to reporter status. What does being a reporter mean? It's pretty easy: just bring us a minimum of 2 news articles per week. They don't have to be long and drawn out, just factual and relevant. For examples of what the ideal news piece should look like, take a gander at any one of The Watchman's great efforts.
Being a reporter is also your chance to make Nerd Bacon shine from time to time. Feel free to chase down your own news for a Nerd Bacon exclusive! Maybe you can forge relationships with a couple of small developers out there? Maybe snag an email interview? You could even bring us first hand coverage of a local event!
You'll still be free to write whatever other articles you currently have the clearance to write about (and we hope you continue to do so!) but now we will base your performance on how closely you can stick to 2 pieces of news each week.
If you think you'd be interested, shoot us an email! Currently, we'd prefer that prospective reporters have at least 10 published articles to their name already.
Wanna Make a Few Bucks? Wanna Help The Bacon Make a Few Bucks?!
from Nerdberry
Previously we mentioned assistance in selling ad-space on the website. Our next big step
towards bringing in ad-revenue and putting that money directly into the site is selling
ad-space on the website itself. The specifics can be broken down at a later date, but to
summarize, we want to hire a salesperson who will focus on reaching out to prospective
companies in an attempt to sell them advertising space on the website. We will have
multiple packages that range from website only to Live Stream product-placement (depending
on item, of course), and pre-video advertising for any YouTube videos. This salesperson
will be the contact person for these companies and retaining/renewing their contracts will
be rewarded. This will be commission based, so the harder you work, the more money you
make. We can nail down the specifics once we find the right person. If anybody is
interested, or knows someone that has previous sales experience and might be interested,
contact NerdBerry@NerdBacon.com. Thanks!
from The Cubist
I'd also
like to quickly add that a sustainable source of income is one of the most important things
you all can help us out with when it comes to Nerd Bacon. Having a little
bit of money to throw around for incentives, advertising, technical upgrades, and
eventually as pay for you guys is the next big hurdle that we need to surmount. As some of
you know, we've lost maybe half a dozen decent members to paying gigs, and this is a trend
that will sadly continue until we're able to offer compensation. If you truly want to see
us grow and prosper - if you like working for us instead of some faceless conglomerate
owned by a multi-million dollar company - if you want to truly be a part of something from
the ground up - then put whatever energy you can towards helping us bring that cash in. It
is not for David and I to get rich off of; it's for us to continue to grow and
expand the site and put ourselves on par with our competitors. Please, do what you can and
help us out! What's good for us is good for you!
The Dusty Ol' Forums...
from NerdberryBelieve it or not, the Nerd Bacon Forums were once a thriving oasis full of interesting topics and interesting people. Okay, maybe it wasn't thriving. But we had big dreams for the forums once! And we still do! One of our very own Baconeers from times passed reached out to The Cubist and myself. He took on the daunting task of getting the forums prepped and ready for that sweet sweet bacon life. Everything was hunky dory until he retired to focus on work. Anyway, to get to the point... We would love to get the Forums back up and running. If anybody has any experience or inclination to learn, we would love to talk to you! I can hear Mr. Cube working on a new badge with your name on it right now...
Review Spotlight
- Top 10 Mistakes in Mortal Kombat History - The Cubist
- Ok, I know this may look like I'm bragging on my article, but give me a second to explain! Recently we've been urging senior and semi-senior members to explore articles outside the realm of typical reviews, and this is a great example of turning something you're knowledgeable and/or passionate about into a Top 10 List instead of crafting a simple editorial or rant. I was doing a little bit of "mental bitching" about some aspects of MK, and while yes, I could've written a more straightforward article on the subject, I broke the idea into discrete pieces, expanded upon it, and voila, a Top 10!
Nerdberry expresses a similar sentiment...
For anyone who's been keeping up with Nerd Bacon in the last 2 months, you're more than familiar with The Cubist's obsession with Mortal Kombat X (among others). But that's exactly why this article is so good. Everyone has an area of expertise. The Cubez took all of his gripes about Mortal Kombat and channeled them into a constructive and informative Top 10 piece. "Top 10" articles tend to have longer-lasting value than that of "news" or "editorials." Instead of creating a rambling thought piece, he created an organized article that is certain to garner much attention. Great job Cubistro!
- Something Old, Something New, Something Doom - Superking
- Nerdberry says...
This article is really a great one. Much like that of Cube's Top 10 MK Mistakes, Superking took his knowledge and love for the series and transformed it into a really interesting read! It's very different from many articles that come across Nerd Bacon's super black/green pages, but that's exactly why it is so refreshing and such a fun read. If you weren't excited for Doom before, you sure as hell should be now!
- Valiant Hearts: The Great War - PS4/PSN - Gingerbot
- Nerdberry says...
Gingerbot (Caitlin) is a busy busy person! So we always appreciate when she drops a sweet little review on the site. I especially like this review because of the intro paragraph. Sometimes that's all it takes to set the tone and captivate the readers. She opens her review with, "The key to any great game is an amazing story." What a bold statement! One that I can agree with! But others might say "No! It's the controls!" But who cares what anyone else thinks? Caitlin put her thoughts on the table for everyone to see and she didn't waver. Great job! Strong writing.
- Pilotwings - SNES - ZB
- If there's anyone currently on the site with an easily identifiable style of writing, it's Mr. ZB. His conversational tone makes his work almost instantly recognizable, and this is something that everyone should strive for...not to copy ZB directly, but to develop a distinctive style. We operate as a collective, but we connect with readers on an individual basis. Having articles of a consistent quality from different reviewers allow readers to connect with the individual better, and that's a concept that we're always working hard to highlight and promote.
Remember to Write with Professionalism!
from Nerdberry
Even
though NerdBacon.com has a "blog-style" WordPress theme, we don't conduct ourselves as a
blogging site. That's not quite how we see ourselves even though we incorporate personal
sentiments, personal events about a certain game, and so forth. So it is important that
everyone remember to remain objective more often than not. It's completely okay to be a
total mush about a game from time to time, but we don't want to be too glowing when we
write. And hey, I'm not coming down on anybody because I definitely have a tendency to let
my nostalgic feelings interfere with a truly unbiased critiquing of a game. Not only should
we remain objective, but we should also use real words and not abbreviated words. For
example, using "till" in place of "until." Read this sentence: "You might not like sports
games, at least not till you play NHL '97." It looks unprofessional and it looks like it
belongs in a blog or on someone's Facebook.
But the last thing we want is for everyone to sound robotic. Please do continue to include anecdotes, personal events surrounding the game, some nostalgia, game history, and more. If you want to use the word "till," then make sure the tone of that sentence or paragraph is obviously very light. For those who write with a loose-flow style much like that of a conversational tone, remember to use abbreviated words very sparingly. Don't let these rules change your style or the vibe of your review. Just keep a close eye on your work and remember to write with professionalism. Afterall, any and all of your work can be used in a portfolio for future jobs if you choose.
from The Cubist
To
briefly add to this, here are some other words you should generally stay away from in your
writing: gonna, dunno, wanna, sorta, gimme, lemme, kinda, etc.
Monday Night Twitch - Tentatively Titled The BLT - Is About to Begin
We've been discussing it forever, and now we're ready to get this project off the ground and hopefully bring our Twitch presence more in line with what we're doing on the site. First and foremost, this is a chance for anyone to participate in our official Twitch streaming without having to regularly commit to a day and time. We want to see as many Baconeers as possible participate!
We also want to make it abundantly clear that anyone who wishes to go above and beyond simple "Let's Play's" is welcomed and highly encouraged to do so. We want to do something different - we want to make these Monday night events entertaining and interactive above all else. Be sure to run your ideas by us first, but chances are we'll be happy to say "yes" to any concepts you may want to implement. When you're up to stream, make the show your own! Take charge, do what you want, and most importantly, pay attention to the chat! This is your audience!
When the streamer gets too engrossed in the game, and/or when the audience isn't feeling it and begins to engage in their own conversation, the stream itself can become sort of pointless. If your game suffers a little bit, so be it! If you have to admit to defeat and move on to something else, do it! Keep things fresh with your audience, and keep your eye on the chat. This is your chance to be the center of attention; make the most of it!
Finally, we need hosts and hostesses to start "signing up" for these shows. We've got this coming Monday (the 6th) and the next Monday (the 13th) lined up, and possibly the following Monday as well. We do realize that many of you may not be able to plan that far ahead, but do try to let me know as soon as you can - even if you're interested but can't settle on a definite "yes" yet, let me know anyway! Our goal here is to form a schedule that extends roughly a month into the future. So c'mon and get involved! Even if you're not sure where to start when it comes to streaming, drop us a line and we'll be glad to help you out.
Obviously certain hosts and hostesses will be featured
more than once, but the more of you that we can get involved, the better. And please
keep in mind that you're encouraged to go above and beyond the standard "Let's Play"
formula; just let us know what we can expect in advance.
Social Media Thanks
from Nerdberry
Big thanks to ZB (Sam) and
Steroid Gamer (Sean) for stepping up in a huge way with our Facebook and
Twitter feeds! We've seen tremendous growth in both areas and we hope for more very soon!
There are still numerous other social media sites that we're trying to tap into. So if you
want to snag 1 and assist in running it, we'd love that! Plus, you can add it to your
resume for future jobs! Let us know if you want some more information.
Get Involved! Get Greasy!
Hey! Listen up! We want you guys to help out and be a part of Greased! We'd love for you to send in comments, questions, and any other newsworthy information that might hold relevance to other members. We'll consider any other ideas you may have as well, so don't be shy. Make Greased yours!
Site Developments
We've got quite a few small developments happening when it comes to the site, so listen up! We could use your help when it comes to several of these...
First up, it's personally an exciting time for David and I because we are fast approaching Nerd Bacon's 2 year anniversary! We founded the site back in August of 2013. I remember that David came to me with a vision and the bare bones of a website. Remembering my own prowess with which I built websites back in 2001 or so, I grossly overestimated my abilities. But after some phone calls, some late nights, a lot of hard work, and a healthy dose of trial and error, we started getting ourselves on track. We spent the next few months writing, designing, learning, and recruiting, and officially "opened our doors" the following January. And the rest is history!
A month-long celebration of the founding of Nerd Bacon could be a great way to keep interest alive while we wait for the heavy hitters of the holiday season to roll around; any ideas on how we might celebrate?
Unfortunately, August is also a time for domain fees, hosting fees, etc. If anyone out there is interested in donating to the cause, please contact Nerdberry as soon as you can at Nerdberry@NerdBacon.com and let him know. I know he'll appreciate it; plus you'll receive a Coin Badge for your financial contribution.
You should also notice a permanent Twitch schedule now residing in the right sidebar with collapsible items. Most of you are already aware of the Twitch schedule, but this can serve as a great reminder to those not familiar. When and if you host a stream of your own, you may want to mention this when you close out your stream - something like, "for more information about our Twitch activities, go to NerdBacon.com and look for our 'Twitch Schedule' in the right sidebar!" In the near future we hope to update this on a regular basis (perhaps in line with the newsletters) with as many actual titles and times available at the time.
We've had a slow couple of weeks here with only a few articles published. I understand some of you are still "recovering" from E3, but try not to let that stop you for too long! We've also been noticeably short on badge earnings these last two weeks. Go out there and get some badges! If we owe you one, don't be shy about letting us know!
Finally, I want to again draw attention to the upcoming Member Evaluations. I haven't been able to get started on these as soon as I'd like, but they will be going out sometime soon-ish. Between drawing up the numbers and coordinating commentary with David, it can take a little while to get these done, so they'll probably trickle down to you guys in groups of 5 or so. Remember that this is not a chance for us to draw negative attention to anyone's efforts, it is just a chance for us to keep you informed about your level of activity.
Well, I think that about covers it! Now let's take a look at what June's numbers have to tell us!
Site Stats (June 2015)
June was another month of erratic numbers; huge ups and downs were the normal. We had a few great days right there in the thick of E3, but the rest of the month just couldn't keep up. Are the summer doldrums already kicking in? Are the record high temperatures across the country actually driving people outdoors earlier this year? Who knows.
One thing is for sure though, and that's that we raked in about 1100 more hits during June of 2015 than we did back in June of 2014. Unfortunately though, we weren't able to break through May's numbers, which were about 200-300 ahead. If, however, you account for May's extra day over June, we brought it roughly as much traffic as we did last month. (The average visits per day were virtually the same for both months.) Still, I think all of us expected a bigger run due to E3. It's also interesting to note that we also took a dip during June of 2014 when compared to May and July.
Here's where Nerd Bacon's originality comes into play. People can find news anywhere - maybe they hit us first and maybe they don't - but when you all start using your expertise to craft 100% original articles, people can't get that information anywhere else. That's what we need! News is good, news is great even, but let's all try to take that a step further and come up with some truly original content that won't be posted elsewhere on the web.
We are seeing a nice trend in returning visitors though, which is one of the things we've always been after. And if we have to loose a few new visitors in order to gain some returning visitors, well, so be it. A sustained fanbase is exactly what we need. Several aspects such as page views and pages per sessions stayed roughly the same, especially when accounting for May's extra day.
The other 2 criteria measured, bounce rate and session duration, lead us to an even more confounding situation than what we had in May. For unknown reasons (maybe all the news?) the bounce rate is all over the place, shooting first up and then down in leaps and bounds. This is not a good a thing. We want to keep that bounce rate as low as possible and suddenly it's jumping all over the place. (This could be a good thing and it could mean that the website and its pages are finally starting to find their way into search engines, but I can't be sure.) The confusing thing is that our average session duration times have been on an upward trend these last few months. Although I have my reservations about how session duration is measured, we went from barely hitting 2 minutes to nearly 3 and a half minutes in June! One would think that a wild bounce rate would lead to lower session durations...but who knows?
The only explanation I can come up with is the same one I offered up after taking a look at May's traffic, which is that while the overall quantity of our visits may not be as high as we'd like, our numbers would seem to indicate that the quality of our visits is improving drastically. You'll also see that our demographics remained mostly the same, though we made a little more headway into the 18-24 year old crowd this past month. I've said it once and I'll say it again: Nerd Bacon needs women!
In addition to the usual numbers and graphs, I've included one comparing this year's June to last year's. Despite all the crazy and seemingly contradictory numbers flying around, one thing we can be sure of is that we've come quite a ways since last year this time.
Let's do our best to make July a screaming success - it was one of our strongest and busiest months of 2014. With a new Twitch show lined up and 2 current Social Media Managers helping us put ourselves out there lately, we're on the right track. What we need the most from you is reviews reviews reviews so keep 'em coming! And don't forget...
Remember it all boils down to a very simple formula: more traffic = more ad-clicks = more money = your chance to get PAID!
Visits - June 2015 | ||
TOTAL | UNIQUE | |
Hits | 7,169 | 5,920 |
% Increase over April | -3.68% | -7.63% |
Average Per Day | 239 | 197 |
Page Views | ||
Total | 38,189 | |
% Increase | -5.58% | |
Average Per Day |
1,273 |
Until Next Time...
Most of you guys and girls are doing a great job when it comes to giving us a steady stream of content to publish and we definitely appreciate it. As always, one of the biggest ways you can help us is to keep on playing and keep on writing! Of course if you have some extra time on your hands and want to help a little more, we've got several things you can get involved with including our Monday night Twitch show, managing our presence on a social network, procuring financial backing for us, and bringing new recruits to us.
I mentioned earlier that July of 2014 was one of our best months on record at that point, so let's see if we can do the same thing for July of this year!
Issue #7 | July 4th, 2015 | Volume 1 |