Wednesday, August 08, 2007

Give me your "best shot" -- a chance to show off your work

Overflowing with self-confidence, Mr. Chris Lodge has an idea which, he says, "could spread far and wide across the internet, or die whimpering unknown and unloved." To date, the idea has at least spread here.

The idea espoused by the aforementioned Mr. Lodge, proprietor of both Thermal and Blog-Op, is contained in a Blog-Op post entitled Give Me Your Best Shot. Here is Mr. Lodge's vision of how this should work, shamelessly cribbed from the post aforesaid:

‘The Rules’

  1. Write a post telling your readers about your ‘best shot’ and link them to it.
  2. Link back to the blog which first asked you to give your best shot.
  3. Ask your readers for their best posts, and then ensure you read and comment on them.

I’m not looking to start another link train here, or have my name or URL stamped all over this, all I ask you to link to in your post, is the blog where you first learned of the idea: so if you’re reading this and decide to do it, then please link to me, but your readers should then link back to you and so on.

Confused?

I stole got the idea from Blog-Op, to which I have accordingly linked back.

Now I refer you to a post from March 23, 2006, back to a time when I had no readers at all. The post is entitled The Journey of the Shoes -- Or -- Maybe We Should Just Bag the Whole Thing. It is a story that involves a sleepy (and therefore disorganized) teenager, an exasperated mother, and a clueless father. In this little family drama, I play the clueless father.

According to his own rules, the only one who actually has to read that piece is Chris -- but naturally I'd invite all to take a look and even leave a comment on the original piece.

Now, anyone who suffers through this and wants to resurrect an item from their archives can compel me to read said item simply by making your own "best shot" post and linking back to me. (Don't rely on Technorati to get word to me about the link; leave a comment.) I will then be honor-bound to visit and leave a comment. I get a new link; you get some traffic (hopefully not just me) to a hitherto neglected post.

Give it your best shot. And don't call it a "summer re-run."

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Are you getting paid by the word Curmudgeon?

I thought it would be nice for people to get some sun shine on their blogs nether-parts so to speak.

Thanks, I shall go have a read :-)

Jean-Luc Picard said...

It's a good idea that people could try.

SQT said...

The fun idea about this is that we could resurrect good posts that never had a chance for an audience.

And if you're lazy, like me, you can just pull up an old post and not have to think of anything new. Sounds good to me.

Dave said...

I love and hate this idea. I have not been to Chris' (I refuse to add the second "s" to such a construction) or your best. I'm cringing with the prospect of saying "here's my best." What if it sucks in the minds of "our" readers?

Can I pick two or three? Can I write a new tour de force and submit it?

Barb said...

I gave you a little award for your participation in the game I made up. :)

The Curmudgeon said...

Dave said, "I'm cringing with the prospect of saying 'here's my best.' What if it sucks in the minds of 'our' readers?"

Gee -- is that why I didn't have any readers?

Seriously, though, I don't pretend that the link is to my "best" early post -- but it's representative (I hope) and self-contained (you don't need to know what the last six posts said to 'get' this one).

Sounds like SQT may be the only one who's giving this serious consideration, though (Linda doesn't count because she already did it on hers).

And, Barb, thanks... I'm going right over to look....

Dave said...

OK, I did it and "linked" back to you in an unsophisticated way.

By the way, go to my Recommended sidebar and to Pole Hill Sanitarium. A great post on Barry B*nds.