State of State of Play

Since today marks one month since I started this blog, I thought I’d take stock and give you some idea of what I’ll be doing going forward.

I didn’t know what to expect when I began a blog, and I wasn’t sure I’d be able to add a whole new layer of work to what I already did. So far, it’s working out pretty well, so I plan to stay with it and gradually increase some of my coverage. In the first month, I managed 93 posts and 5,000 page views, which seems like a good start. I hope to expand that audience, and I hope you’ll help by sharing links on Facebook, reTweeting, and perhaps even accessing Amazon through my links at the right.

So here’s the State of SOP:

App O’ The Mornin’
It’s been remarkably popular, so it will continue just as is: one App a day posted Monday through Friday at 5:00am. Some might be shorter, others longer. I’m not going to feel bound by my usual length restrictions (which can very particular in magazine publishing). I’ll just use as many words as I need to. That’s kind of liberating. Check out Apps here.

Puzzles
I began posting logic puzzles to provide steady content while I was away, but it has also become somewhat popular, so I’m going to continue it, twice a week a first, and more if I have the ideas. Check out Puzzles here.

Eurogames
I’ve done far less coverage than I had planned to, so expect that to change. I hope to post steadily on Eurogames from the perspective of a fan and player. I don’t plan to do heavy coverage, news, or reviews, but rather commentary pieces on the entire range of adult boardgames.

Cards
Cards are also a popular subject here, and I plan to do multiple posts throughout September. (Believe it or not, the phrase which has led to the most Google search hits is “Autobridge board.”) As my family discovers all the old card games, I’m beginning to realize how much this wonderful pastime has faded in popularity. I’d like to help turn that around. I’m not just going to talk about individual games, but also cards themselves: their design and quality. Part of this is linked to my next bit of news, which is…

Prizes

That pack of Bicycle cards in my header image isn't just there to fill space. I’ve made no secret that I *heart* the US Playing Card Company and their Bicycle and Bee cards, so I decided to drop them a line. They’ve agreed to sponsor a series of giveaways throughout September, and have generously provided various prizes for my readers. I’ll let you know the details as I begin the card posts next month.

Electronic games
Apps aside, I’ve done very little on the subject that’s kind of my area of expertise: video and computer games. I’m not sure how much that’s going to change. A great deal of my writing on this subject gets directed towards my various print publications, and there’s never a lot left over. The whole point of this blog was to fill in the gaps, covering things I knew about and loved but didn’t get to write about. If something interesting pops up, I’ll certainly post it, but I have no plans to really increase this side of the blog. (Also, as per my usual experience, critical coverage of electronic games draws the most … exuberant people out of the woodwork, and I’m just not that interested in feeding the trolls on my own little corner of the web.)

Vault
The next few weeks should also feature some items I collected during my trip to Virginia, including a series of posts on games that were popular in Colonial America.

Personal posts
I haven’t decided on how to handle the personal end of the whole blog thing. I tend to find more personal posts interesting when I read other blogs, so I might do one O/T post on weekends. I’ll see how it goes. Yesterday's post, Math and Me, was kind of a first step in this direction.

Facebook, Twitter and RSS feeds are a blogger’s best friends, and I’m always looking to grow my rolls. Please follow SOP on your medium of choice, and share links to help spread the love.

By all means, if anyone has any comments or suggestions, just fire away. I’m still trying to find a “blog voice,” and expect it to take some time.

Speaking of time, I want to thank you all for taking some of it to visit here. I have always written for a specific audience, but this blog is meant to be different. I’m kind of writing it for myself, and hoping there are enough people out there who find that interesting. Time is one of our most valuable commodities, so I appreciate that you use some of yours to stop here. Thanks for your continued patronage.