Blog Azeroth

Hi folks,

So, I've been blogging on Games and Geekery for over a year now, and I've only recently returned to World of Warcraft after trying out different games.

I was wondering if anyone could give some tips or somesuch on what to write related to Azerothian things. Right now, I feel too much like I'm whining on my blog (because of learning to tank in this crazy messed up world or a general lack of funding) instead of spreading the good cheer.

Obviously, a blog is a place where you write your thoughts, but sometimes, it's easy for me to run out of ideas.

Any advice you can give to a Death Knight/Hunter?

Well "just do it"!
There are all kinds of blogs and really a blog about you is the one you will like the best. No shame in that and its something you will stick with.
As far as learning to tank, I am a tank at heart and thats what I wrote my blog about. I leveled a tank on a new realm/server w/o help from anyone and that was the kick off to my blog. I wanted to blog about something. Its turned into something else since.

Tips on tanking, go at your own pace, learn what you need to do before the pull and don't let the rest of the group pressure you. Ask yourself these 3 questions pre pull:
1 When is the bad going to happen? (special ability, need of a cooldown)
2 who is the bad going to happen to? (does the healer get silenced, does the team get feared)
3 Where is the bad going to be? (fire [haste buff] on the floor, kite the mob)

Keep your healer alive and keep yourself mobil and tanking is fun fun fun! Hope this helped.

The biggest thing is finding inspiration for your posts, which is my biggest problem. Right now I'm doing a three part retrospective series about Vanilla, BC, and Wrath, so I have at least three posts in the bag. After that? I have no clue.

One of my more successful posts was my gradual change from ranged/caster classes to melee classes, and how I've enjoyed that. Maybe give a history of your gaming career, and why you've decided to come to WoW now? What type of classes do you like, and why? What's the most challenging part of instancing?

Another great place is the shared topics archive, pick one that was used from a while ago, and use it now. Or, post here so we can help!

If you read other blogs, you can see what the hot topics are in the blogosphere, or you may be inspired by just one blogger's post and want to give your own thoughts on the subject! For instance, the topics I've been reading (and subsequently thinking about) lately are the healer-tank-dps trinity and the importance of said roles, the digital download, farewell posts to people/places/things in old Azeroth, WoW's 6th anniversary, and UI updating. Even better, if you get inspired to write after reading someone else, you can give them some link love too!

Looking at your style and the kind of posts you usually write, I could see you excelling at taking pieces of Blizzard/WoW news and commenting on them, one piece of news per post. You seem to have a good eye for interesting tidbits and very journalistic writing style.

You also seem to be really interested in music. Music is one of the aspects of WoW that tends to be overlooked in the blogosphere, I think a lot of people would be interesting in learning more about that part of the game.

Inspiration is something that is distinctly *you.* Nobody else can tell you where to get ideas, but the cool thing about blogging about WoW, is that although it's one game, it is perpetually changing. There's always something new going on, and something to talk about. If theorycrafting isn't your thing (I feel bad that I don't do more of it... but I find it just kinda bores me, I like editorial-style blogging quite a bit more), then take a look at a Blue tracker, and comment on something Blizzard has announced.

It's also worth mentioning, that, if you don't already, you should try to read as many other WoW blogs as you can. I tend to fall behind on this, but I have a regular list of blogs that I try to sift through as often as I can. I try to comment regularly too, but that's just me. Reading other people's thoughts can give you an idea for an interesting post, or just get you thinking about WoW, which can spark an original piece of your own.

And finally, there's nothing wrong with staying silent for a couple days, and just playing the game. I find you'll inevitably run into something that interests you and just have to right a post about it. It can be big, class/game changing ideas, or more specific ones. Written well, you can post about a rock outside Orgrimmar, and still have something worthwhile and meaningful to say (okay, maybe not a rock outside Orgrimmar... I have no idea at all how to spin that one at all, but you get the idea).

Don't worry to much about adhering to styles and boundaries because you think they're genereally "accepted", that's a sure way to burn yourself out. Just write about what interests you, and you'll find yourself enjoying blogging a whole lot more.

As Barney Stinson of How I Met Your Mother would say... CHALLENGE ACCEPTED!

Seriously, this seems like something I'd do in my spare time.

Let's see...I find inspiration in a lot of things. I try to keep a notebook handy to write down a blog topic that I would like to write about.

The problem is actually finding time to write. most of my blogs are done at work now because when I'm at home, I'm consumed by Cataclysm and trying to get heroics done. Try to set some time aside in which you can work on your blog.