Observe and Learn? Perhaps Not This Year.

by Naithin · Published August 30, 2023 · Updated August 31, 2023

I’ve been wracking my brain for what I might have learned from this year’s participation in Blaugust. This has been my fifth Blaugust or Blaugust-derivative and I’m running at a loss for what I might’ve picked up that I haven’t before.

Every year I seem to express that same sentiment, and then somehow find the words to fill a decent-sized scroll despite myself. While you can be sure I will still get a whole bunch of words out, I’ve not found that note of inspiration for something new.

Not for today in any case. Perhaps something will come before the week is up.

Instead, I’d like to revisit an old learning. One that comes up most years in various forms, is one of community interaction within Blaugust. There is so much additional content being generated, that it is nigh impossible to keep up. Especially when layered over the top of the fact you’re also endeavouring to create more content of your own than usual.

Belghast already makes it beyond clear that the whole ‘posting-every-day’ element is a highly optional aspect.

But… I’ve gone and created a streak. A four- soon to be five-year streak of hitting the 31+ post goal, and that seems a hard thing to go ahead and break now even if logically I can see the value in doing so.

So…

Is There Anything We Can Do About It?

Because there wasn’t much I was able to do about *this* in the end.

There was a time when I would’ve been against making any significant changes to Blaugust. (e.g., don’t touch the dial, 31 posts are OK!)

But now I wonder if my stance hasn’t softened on that somewhat.

I wonder if, instead, we might consider one or both of the following options or something along these lines?

Reduce the required number of posts for the ‘Rainbow’ badge to reflect only the weekdays in the month.
The thinking here being to reduce the constant go-go-go over the month and create some breathing space in which to visit the other blogs that are out there, in particular those of anyone who might’ve newly joined our community.

This wouldn’t necessarily have to be a hard rule, e.g., if someone wanted to post for the weekends and have two other days ‘off’ during the week, that should be fine — and would also then reduce any potential increased complexity or overhead in Bel having to tally the posts.
Add a requirement for one post each week to be a direct response to another blogger’s post – bonus points if it’s a new (to us) blogger.
This one isn’t without some issues. It would make the job of tallying posts at the end of the month much more difficult for Belghast come month-end. Possibly we could switch to a full self-reported system to aid with that, but it probably isn’t the only issue.

In the original version of this idea, I said that it should have to be a new blogger — but it isn’t always easy to come up with a post that other people can easily bounce off of. So we might need to provide prompts, or otherwise ask bloggers to come up with a prompt/shared topic of their own for others to use and try to force it a bit where it might not otherwise organically happen. Not to mention, the subject areas have grown quite considerably over time, and in particular this year, it seems — so it might not be a trivial matter to have something for everyone.

I’m sure there are other things we could do as well, without ‘destroying’ the spirit of the challenge for those who still want to shoot hard for that particular element still, and keep up the streak, while still leaving enough oxygen to get out there a little more.

Or perhaps it isn’t really so much of an issue that it warrants a change at all?

I mean… It could just be something we acknowledge and move on with. There is always post-Blaugust for surfacing out of our cocoons again, blinking at the light, and then taking a wander to look around what the Blaugust-season gifted us.

It’s kinda what I’ve been doing in the previous years!

Still. I wonder, is all.

This was posted during Blaugust 2023, the annual blogging event hosted by Belghast. Blaugust is an event aiming to welcome new blogger blood into the fold and revitalise those who’ve been at it a little longer.

The Blaugust Discord is still available to join in, year-round!