It started with the Troopathon ad I put up a couple days ago, and now I’ve added a link to a charity show put on by the Chad Clifton Foundation, the 6th Annual Concert for a Random Soldier.
I know other blogs both locally and around the globe sometimes devote a little space to charitable events, so I’m not doing anything groundbreaking here. But the advantage of having an ad is that the event gets continual promotion – just like a business does – except I’m giving the space for free. (Naturally it’s a somewhat less advantageous space than paying ads, but the server has to be paid for somehow.)
Truly I don’t mind putting in a little effort for the cause, since the extent of adding these is manipulating a widget. It’s not hard to put pretty pictures and links on my sidebar anymore as opposed to my old template, which needed to have the html added to a long file. Truthfully, it makes the site look “fuller” anyway.
Since local music is on my mind anyway with the addition of this widget, though, I think the time has come to make a subtraction as well.
With the rapid evolution of marketing for bands, it’s become harder and harder to make sure their websites are up to date. Instead of relying on just the now-dying Myspace, bands have moved on to a number of different venues like Facebook, Reverbnation, or restored the old-fashioned domain name and website (or all of the above.) Simply put, it’s difficult to verify that I’m placing the latest info onsite, not to mention how quickly bands change and break up. For example, I found out on Sunday that one of my favorite local groups (Order 6D-6) is no more.
So I think the time has come to dissolve the “local music” area of my website and delete those links. Normally I prune blogs which are inactive for three months, but given this moving target and the limited amount of free time I seem to have anymore, there are better uses of my time then to try and keep up with band links. Truth be told, I’d rather have nothing than have something that’s wrong.
Now if local bands want to advertise on my site, well, that’s negotiable. I just might cut you a deal. It’s not like I don’t give them promotion after the fact or place up their videos, but why not be here all the time instead of for just one post?
It’s food for thought, right?
So support these charitable causes I place in the PSA box, whether they’re musically related or not – they’re worth your time and effort.