Hello again!
I hope all is well. I have been coming up with some great ideas for reviews in the past years and I feel I have the energy and talent to write them. However, they will NOT be on this blog. As I may have mentioned in an earlier post, I will be continuing this blog on a different platform. I feel the content on this old blog will be no fit for the topics and writing style of my current days. It's time to move on. More information will be coming shortly.
Before my farewells, here are 10 things I have learned from writing this blog on and off for the past nearly 14 years. NOTE: click the linked content at your own risk.
10. Proofread and learn to spell!
I've been reading many of my earlier post and have been thinking "Aw, man, what was I thinking? That 'your' is supposed to be 'you're'" and other errors such as misspelling character names. This may have been a time before spell check was standard in browsers. Now granted, when doing "¡Mucha Lucha!"-related post, I would write it as "iMucha Lucha!" (lowercase "i" in front) as I had no clue special characters could be obtained or it wasn't as easy to obtain as it is now. As much as I enjoy reading my earlier post, I don't necessarily want to be associated with those post which is why I will continue elsewhere. Don't get me started on paragraphs...
9. Check your sources
Case in point: http://viccantalk.blogspot.com/2005/09/terrible-terrible-news.html. In this 2005 post, I write it as if Nick Animation was going to be no more then I mentioned it was moving. It didn't move until 2016. Notice I have no notable sources other than the main pages of Toonzone and Cartoon Brew websites. I feel this was one of the posts that should have been cited better.
8. Mark all the dead links
Most of my earlier links on this page have links to TvTome.com which is no longer accessible (unless you find it on the Wayback Machine). If the links don't work, they should be marked or replaced with a working link. I might get to that soon but whatever you do, DO NOT click the Tv Tome links!
7. Long summaries are not reviews
I am very embarrassed at this review: http://viccantalk.blogspot.com/2005/08/billy-and-mandy-review-1.html. All I do is ramble about the summary each segment. I should have spent more time talking about my feelings about each segment so the post wouldn't seem so long. I'm sure it did a bunch of spoiling as well. Using these reviews as slight sneak peaks spark interest for simple decision making.
6. If you are not familiar with HTML, don't try to interfere with the code
You may notice that there are no 2007 post on this blog. Whenever I would try to post on this blog in that year I would get an error message. I don't remember what it was and I didn't care so I thought I broke the blog. Apparently, at one time I attempted to add a ticker to this blog and I might have forgotten the code was pasted in. Eventually, all I had to do was go back in and delete the ticker code portion and all was fixed. I didn't formally learn HTML until 2010. I'm glad it's fixed but really shouldn't have tried without getting help.
5. When reviewing a show, remember to also include the name of the episode
Ugh, this post here: http://viccantalk.blogspot.com/2005/10/atomic-betty-halloween.html ! There was no names of episodes in the post. I probably wasn't attentively watching the eps while they were on. When I went to go find the episode manually I only had two small clues: the ep was from 2004 (season one) and there was singing at the end of the second segment. For reference, in my search I have found that the mentioned eps could be these: "Power Arrangers" / "A Dream Come True." There have likely been others but I found this post to be a prime example.
4. Know what is appropriate to put in your blog
I understand I was much younger when writing these post but a blog author should be cautious of including the following in their post: silly things they do to their friends and asking if a parent company does illegal drugs when making decisions. So yeah, the younger me is more likely to write stuff like that than older me.
3. The introduction to the world of blogging
This was my first blog. Blogging was a huge thing especially in 2005. I've experimented with many platforms throughout the years and they all operate similarly. These are called Content Management Systems (CMS) and they help simplify how content you make is managed and gets published for online viewing. I look forward to continuing this experience with my upcoming blog.
2. Expand what you review
Years ago, around 2006-2007, programming was changing on networks like Cartoon Network and Nickelodeon and so were my likings. I felt hesitant on what I should have reviewed which is part of the reason why not much was posted in those times. These days, I find my likings shifting a lot and I feel I'm ready to break out of my comfort zone and surprise anyone with what I review. Go ahead, review that random episode of "Stranger Things" you happen to see and express your feelings on that movie you strongly dislike. Likings will change with time and variety will keep things interesting.
1. Write about what you ❤
That's right, write about what you heart (Love! Love! Love!)! It's what's kept this blog going for as long as it did. When I first started the blog, I started it under encouragement. I had no idea what it was going to be about. After writing my first reviews, I decided that what this blog was going to be about: reviews and other TV talk. That's also why the blog's URL is "viccantalk.blogspot" but I like to keep it that way 'cause I like it. Notice how later on my posting became infrequent and less enthusiastic. That was an uncertain time. Now that I have more time to blog again, hopefully, the heart can show again with more love than ever. So write about your passions, what you absolutely heart. Your readers can feel it as they read it.
I know there must have been much, much more I have learned through this time but this has been a top 10 countdown. I hope this has been a walk through my thoughts in how I felt about creating and writing this blog. This has been an enjoyable experience that I would like to continue.
--Vic
P.S. After 12 years of being posted, the huge hyperlink in the Johnny Test and Coconut Fred review has been finally removed. I now feel the relief.
I hope all is well. I have been coming up with some great ideas for reviews in the past years and I feel I have the energy and talent to write them. However, they will NOT be on this blog. As I may have mentioned in an earlier post, I will be continuing this blog on a different platform. I feel the content on this old blog will be no fit for the topics and writing style of my current days. It's time to move on. More information will be coming shortly.
Before my farewells, here are 10 things I have learned from writing this blog on and off for the past nearly 14 years. NOTE: click the linked content at your own risk.
10. Proofread and learn to spell!
I've been reading many of my earlier post and have been thinking "Aw, man, what was I thinking? That 'your' is supposed to be 'you're'" and other errors such as misspelling character names. This may have been a time before spell check was standard in browsers. Now granted, when doing "¡Mucha Lucha!"-related post, I would write it as "iMucha Lucha!" (lowercase "i" in front) as I had no clue special characters could be obtained or it wasn't as easy to obtain as it is now. As much as I enjoy reading my earlier post, I don't necessarily want to be associated with those post which is why I will continue elsewhere. Don't get me started on paragraphs...
9. Check your sources
Case in point: http://viccantalk.blogspot.com/2005/09/terrible-terrible-news.html. In this 2005 post, I write it as if Nick Animation was going to be no more then I mentioned it was moving. It didn't move until 2016. Notice I have no notable sources other than the main pages of Toonzone and Cartoon Brew websites. I feel this was one of the posts that should have been cited better.
8. Mark all the dead links
Most of my earlier links on this page have links to TvTome.com which is no longer accessible (unless you find it on the Wayback Machine). If the links don't work, they should be marked or replaced with a working link. I might get to that soon but whatever you do, DO NOT click the Tv Tome links!
7. Long summaries are not reviews
I am very embarrassed at this review: http://viccantalk.blogspot.com/2005/08/billy-and-mandy-review-1.html. All I do is ramble about the summary each segment. I should have spent more time talking about my feelings about each segment so the post wouldn't seem so long. I'm sure it did a bunch of spoiling as well. Using these reviews as slight sneak peaks spark interest for simple decision making.
6. If you are not familiar with HTML, don't try to interfere with the code
You may notice that there are no 2007 post on this blog. Whenever I would try to post on this blog in that year I would get an error message. I don't remember what it was and I didn't care so I thought I broke the blog. Apparently, at one time I attempted to add a ticker to this blog and I might have forgotten the code was pasted in. Eventually, all I had to do was go back in and delete the ticker code portion and all was fixed. I didn't formally learn HTML until 2010. I'm glad it's fixed but really shouldn't have tried without getting help.
5. When reviewing a show, remember to also include the name of the episode
Ugh, this post here: http://viccantalk.blogspot.com/2005/10/atomic-betty-halloween.html ! There was no names of episodes in the post. I probably wasn't attentively watching the eps while they were on. When I went to go find the episode manually I only had two small clues: the ep was from 2004 (season one) and there was singing at the end of the second segment. For reference, in my search I have found that the mentioned eps could be these: "Power Arrangers" / "A Dream Come True." There have likely been others but I found this post to be a prime example.
4. Know what is appropriate to put in your blog
I understand I was much younger when writing these post but a blog author should be cautious of including the following in their post: silly things they do to their friends and asking if a parent company does illegal drugs when making decisions. So yeah, the younger me is more likely to write stuff like that than older me.
3. The introduction to the world of blogging
This was my first blog. Blogging was a huge thing especially in 2005. I've experimented with many platforms throughout the years and they all operate similarly. These are called Content Management Systems (CMS) and they help simplify how content you make is managed and gets published for online viewing. I look forward to continuing this experience with my upcoming blog.
2. Expand what you review
Years ago, around 2006-2007, programming was changing on networks like Cartoon Network and Nickelodeon and so were my likings. I felt hesitant on what I should have reviewed which is part of the reason why not much was posted in those times. These days, I find my likings shifting a lot and I feel I'm ready to break out of my comfort zone and surprise anyone with what I review. Go ahead, review that random episode of "Stranger Things" you happen to see and express your feelings on that movie you strongly dislike. Likings will change with time and variety will keep things interesting.
1. Write about what you ❤
That's right, write about what you heart (Love! Love! Love!)! It's what's kept this blog going for as long as it did. When I first started the blog, I started it under encouragement. I had no idea what it was going to be about. After writing my first reviews, I decided that what this blog was going to be about: reviews and other TV talk. That's also why the blog's URL is "viccantalk.blogspot" but I like to keep it that way 'cause I like it. Notice how later on my posting became infrequent and less enthusiastic. That was an uncertain time. Now that I have more time to blog again, hopefully, the heart can show again with more love than ever. So write about your passions, what you absolutely heart. Your readers can feel it as they read it.
I know there must have been much, much more I have learned through this time but this has been a top 10 countdown. I hope this has been a walk through my thoughts in how I felt about creating and writing this blog. This has been an enjoyable experience that I would like to continue.
--Vic
P.S. After 12 years of being posted, the huge hyperlink in the Johnny Test and Coconut Fred review has been finally removed. I now feel the relief.
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