If EVE Online didn’t often have drama it might not really be EVE Online and so goes the community of the EVE Blogosphere as well with the latest round of EVE community drama. I have to say its been the most entertaining of times lately reading the various blogs and all their reader comments chimed in on whether the EVE Blogosphere is dying and the future of the EVE Blog Pack. Many in the EVE Blogosphere as well as various blog readers all seemed to have various opinions and some even seem to be taking sides in the matter as it seem there is a bit of drama playing in the background.
Marc Scaurus about 2 days ago wrote a blog piece asking about the “The Future of the Community” (I might have completely missed this entirely) but it took the often sensational Rixx Javix on his blog to put a whole new spin on the entire discussion giving it a whole new life of its own with “The Mittani Killed the EVE Community.” At which point the community seemed to take note of the discussion going on and various other EVE Community bloggers chimed in with their own thoughts, opinions and more. Mat over at Freebooted did a great job writing his own opinion on the matter as well collecting the various thoughts of other bloggers that chimed in with their own blog posts on the matter.
Then as the day rolled on more drama ensued about what to do with the EVE Blog Pack, who really should maintain it or how to evolve it and who best to do so. Apparently Goons are winning EVE and Mittani news site backed by built-in Goons audience are killing EVE Blogs and the funny part of it that seem to be causing even more drama is that the EVE Blog Pack is maintained by a Mittani news site blog editor and Goon. I couldn’t find that line of thought more humorous. But thats causing real blog to blog drama with blog comment shouting match. It’s all too funny to read, but hell quite entertaining to say the least.
I’ve had a few thoughts about the matter as well. But I decided to sleep on it first before I wrote anything. And so I read a few more blog posts on the matter today with numerous reader comments reading them all. I have to say its been the most humorous 2 days I’ve had in a while reading around the community on the matter.
I’ve never been a highly opinionated blogger nor have I ever gone out my way to draw much attention to my little blog here in a secluded part of the MMO Blogosphere. I’ve been comfortable with my place in the Blogosphere and my little voice in it. I’m far from being an attention whore. Yet I’ve always known over the years blogging if you want a lot of attention to your blog or posts you either be really good at writing on the subject or you can choose to be very controversial and polarizing in your views even sometime sensational. Both can get you a lot of attention and there are quite a few bloggers in the community who harness elements of those views for their own reasons and effectiveness. Great to have bloggers like that as they serve a purpose. But I blog for neither of those reasons.
Some people say blogging in EVE is part of the Endgame or Metagame. Everyone has their views and to each their own. I also can’t speak for anyone else. Yet I’ve never blogged for the EVE Endgame or Metagame and I care for neither. I’m apart of this EVE Community by virtue that I play EVE as a MMO, blog about the game mostly and choose to engage in this community. I don’t ever claim to be an expert on anything EVE related, I have opinions though, but I play EVE and I write about my experience in EVE and my opinions on the things that may affect my EVE experience. But I’ve always had an absolute Love and Hate relationship with EVE and to some degree the community. Some parts of the EVE Community can feel quite elitist at time and do act like it as well damn hostile to new players to the game which the game really needs to grow.
This blog is well over 5 years old of which a bit over 2 years of it reflects my life in EVE and among the EVE Community. That means I was blogging way before I even started EVE back in the days when I played WoW and was much apart of that community with my old blog of the same name. I blogged about EVE before I started playing EVE just researching the game. Blogged about EVE starting out as a newbie and continue to do so today well over 2 years later. It’s a hobby. I very well also blog less today than in any time in my MMO Blogging career as a gamer, it’s a reflection of how I feel about the game and community. I was once apart of the EVE Blog Pack and officially In a way I still am, and the reason I say that is because several months ago (around summer ) by declaration I removed this blog from the EVE Blog Pack as a member. Just my choice to do so and I had my own reasons but I still continue to blog about EVE and be much apart of the EVE Community. Being hotly debated in the EVE Blogosphere is the future of the same EVE Blog Pack and whether EVE Blogs are dying or even relevant.
I’ve got a full job with long hours that every day leave’s me damn tired daily. I’ve got some professional related courses I’m working on that consumes some of my extra time. For the first part of the year this year I had university courses and school work taking up a good chunk of my time after a full work day. I’ve got life issues to deal with and that takes up time. I find time in between to play EVE as well blog about it. Blogging is damn time-consuming even for a hobby which is why I blog as an extension of playing MMO’s. If your busy daily writing blog posts after blog posts with a busy daily schedule its hard to be busy spending some degree of quality time really playing the game logged in. And there are many days I rather just play EVE than care to write about it spending yet more time blogging than actually playing the game.
I rather play the game first and blog second if time permits. I don’t get paid to write about EVE nor is it a desire, nor is monetizing of the blog and generating content to drive that either. Some news site do that and some blogs do too. On some days I have neither time to play EVE let alone blog about it. Blogging frequency goes hand in hand with my mood about how I feel about the game. And I also get the feeling that a lot of the older EVE Bloggers playing EVE have complicated busy lives and things keeping them busy let alone actually playing EVE. Thus blogging about EVE can get pushed off the plate from time to time or often to do other things.
So I don’t think blogging about EVE is dying! Most the people that’s been blogging about EVE been doing so for a while, but those people also have real lives and blogging is also much hobby. People blog because they either love the game they blog about and enjoy writing about it. Some people just have more time than others, as well some might also have more flexible time around their jobs to ink more posts about EVE on a constant daily basis. Other players in EVE deciding to jump the hurdles and start blogging may take a while to find themselves an audience and get well-known in the community among the older bloggers. Nothing much may be happening in EVE either, some say EVE is stagnant. I’m sure if all of Nullsec was in flames they be much to talk about and blog about in EVE. And though maybe some amount of older EVE bloggers may be blogging less they likely are newer bloggers burning bright like the inner core of a star finding their voice in the community. The community eventually change over time but it’s still growing and in no way dying.
The bigger question happens to be is the EVE Blog Pack relevant? I probably say the Blog Pack is relevant to EVE as a way to guide never players in EVE to finding the community links around the game and voices in it. When I started playing EVE over 2 years back it wasn’t because of some news site as that did exist and that site likely wouldn’t have gotten me to play EVE. It was actually reading someone personal blog over time doing research that made me play EVE. Some blogs serve as a way to find out whats going on around EVE as different blogs seem to represent voices in different subset’s of EVE Online at large. But once you’ve established your roots in the EVE Community as a blogger you know how to get around to the blogs you frequent for whatever reason, link thru someone else blog to find another you’ve yet to visit and read.
Yet in a way I’ve always had a problem with the EVE Blog Pack due to what seem like insufficient diversity in the EVE Blog Pack. Back when I started EVE as a blogger I couldn’t help the feeling that ever single EVE blogger was Pirate or some shade or color living in Lowsec, Nullsec or WH space. It may not have been that way but it seemed like that from all the blogs and many in the Blog Pack. Though for me over time reading all over the place in EVE I’ve gathered links to numerous EVE Blogs I read or tend to visit often for variety of reading, some periodically. Some of those blogs have faded over time. But in my own way I’ve formed community and relationship with those blogs through visiting their blogs and commenting if I could.
To various degree’s we are all linked together as EVE Blogs in one way or another eventually some through more popular and high traffic blogs. Blogs that die and fall along the way side eventually gets replaced over time as someone comes along and see a need to fill a void. That happens all the time and will keep happening till EVE dies. I used to be a prominent popular WoW blogger before I played EVE but as I left that game and no longer blogged about it, other people eventually filled that void. It’s just the way of things.
There seem to be some amount of fear that themittani.com news site is cannibalizing EVE blogs stealing writers. I really don’t see that as something to fear, as other players will eventually steps up and fill in the voids over time. In a game as big as EVE a few news sites only serve to cover more of whats happening around EVE and in high event areas of EVE. I’ve never thought blogs alone could cover all the stuff that happen or get reported in EVE on a daily basis. Yet the community what are built with blogs can continue to serve their purpose in their connections with the community, their readers and whatever blogger’s write about or choose to raise a question about relating to EVE.
I think there is more than enough room for EVE News Sites and EVE Blogs. I never started my blog to be in the news business or care to be. On the average day I visit and read many EVE Blogs as well other MMO Blogs. Very rarely to I ever visit EVE24 or themittani.com website unless I run out of stuff to read and even then I can sift read through those pretty quickly as not everything they write about relate to my EVE. When it comes to certain elements of EVE and some players in the community as well in-game, it’s my own opinion that many have their own agenda or propaganda machine. The EVE Metagame at work.
I remain distrustful of various parts of the EVE Community for various reasons, but so it has been from the beginning. And I don’t think there is anything that can be said that will ever change that playing EVE Online much unlike any other MMO out there. Which is why I rather enjoy reading the various blogs around the community, their views, happening and opinion’s outside of what is reported on any game related news site. Ultimately I make up my own mind on whatever I read anywhere and so should you.
So there is some drama about what to do with the EVE Blog Pack, who wants to run it or not run it, administration of elements of it, various players with different ideas about who gets to be apart of it or not, who stays on the pack and all that. Sound a bit elitist to me! Which is probably one reason why I removed this blog from it. This blog will be here as long as i’m playing EVE, it was here long before I played EVE and it will be around in some form long after I stop playing EVE and move onto some other MMO game. In the end whatever happens EVE Blogosphere will be fine.
Related Blog Discussion:
- The Future of the Community – Marc Scaurus @ Malefactor
- The Mittani Killed the EVE Community – Rixx Javix @ Eveoganda
- The Blogging End Game – Kirith Kodachi @ Inner Scactum of the Ninveah
- Is the EVE Online Blogosphere Dying? – Hugh Hancock @ MMO Melting Pot
- Halp The EVE Blogosphere is Dying – Morphisat @ Morphisat’s Blog
- Irrational Fear – Firstly @ Flying Silent
- Blogging Community – Foo @ Foo’s EVE Musings
- The Evolution of EVE Blogging – Alexia Morgan @ Touring New Eden
- The Morning After & RJ Reading List – Rixx Javix @ Eveoganda
- Rixx Javix Killed the EVE Blog Pack – Marc Scaurus @ Malefactor
Ardent Defender 
Eve seems pretty healthy to me, especially its blogging community. Eve has, what?, 3% of the community size of WoW and has a blogging and podcasting community that approaches WoW in quantity and possibly surpasses it in quality. Even the forums are better than the average game forums.
As for Mittani.com attracting writers I’m sure that’s true. But what matters ultimately is not writers but readers, particularly commenters. A lot of the comments at Mittani.com seem to be people who are either Goons already or sympathetic to them. For me, while I’m quite happy to read their articles, some of which are excellent, I don’t comment there as I don’t feel part of the community, it feels hostile.
As long as there are readers who don’t feel attached to the Goon community (a small but prolix part of the Eve community) there will be people who want to read our blogs.
And it’s the nature of the internet that where there are readers the writers will follow.
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Good summary. I’ve been a fan and reader of your blog for a long time, for the reasons you gave. And I hope you keep writing the way you write for as long as possible.
I also write for a wide variety of reasons. But above all else I write because I love Eve. ANd I want it to be great. Everything I do is to try and help that process. To organize the community together in common goals. Like Twitter Hats to protest Incarna, in events to demand the return of the Frill and more. I also spend an inordinate amount of precious time helping by providing graphic services.
No mere website is “killing” the community. But I also admit to being alarmed by the influence of a goon-centric community. My post was purposeful and well-considered alarmist clap trap. Yellow journalism if you want. And it worked perfectly. The community was energized and everyone got the chance to express their opinion and propose changes. My fear was the the “original” post would go unnoticed and that the EBP/EveBloggers.com service would suddenly migrate to The Mittani.com thus sealing its fate. That was the end-game I wanted to prevent.
You may not know this yet, but there are now at least 6 other people with plans to provide NEW services to the community!! Exciting new non-aligned services and websites. This is an extremely exciting time for us.
Sometimes someone has to stand up and say the emporer has no clothes.
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Well played sir!
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I second his well played move 🙂
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Shortly after I started playing Eve, I discovered the iPhone app named “Capsuleer”. There are others like it now, but that app, and reading the blog roll that it had was what introduced me to the Eve blogging community and all it’s great bloggers. My favorites were K162 Space and Rixx’s blog. Not to toot your horn Rixx, but we were in the same alliance for a short time a couple years ago living in The Spire. I was traveling a few systems over and I saw you in local and right before you jumped out of the system I said in local “Rixx! I’m a fan of your blog!”. You managed to say “Awesome!” before your session change started, and you mailed me to say thanks just incase I didn’t get your local chat. I realize that probably sounds like a creepy stalker tale, but it was actually the moment that really compelled me to act on my interest in blogging about Eve. So thanks for that!
I think having “heavy hitters” like Eve24 and TheMittani in contrast with the growing population of “small time” bloggers like myself is really healthy for the Eve blogging community as a whole. I’d compare the concept to huge corporations vs small business in the United States (where I live). The comparison would be the huge corporations are necessary to attract interest in setting up business in America. The big bloggers in the Eve blogosphere I think attract interest to the game. The small businesses in America are the back bone of the American economy. The small bloggers in the Eve community are where readers can get a true, non-bias view of Eve Online from a ground-level perspective. The day to day life of a single Capsuleer, or Corp, or small alliance.
TheMittani can catch their interest, but we are the ones that make Eve real for them.
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Yeap that made allot of sense to me as well.
One the the very first few blogs I ever read even before I played EVE late at night at work reading on my Iphone was Letrange’s Blog, K162space back when he was doing WH and had a POS and Tiger Ears. Those few blogs I read them systematically backwards all the way over weeks back to the very beginning just researching what life was somewhat like in EVE from a player point of view.
Can you imagine how much post it must be to read late at night not even yet playing EVE Letrange’s blog all the way back to the very first blog post let alone how hard of a task reading Tiger Ears blog which was a huge amount of post all the way back to the very fist blog post. At that point i kinda understood something about EVE and decided to jump in and give it a go. It wasn’t a news site that got me into EVE and EVE24 was around and i came across it, but did not understand it reading it. It was a few capsuleer’s blog that made the difference and what i connected with as a non EVE player that eventually became a player and capsuleer. Things like that is why smaller personal blogs make a difference. People read blogs in the shadows and you never even know they are there. Many those blogs i first read are still today some my favorite especially Tiger Ears and I still don’t live in WH space yet…
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