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Author
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Topic: Blogs
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Charles
Administrator
Member # 7
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posted
How are you utilizing the weblog format to your advantage? I know that ToonedBob was building up a blog for his project. The Animation Archive is doing some very exciting things with blog technology, the Animation Guild, as are many groups and individuals. I've been working up a couple of my own and building communities outside of animation. Blogs are quick and easy to manage.
How has/is your blog working for you?
Feel free to post links to your personal blogs on this thread.
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-FP-
IE # 13
Member # 914
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posted
I've been maintaining one for my lttle feature REPERKUSSIONZ. Progress is slow, so I'm not ready to make a lot of noise until there is more finished footage. Updating the blog with small reports whenever possible provides a solid backlog of posts, so newly-informed visitors to the site won't arrive to find only a few entries. It bugs me when I visit a production blog and there are one or two posts and then it just stops. I can't say the blog is working or not working right now, but I'm sure it will be useful later.
The link:
REPERKUSSIONZ BLOG
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Scott Shaw!
IE # 132
Member # 172
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posted
My brand-new blog will be up any day now, just as soon as my professional website is ready for launching. (Sorry, but my all-new ODDBALL COMICS site was a priority.) In tribute to those great early 1960s "pre-hero" Marvel monster comics drawn by Jack Kirby, I've titled it...
"...I Created BLOGG, The Thing That Rambled!"
It'll detail my thoughts and experiences on my work in animation, comic books, advertising and toy design. Watch for it very soon at http://www.shawcartoons.com
Aloha,
Scott!
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Floyd Bishop
IE # 183
Member # 2322
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posted
Here's a link to the production blog for the Frederator short "Six Monsters":
http://frederatorblogs.com/monsters
We're doing a small part of the short, and post on the blog quite a bit. We're using our part of the blog to show the 3D production process.
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Floyd Bishop
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SquarejawHero
IE # 188
Member # 2601
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posted
I'm blogging on occasion (got too much on atm) at my website, see the siggy. Storyboarding thoughts from a scrappy youngster.
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Bowendesign.com
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Easy Zee
Member
Member # 3201
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posted
Up until a couple of years ago I had a website that was just an online portfolio, with my CV and art samples and designs. It was great to get jobs. I never had to carry around a portfolio or go to get one printed up, I would just give studios my website address. I guess it worked because I was never out of work.
Then, a bout 2 years ago, I decided to not use my website as on online portfolio specificaly. I completely changed it. I made an online web cartoon. There is still a gallery section with some art, but the web cartoon is the main thing. That turned out pretty good too. My web cartoon series called "THE Z-FILES" ended up playing in the NICKTOONS festival last year and I also lisenced it to G4TV, it played as part of the HAPPY TREE FRIENDS and FRIENDS show.
There is a link to my blog from my website. It is much easier to blog something than it is to update my website, so I do that. I have been crazy busy, so I have not had time to make new episodes of THE Z-FILES. As soon as I have time off, I will work on another episode.
Here's my site
www.flyingiguannaproductions.com
ENJOY!
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Greg B
IE # 118
Member # 886
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posted
Been Blogging before Blogging was cool. We used to call em' website updates and online journals.
It's good to see people exercising their writing muscles. Lotta good talent popping up from Bloggers outside of the traditional route to becoming a popular scribe.
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http://www.boonestoons.com
http://www.spacefool.com
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-FP-
IE # 13
Member # 914
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posted
quote:
I'd like to make a blog, but don't know how to. How does one learn how to do it?
Blogging is so simple you can start doing it right away with little or no research. It's very intuitive.
Go to blogger.com or blogspot.com or livejournal.com or any of the other free blog sites GOOGLE reveals. Sign up and look around at the FAQs. The setup is simple. I wandered in knowing nothing and had my blog up in less than a day. Most blog hosts offer several ready-made templates from which to choose, but you can modify the supplied templates with a little HTML and CSS diddling if you don't like the supplied looks. Even though I know nothing about CSS, I modified my REPERKUSSIONZ blog template by loading the supplied CSS into Dreamweaver, modifying it in the same way HTML is modified, saving it, and copy-and-pasting text from the resulting file into the template box. Boom. Custom template using WYSIWYG HTML Further tweaks were done in Notepad.
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E. Allen
IE # 301
Member # 3297
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posted
That's awesome, Frank.
As for my own blog, it can be found here.
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E. Allen
IE # 301
Member # 3297
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posted
Sorry, that link doesn't work. . .
Try this one.
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toonedbob
IE # 45
Member # 422
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posted
Blogs are fun, fast and free. I plan on starting a new one for my new feature real soon. I got lot's of emails from folks based on the blog. I think with the right promotions a blog can be a very helpful piece in any project.
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jeffnevins
IE # 247
Member # 1657
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posted
Thanks for the info. I enjoy some blogs out there. I can handle MySpace, but don't see how to create a blog at Blogger.com.
How did people that have blogs find the right screen or help menu to start a blog at Blogger? Thanks to any responses.
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My game art & animation-
http://www.tangerinepop.com/GraveShift2/
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tstevens
IE # 234
Member # 801
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posted
If you go to the home page at http://www.blogger.com/start you will see an explanation of what a blog is and then to the right of it there is a line fo type that says "...Create a blog in three easy steps." Press the large orange arrow key that says, "Create your blog now," and then follow the three easy steps.
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http://www.foogersnarts.blogspot.com
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JeffRM
IE # 212
Member # 3080
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posted
I too like the blogging, it is usually the first thing I do in the morning is check out to see if people have updated, it's awesome to see what talent is out there, plus they are easy to update. Here's mine for the lookin.... Monkeys and Cheese
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Charles
Administrator
Member # 7
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posted
Thanks for sharing your blogs. Impressive and inspiring. With the advent of this particular web technology, there's no reason at all why someone can't establish and easily maintain an Internet presence on a variety of different levels.
Feel free to let us see what you're doing with your blog. You don't need to be subscribed to the site to feature your blog on this thread.
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Charles
Administrator
Member # 7
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posted
JeffRM, you've got a nice blog happening. I wonder if you would share with us how you went about featuring a graphic in the title area.
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Michael
IE # 179
Member # 104
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posted
There seemed to be a rash of animator's blogs bursting on the scene last summer and autumn.
I watched in admiration as people posted their work online. What was much more impressive for me than seeing oodles of high class drawings was the fact that a new sort of community was being born in front of my eyes.
I don't want to sound over-the-top zealous about this, but the interactivity aspect of the blog makes it into a wholly new and different beast compared to the traditional website.
It's amazing to see how many people are commenting on each other's work, and who is linking to whom. This was not possible with static websites, unless there was a guest book.
Blogging is more like being part of a large group conversation or discussion. I feel sure that this grouping aspect of blogging will have an impact on employment patterns in our largely freelance animation buiness in the future.
Personally, I was a bit reluctant about setting up a blog.
First, I wasn't too taken with the Blogger software because it didn't seem to support static pages alongside the main journal page.
Secondly, I had to make a resolution to myself never to feel guilty about not blogging.
There are so many blogs where the owner feels really bad about not posting anything in a while, and apologizes for it. Personally I feel privileged that so many people are opening up their portfolios and ideas online, and having folks apologising for not doing so strikes me as crazy!
I looked around and found WordPress which seemed ideal. Tons of themes, tons of useful plugins, it supports static pages, and best of all, I already had the webspace including the necessary technical stuff (MySQL, php, etc.).
My own blog Articles & Texticles doesn't yet have much of my own work on it, I'll be adding that to the static pages.
Mostly I'm using it to share the results of my researches into relatively unknown or obscure artists whose work deserves to be brought to the attention of a wider public. There's a strong animation bias to the site too, but surprisingly few comments!
Maybe people only comment about artwork?
<p.s. I wish my blooming link below would work! Everytime I try to edit it in My Profile, it breaks.>
[I made the fix for you. If you have further problems with it let me know. Julian]
[ May 03, 2006, 11:58 AM: Message edited by: Account Administration ]
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scaredofbees
IE # 194
Member # 2726
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posted
I put up a blog to develop a character I'm working on. It's written "in character" to perpetuate the lie. Also, it's kinda neat because I get to see people's different reactions to his various posts.
http://mitchellnertz.blogspot.com/
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Im2dGuy
IE # 25
Member # 1160
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posted
I've been blogging
through my experience
at the online animaiton school,
AnimationMentor.com.
I've posted weekly projects and
my experience at
improv classes at
bang studios...
www.animationbrad.com
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www.animationbrad.com
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gergley
IE # 200
Member # 74
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posted
Nice work on all of those blogs.
Do many of you incorporate your blogs into your main websites?* Or, do you just have links on both referring to the other?
I ask because it often seems like when I check out artists blogs that those pages are often separate from their portfolio sites (if there is even a portfolio site at all). And, if there are links to the portfolio, the links don't come across as obvious...well, not obvious to me, that is.
Jus' curious.
Keep on keepin' on and all that.
* Sorta fer instance is that Squarejaw's site seems to BE one and the same as his blog.
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SoleilSmile
IE # 120
Member # 1483
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posted
I just started mine: SoleilSmile
Nothing much right now. At the moment, it's just some character designs of an upcoming issue of my comic. I plan to post single panel comic strips of the goings on I see in my city later in the summer. Think New Yorker, but with a San Francisco setting.
Nice topic Charles. ![[Smile]](smile.gif)
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HipChick Comics and Animatress Blog
www.hipchickcomics.com
http://www.animatress.blogspot.com/
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SquarejawHero
IE # 188
Member # 2601
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posted
*Jealous at Soleil for living in such a beautiful city*
![[Wink]](wink.gif)
Actually, really love your drawings. They've got an early Miyazaki vibe to them, a touch of the Lupin.
@Gergley - I incorporate mine into my site. Basically, Blogger allows you to upload into a remote server, and from their I used Dreamweaver and their HTML editing to make some changes to the layout. It's quick to publish as everything's done in Blogger and automatically backed up and loaded onto my webspace. My webspace is held by an Australian company, the ones Geocities use, as it's cheaper than having it taken care of in the UK.
Unfortunately Blogger's a bit slow on updating profiles... I've still got a stetson on when I should be looking all Max Payne...
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Bowendesign.com
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TWOdDAGAN
IE # 57
Member # 433
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posted
Hey guys!
Been a LONG time since I joined-in on the fun here at the 'nation'... work and life has been busy!
Had some fun checking out everybody's blogs, and hearing everybody's take on the whole phenomenon of 'blogging.' haha
For me, blogging has been great. I mostly just use it to share sketches and illos with fellow animators, illustrators and art & animation enthusiasts, etc. I have "met" lots of great people from all over the world thru my blog, and I have also found some great artists and made some new friends, too. Linking through your blog is a great way to expose eachother's art and thoughts to a wider audience, and it's so funny to see just how "small" and tight the animation community really is. (Especially here in NYC!)
I have even scored a few great freelance character design gigs through my blog. And it's a great means to bounce drawings and ideas off of people! I try to keep my blog fresh, and update it with some new art at LEAST twice a week. (Usually more, though!)
...Oh, and it's a GREAT way to break away from the sometime monotony of working fulltime on a series, and just loosen up, draw your OWN stuff, and there share it with others INSTANTLY.
... Just havin' FUN with it!
oh, my blog is at...
www.daganm.blogspot.com
Thanks guys!
-Dagan M.
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SoleilSmile
IE # 120
Member # 1483
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posted
Gee thanks Squarejaw!
Now to compliment YOU! A 350 page board?!! Yikes, what stamina! I just went crazy doing a 75 page board for my short film---and it took 2 years to do it! I was working on other projects of course--but still!
Well, you keep being amazing man! It'll keep this San Francisco bohemian's storyboard woes in perspective when she complains about 75 pages of camera directions.
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HipChick Comics and Animatress Blog
www.hipchickcomics.com
http://www.animatress.blogspot.com/
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SquarejawHero
IE # 188
Member # 2601
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posted
Well, I've started the final board on this project and fully expect it to be just as big as the last one... it's a little more complex... I still haven't quite recovered from that 350-pager yet, too! Still, incredihuge boards are all a part of television animation because of the overseas shipping. Plus, personally, I like to have a firm handle on the direction and acting so the final animation is as best as it can be. Still, it's a killer. Mr Fun's noted how television animation boarding differs from movie boards before... It has to be said, that one was for a Celaction board, so it's mainly me being a control freak on posing!
I've added a thumbnail example from that very board now. The script was 35 pages long, and the thumbs don't show the complete range of action and shots in the final board. Gives you an idea, you guess...
You got a linky to your animation?
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Bowendesign.com
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SquarejawHero
IE # 188
Member # 2601
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posted
Actually, some blog advice for all of you. Make your blog your homepage. Every time you boot up your browser, it's in your face. I find it a real help in pushing me to update, add more material and work on it. Reading others blogs also gives me real impetus to do more work as well!
Having a second fun blog also helps. I recently uploaded a ton of reviews onto a "sister" blog. Hell, it's free... and the more you can showcase the better the blog is, I guess.
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Bowendesign.com
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SquarejawHero
IE # 188
Member # 2601
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posted
You can moderate your comments from the dashboard. By doing this you can agree to publish a comment or not! ![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
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Bowendesign.com
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Michael
IE # 179
Member # 104
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posted
A quick off topic:- Thanks Julian, for fixing my link.
I'd tried everything, but that *** little space kept creeping in and ruining things....
![[cheers]](graemlins/cheers.gif)
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gergley
IE # 200
Member # 74
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posted
Michael,
Glad to see you're updating your blog. I hadn't checked it since not long after you first mentioned it on AN.
Since your blog sometimes covers painting, perhaps this might be of interest to you*:
a Divine Proportion PS plug-in
* and, it might be of interest to anyone, really
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Michael
IE # 179
Member # 104
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posted
Thanks for that gergley!
Glad to know someone is visiting.
I've used Atrise Golden Section before.
It's a handy tool that will float over any window you have open, and help out with proportions. It doesn't need to go in a layer, and you can resize it and slide it around as much as you like.
Back to the topic, though:
What would you say was roughly the proportion of comments to visitors on your blog?
I've had over 900 visitors in the 4 weeks since I started, and only 2 comments and 1 contact form message. Is this typical?
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-FP-
IE # 13
Member # 914
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posted
My guess is that a tiny fraction of one percent of blog visitors leave comments. It's a complaint I've heard from other bloggers. If you make it too easy to leave comments by turning off verification features, you may get comment pages full of automated spam. Most users won't take the time to bother.
However, you can get tons of blog comments if:
●You're an influential figure with a large fan following (John K)
●Your blog is politically extreme and plays to its base (HUFFINGTONPOST, LITTLE GREEN FOOTBALLS)
●Your blog is about celebrities and you're "on the scene" more-or-less (THESUPERFICIAL, PEREZ HILTON)
●Your blog is about food (CHOCOLATEANDZUCCHINI)
When I have time, I visit lots of blogs. Most, no matter how fascinating, have few or no messages.
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BeltaneTheBat
IE # 209
Member # 3163
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posted
I love blogging! It's a great way to share ideas, get feedback and most importantly, find great talent one would otherwise never know of. I am one of those people who feel guilty when I don't update regularly, but for me that is a good thing because it forces me to pick up a tool and draw. Day to day work can keep you so busy that you forget to draw for yourself. The blogging thing has helped me to re-discover my passion for art. I get comments from usually the same people. Occasionally someone new logs on and I try to answer back. Anyhow, my blog address is http://umbackagain.blogspot.com. See you there, if you've got a minute.
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Re vera, cara mea, mea nil refert.
http://umbackagain.blogspot.com
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Kevin
IE # 44
Member # 26
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posted
Blogging is awesome, but here's my tip -- do a team blog with someone or a group who are like minded, and who enjoy posting. I go through periods where I have lots to say, and then others where I get busy (and quiet). It's great sharing a blog with someone who has lots to post and who enjoys doing it more consistently. Like most people, I stop visiting blogs that aren't updated consistently.
Regarding comments, it's a frustration that we get more comments in person than on the blog. We're averaging over 400 visits a day, and get maybe 2-3 comments a day. Getting feedback, and having good discussions, is part of why Steve and I started the blog, but at least we know from actual human feedback that people appreciate the blog.
TAG blog
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