Our blog, Geeky Nomads

[piku]

I don't think this is against the rules, I just wanted to drop a line into the forum to let everyone know we started a travel blog. We are a 30 something couple with a toddler, dog and cat and have been full timing for 2 months now in our always problematic 1998 Winnebago Adventurer. We work in IT and I thought it'd be neat to start a blog and detailing the fun and problems we have. I'm eternally a geek so I thought it would be cool to install cameras on the motorhome and livestream our trips in real time. We also show current GPS location and some stats about our motorhome's engine health. I am working on building a timelapse video of a trip across the country and I'd like to get a go pro hero black to make an HD version for the trip back but that probably won't happen. Money and all 😉

But enjoy if you want to enjoy, http://www.geekynomads.com and the "roll with us" page is where our travels are livestreamed. We're currently in West Yellowstone and lately we've been driving on Mondays but we aim to drive on Sundays.

[rockhillmanor]

piku wrote:
I don't think this is against the rules, I just wanted to drop a line into the forum to let everyone know we started a travel blog. ...

I am on the side of the fence that believes it is.
Most all blogs have advertising options to make money for the author.

Posting the links on forums generates more traffic and thereby creates a profit to the owner of the blog. All under the guise of a post stating I just wanted to share my travels.

[piku]

Actually I'm sorry, Oak Grove Park was the first article. You can get to everything from the front page. Literally only 2 pages of content so far. I'll get there 😛

[piku]

JimM68 wrote:

As for your plog, I did read it, or at least everything I could get at. While there are previous/next buttons on may articles, they only go back so far, not to the beginning.
I'd love to read the beginning of your story. I know it's out there, at least 6 posts that are there but I cannot figure out how to get to them.

The entire site needs some work! But this is the general idea. There is a menu bar across the top with categories. There are blog posts which is just me making general noise, Campground reviews, relocation reviews which are places we've gone to that we consider relocating to, vacation spot reviews which are towns that are more tourist oriented and maintenance and mods where I will post about any repair work or how to guides we create. That is ALL of the content of the site. The beginning was the post on Tionesta, PA. That was our first outing. In terms of the very beginning - picking an RV, selling the house, etc. I've yet to post about all of that but believe me I have plenty to say. I've just been concentrating on making actual money first and that seems to be going a bit better now that I can pay some attention to the blog again.

But I do realize the template is terrible, the comment/next previous stuff is terrible, etc. The fonts are too big (hey maybe my older demographic would appreciate that). But it's all functional and easy to maintain now and that's what's important for now. If you click on an image it brings up a nice slideshow. That and the images on the front page are not the easiest things to implement in Drupal (the blog software). It has been a learning experience.

And as for being a bully. I certainly hope you didn't mean me. Frankly I was being serious and didn't mean anything bad. A forum is the best possible thing you can run on the internet. A forum with good traffic is largely self maintaining with volunteer moderators doing the lions share of the work and ad revenues are a good supplement due to all the repeat traffic. The users really do generate all the content and you as the operator really do get to tell them how to post. It was tounge in cheek but at the same time it's reality. Spend an hour sorting and uploading pictures and pecking out a blog article that you can be pretty sure will make you very little if any money and you'll see the difference 😉

The same phenomena can be seen on a blog though when it reaches critical mass too. Users fight for you to post their (well written) articles to get a link on the front page back to their site boosting search engine rankings. The comment sections on each post can become something special in and amongst itself. Look at http://slashdot.org as a prime example of this. No work is done to run that site except some poor editing 😉

[John_Joey]

piku wrote:
I somehow knew that would get a reaction. It was tounge in cheek.. A joke. Obviously it works the way it work 🙂 And for the record 3" coolant hoses that have been on a Cummins M11 for 15 years are an absolute nightmare.

There is a thin line between a joke and being a bully. A good joke is when everyone laughs.

[JimM68]

Piku, please keep your sense of humor even when others seem not to.
Remember that this forum is also a commercial enterprise, owned and run by Camping world / Good Sam. They do not take lightly to competition.

That said, it'sa very nice place to hang out and talk with / meet with other RVers. I like it here and try hard to play by the rules, tho that has always been hard for me.

As for your plog, I did read it, or at least everything I could get at. While there are previous/next buttons on may articles, they only go back so far, not to the beginning.
I'd love to read the beginning of your story. I know it's out there, at least 6 posts that are there but I cannot figure out how to get to them.

"Navigation" needs some work. Typically when I find a new forum that interests me, I start at the beginning and read to "now". The backwards nature of blogs makes me crazy, lol.
But it is nothing that a little indexing can't take care of.

Look at bumfuzzle.com . This guy is a scream. Even tho they are sailboaters... (they do have something in common with us RVers...) even tho he posts way too much about his kids (been there, done that, got the T shirt, trying to move past it...) He has a good writing style. He is regular (at least I think he is, I'm still reading stuff from 3 years ago... lol)

And by all means, keep posting.

[piku]

I somehow knew that would get a reaction. It was tounge in cheek.. A joke. Obviously it works the way it work 🙂 And for the record 3" coolant hoses that have been on a Cummins M11 for 15 years are an absolute nightmare.

[DianneOK]

PIKU, I am not bossing you around....you agreed to the rules when you joined this forum....so you know what you agreed to. If you are not happy with the rules, you may opt out at any time.

[piku]

Yeah forums are better. Your users create all the content and then you can boss them around 😛

[sowego]

piku wrote:
I think it's highly unlikely that I will monetize it in the short term. But out of curiosity do I have to remove the link in the post, my signature or both?

I suspected that all along...the days of this stuff being marketable are gone...I suggest you find another means of income. I know how tough the world is but there has to be a better way. Good Luck.

[Bill_Satellite]

Ah, the plot thickens!

[DianneOK]

Both

[piku]

I think it's highly unlikely that I will monetize it in the short term. But out of curiosity do I have to remove the link in the post, my signature or both?

[DianneOK]

Just remember....if you monetize your blog, you will be required to remove it and the link from RV. net.

[tsetsaf]

If anything the responses have been blunt and honest... op there was a thread going around about the top 50 fulltime rv blogs, Google it and see how they keep it interesting.