Urban Fantasy Fan
I'm picky about the review blogs I follow, and it seems that lately, a lot of them are getting face-lifts and/or makeovers by providing content that has nothing to do with the inherent promise of the blog: the name.
Take, for instance, Urban Fantasy Land. When I first started following this blog--I think it was this year--it provided news on urban fantasy authors, tons of reviews, announcements on upcoming releases, interviews and so on.
Not so much anymore.
I've heard of the phrase "urban fantasied out" (UFOed), but it's bad if the WEBSITE that promotes the genre is falling into that trap.
Take a look: we've got a feature called comic book week. I've got nothing against comic books. If I did, I think Greg would kick me out. And I do think it's a cool idea to feature comic books that would fall under the umbrella of urban fantasy that just aren't the spin-offs from television shows or book series.
But X-Men: Phoenix Warsong? That's not urban fantasy, that's superhero fiction. Some of the other titles might fit, but I think X-Men's pushing it. But hey, I guess everyone's got their own definition of urban fantasy. But Marvel Zombies shouldn't fit into it.
But then there's entries like this: "Saturday Matinee: Rita Moreno vs Animal, a classic Muppet moment" (entertaining, but WHY?), "Freebie Alert for Writers" (useful yes, but again, WHY?), then there's daily briefs that include headlines linking to other blogs, like this:
1) "The BeeGees’ “Stayin Alive” could keep you alive"
2) "Boing Boing is helping you plan your Halloween party: check out scary cocktails, and how to make fake snot"
3) "Askmen.com has reinvented a familiar workout routine under a new name: The Jedi Workout. “you too could harness the Force in your muscular fitness."
4) "SF author William Gibson has designed some very cool bags and coats"
I mean, REALLY? What does this have to do with Urban Fantasy? I understand that it's a big job to keep a blog running with interesting material on a daily basis, but when you reach the point when you're pulling in random headlines that have nothing to do with the genre you're SUPPOSED to be promoting, there's a problem. A big one.
I should note that all of the headlines I've just commented on have been pulled from the blog since 10/16/08. The past two days have had little to offer but this stuff. I don't know if they've had a management change on that blog, or if there's fewer people running it, or what, but whatever the case, I suddenly don't feel quite so bad for not visiting it as often as I used too. And when I do, it's pretty much a waste of time because I have to filter through junk to get the stuff I'm looking for.
Or maybe it's just me and this is the kind of content their intended audience wants. Maybe I'm just tired from napping all day and I'm looking for something to bitch about. That COULD be it too.
But if you're a reader of urban fantasy, ESPECIALLY if you consider yourself a fan of the genre, would you check out the site and tell me if you feel it's doing its job?
Take, for instance, Urban Fantasy Land. When I first started following this blog--I think it was this year--it provided news on urban fantasy authors, tons of reviews, announcements on upcoming releases, interviews and so on.
Not so much anymore.
I've heard of the phrase "urban fantasied out" (UFOed), but it's bad if the WEBSITE that promotes the genre is falling into that trap.
Take a look: we've got a feature called comic book week. I've got nothing against comic books. If I did, I think Greg would kick me out. And I do think it's a cool idea to feature comic books that would fall under the umbrella of urban fantasy that just aren't the spin-offs from television shows or book series.
But X-Men: Phoenix Warsong? That's not urban fantasy, that's superhero fiction. Some of the other titles might fit, but I think X-Men's pushing it. But hey, I guess everyone's got their own definition of urban fantasy. But Marvel Zombies shouldn't fit into it.
But then there's entries like this: "Saturday Matinee: Rita Moreno vs Animal, a classic Muppet moment" (entertaining, but WHY?), "Freebie Alert for Writers" (useful yes, but again, WHY?), then there's daily briefs that include headlines linking to other blogs, like this:
1) "The BeeGees’ “Stayin Alive” could keep you alive"
2) "Boing Boing is helping you plan your Halloween party: check out scary cocktails, and how to make fake snot"
3) "Askmen.com has reinvented a familiar workout routine under a new name: The Jedi Workout. “you too could harness the Force in your muscular fitness."
4) "SF author William Gibson has designed some very cool bags and coats"
I mean, REALLY? What does this have to do with Urban Fantasy? I understand that it's a big job to keep a blog running with interesting material on a daily basis, but when you reach the point when you're pulling in random headlines that have nothing to do with the genre you're SUPPOSED to be promoting, there's a problem. A big one.
I should note that all of the headlines I've just commented on have been pulled from the blog since 10/16/08. The past two days have had little to offer but this stuff. I don't know if they've had a management change on that blog, or if there's fewer people running it, or what, but whatever the case, I suddenly don't feel quite so bad for not visiting it as often as I used too. And when I do, it's pretty much a waste of time because I have to filter through junk to get the stuff I'm looking for.
Or maybe it's just me and this is the kind of content their intended audience wants. Maybe I'm just tired from napping all day and I'm looking for something to bitch about. That COULD be it too.
But if you're a reader of urban fantasy, ESPECIALLY if you consider yourself a fan of the genre, would you check out the site and tell me if you feel it's doing its job?