Simply the writing of it--and through a very rough estimate, I'd say the content in 2010 has been the equivalent of a 600-1000 page book--has been extremely enjoyable, and beneficial, and is now a topic of interest in most of my job pursuit communications.
But certainly, my writing wouldn't mean that much, even to me, if it weren't for a healthy level of readership and resulting comments & compliments.
I'm sure these statistics aren't all that impressive in the huge realm of the blogosphere, but it's quite gratifying to me to have averaged over 1,300 visitors to Seth Saith over the last 4 months of the year (including 2 months over 1,500), with more than 2,000 pageviews (i.e. blog articles read) each month. I didn't start any analytics (visitor tracking) until late-April, but as late as July I had just 298 monthly visitors/534 pageviews, so to more than quadruple site traffic--and maintain it--has felt good.
While not quite as quantifiable, but just as rewarding, Seth Saith has brought me a number of new friends and online acquaintances, and facilitated many great dialogues with existing ones. And in a year that saw me continue to struggle in my efforts to find full-time employment, in a way I think my writings serve as a document to much else that I did, saw, thought and accomplished in 2010, with the blog in sum being itself a notable achievement.
Predominant among my topics have been reviews of live events I attended, including virtually every concert, play, musical and opera. Links to reviews of some of my favorite events can be found through recent "Best Of 2010" articles (concerts, plays, musicals) and you can access all articles through the BLOG ARCHIVE on the right sidebar.
But perhaps mostly to remind myself, below are links to some of my favorite blog articles from the past year, besides any reviews or Best Of pieces:
(Feb 15) Remembering a really cool guy I once met
(Mar 9) Another Bloody Take on Tarantino
(Mar 17) This Note's For You: A Guide To Free Online Music
(Apr 2) When It Comes to Contemporary Artists, I Know Jack
(Apr 9) Citizen Kane vs. Casablanca, a classic debate
(Apr 12) Cubs Opener and Shutter, a photo essay
(Apr 17) Admitting One's Obsession Over Ticket Stubs
(Apr 21) The (Green) Day Broadway Went Punk
(Apr 23) The Enduring, Unveiled Genius of Raphael
(Jul 8) Spending A Day in Chicago's Past
(Jul 22) New Twins Stadium on Target, Not Above & Beyond
(Aug 12) Daring To Get To The Root of Evel
(Aug 19) Latest "Mindset List" Seems Terribly Out of Touch
(Aug 31) Historical Lessons in Pride & Passion from Mr. Cub
(Sep 1) Exploring the World Through Moving Pictures (Subtitled: My Great Foreign Film Adventure)
(Sep 6) An Exhibit Worth 300,000 Words (but I use just 685)
(Sep 23) The Tenor of His Saxophone Remains One of My Favorite Things -- Birthday Tribute: John Coltrane (b. Sept. 23, 1926; d. July 17, 1967)
(Sep 28) You Never Sausage A Thing! -- Why Hot Doug's Is Chicago's Greatest Food Phenomenon
(Oct 9) Celebrating the 70th Birthday of John Lennon
(Nov 1) Tomb It May Concern: A Halloween Exploration of Chicago's Graceland Cemetery
(Nov 3) The Seth Saith "Our World's Gone Amiss" Manifesto, Volume 1: Awaking to the Further Disunited State of Democracy Inaction as Wall Street Continues to Laugh All the Way to the Bank
(Dec 3) Remebering Ron Santo (1940-2010)
(Dec 14) Role of a Lifetime: Heading Back to Africa, Chicago Actress Britni Tozzi Proves Activism is No Act
Throughout the year, I got a bit better in certain aspects of blogging, including including tags, being more topic-specific in my headlines (for SEO purposes) and including photographs and other graphics. So some of the earlier pieces might seem a bit archaic and in some cases, images may have dropped out for one reason or another. Some of the information (such as in the guide to online music) may no longer be completely accurate and I'm sure there are a number of typos and grammatical errors. But while I hope some of you might enjoy some of these past musings, I'm opting to focus on the future rather than re-write or re-touch anything.
Some Other Fine Blogs To Enjoy
Beyond my own writings, there are a number of other blogs that I am happy to draw your attention to; most of these are linked at right under OTHER BLOGS TO ENJOY. But beyond the ones of a more recognizable nature--from Roger Ebert, Chicago Tribune, Playbill, Rolling Stone (from which I mean to specify Matt Taibbi's blog, although the link at right doesn't), etc.--these are a few from friends, acquaintances and other "everyday bloggers" that I've come to enjoy. (If you have others to suggest, please do so in the comments.)
Britni Tozzi: Activist and Actress - The last article of mine that I cited above was about the amazing humanitarian work Britni has undertaken in Africa, which you can follow throughout the past and coming year on her own excellent blog.
Art-for-a-Change - Years ago, when I lived in LA in the early '90s, I worked with and befriended a great artist named Mark Vallen. As you can see here--on a blog that's part of a site spotlighting his socially-conscious art--Mark is also quite a gifted, insightful writer.
Movie Morlocks (TCM Classic Movie Blog) - This one might seem like something of corporate blog, but has a number of contributors writing about old movies, including an excellent film historian I've befriended (through a Film Discussion Meetup) named Suzi Doll.
Iowa Girl Eats - This isn't by anyone I personally know, but I stumbled across this outstanding blog on which an Iowa girl named Kristin posts in-depth recipes with great photographs, as well as other pieces including articles on her travels. It's one of the best personal blogs I've seen, and I don't even cook.
Ramblings of G1000 - I also don't knowingly know "G1000," but he is a frequent commenter on my writings and has his own blog, primarily about TV and Movie topics.
Thanks for the mention!
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