Articles, Networking, and Expansion

This entry is going to be about the website and some things associated with it.  The things I plan on talking about are plans I have for expanding the website and some issues I am trying to work through in direct relation to RoKtheReaper.com.

I hope you will take the time to look through this and see what plans I have in store for the future of RoKtheReaper.com, plus somethings I just want to talk about and some of the difficulties that I have in being a solo reviewer on a site for Gaming, Anime, and Manga.

There are a large number of websites and persons dedicated to reviewing both Video Games and/or Anime and Manga.  The fact I am doing all of the reviewing by myself can be draining because I want to deliver the best content possible but often spend days in between postings because they take hours upon hours to do on top of other things I have to get done in the day (Work among other things).  This can be a problem because people will back every other day rather than every day or every hour and it can be difficult to establish a hardcore fan base because of it.  Also, I do not really do news postings, they are mostly reviews or in-depth editorials.

Something else that also bothers me significantly is the lack of page views I get, which is normally between 40-200, but the average month generally is not over 3,000 page views.  This is a problem when people are looking to give me review material I request because they do not want to “waste resources” on someone who has only a small base, they want to give it to large websites like 1UP or IGN in order to maximize their consumer reach as well as their profit.  This provides huge problems for me because I am not even given a chance by them to prove my worth, and while I may be a better reviewer, it does not matter because no one will see it.

I think the most discouraging thing about everything is that no one ever comments on any articles.  I mean, I may look and have a few here, few there (The most being 9 comments on my “Nintendo vs Capcom” article), but it is tough when even your friends and family do not take the time to at least write something nice about the article; even worse when you see them sharing other review sites links to articles that do not have any thought put into them but never seem to even acknowledge you (Or like your page for that matter).  All-in-all it can be frustrating and the reason I have quit a few times; I was so stop-n’-start, but I want to continue to move forward, even if I only gain a few hardcore fans along the way.  I realize that I have built my site up from where it use to be, but it is still not on the level of some sites like the recently upgraded EventHubs or Shoryuken, but I am damn proud of it.

I want to continue to improve on my article presentation and the site’s appearance so that eventually people will want to stay once they actually manage to find my website; my whole goal is to get my writing out there to the world, on my own terms (I was apart of “Games Abyss” as well as “SFX-360” which is know known as “Digital Noob” and paired with Electronic Gaming Monthly.  I have plenty of opportunities to work with others but I want to make it as a solo writer).

Networking.

Something I could benefit greatly from is “Networking”.  Talking with other reviewers and their sites and people who know the business and make some allies.  About the only person I currently have that I chat to is one of my main motivators “OtakuDante” who runs “OtakuDante’s Gaming Inferno” as an Xbox Live Arcade Game and Xbox Live Arcade Indie Game Reviewer.  I need to talk with more people and get my website link on their pages and try to find a way to share traffic and eventually establish my own base.

I have a FaceBook Page, YouTube, and a Twitter, but it may not be enough when it comes down to it.  Other mediums exist such as Tumblr, Instagram, and other resources that I have not tapped into simply because I have gotten comfortable with the social media outlets I have already mastered.  All of us know that if you do not evolve with the times and stay with the “here-and-now” that we often fall behind and are easily forgotten; think about what happened with Blockbuster and NetFlix, for instance.

It is inevitable to admit that, while I want to write alone, I may not be able to successfully break into the industry full-fledged without some help from others.  Networking is something I will more actively have to seek if I wish to grow the site.

EXPANSION

Expansion has been my main topic but as far as solo expansion I will need to post my website EVERYWHERE.  Right now, I have it as a signature on outlets and forums that I post on, I have it in my Xbox Live Profile, and I tweet about it nearly everyday, but I need more people to visit my website AS WELL as like my Facebook page in order to get repeat visitors and eventually those that will grow to love my style of reviewing.

Not only that, I want to begin to hold promotions like some other sites do; maybe if they like my FaceBook page and retweet a specific Twitter message they will get an opportunity to win some Microsoft Points or PSN credit, a video game, or maybe some anime/manga books I will give away (Wish I thought about this before I sold them to Half-Price Books .__. ).  Also, I need you all to help me with this, spreading them around and everything.  I mean, I can do it solo and I plan on doing it, but every little bit will help.

I do not plan on stopping this time around and going as far as I can possibly go, I just hope that in the end I will gain what I am seeking by being a reviewer who can stand on his own terms… or at least an offer from the  MLG or Game Informer.  Heh.  Thanks for reading!  Sayonara!