The Pittsburgh Flash Fiction Gazette is my personal blog. I post short stories and articles on it about blogging, writing and the city scene but what always gets the most hits are the posts with sexual content.
Image via Wikipehdia
The Pittsburgh Flash Fiction Gazette began publication in September of 2008. It now has over 17,200 hits and counting. The total number of posts on the blog is nearing 1,000. With a little effort on my part, the blog easily gets over 100 hits a day and sends 10 hits every day to my Triond account.
I’ve recently made the business decision to increase the Gazette’s circulation to over 300 hits a day and thereby also to increase the hits sent to my Triond account. The Gazette will need content that will bring in many more readers. Nothing brings in readers like sex.
The core content of the Gazette is about blogging, flash fiction and writing. After being the Editor/Publisher of the Gazette now for nearly a year I know that this core content is not enough to bring in over 200 hits a day even if I had the time to post 10 times a day. But if I mix a couple of posts dealing with sex in along with a couple of posts about blogging, flash fiction or writing, it will be much more probable that I accomplish the goal of 300 hits a day.
This presents me with a real dilemma. I have no formal training in sexuality. My knowledge of sex comes from the kind of experiences that most heterosexual men pick up if they live long enough. It is not specialized training.
On the other hand, I have several years of formal, specialized training as a writer. But no matter how I try, the Gazette will never get more than 4,000 hits a month on just the core content of blogging, flash fiction and writing. As the Editor/Publisher of the Gazette, my goal is a circulation of 10,000 hits a month. I need the income that the Gazette can provide me with.
Today, August 10, 2009 the Gazette posted a link to photos of Mariah Carey in different stages of undress. One photo leaves nothing to the imagination. The Gazette received over 100 hits in a couple of hours.
August 11th, 2009 at 7:05 am
I believe if one does an article on sex it should be tastefully done. Other things like you said can draw too.
August 11th, 2009 at 8:39 am
Interesting article..
Best regards,
- Anders
August 11th, 2009 at 10:04 am
Hello, Mrs. Heart:
What is tasteful and what is not tasteful is at the center of my problem. Tastefulness is such a subjective thing. Also, I don’t know if building a business on tastefulness is such a good business model for the Gazette. I would guess that many people would not have jobs if their company only did what was tasteful. So, being the Editor/Publisher of the Gazette is going to be a real life education for me. But I definitely understand what you are saying.
http://www.writinghood.com/online-writing/money-and-the-writing-of-sexy-short-stories-on-triond/
August 11th, 2009 at 10:21 am
Hi, Anders:
I guess a lot of bloggers and writers face the problem of what direction they want their work to go in. The Gazette is not only a personal blog, it is also my business which makes me a businessman. I have to think like a businessman. If the Gazette does not increase its circulation it will go the way of so many print newspapers that did not change with the times.
http://www.writinghood.com/online-writing/my-personal-blog-sent-hundreds-of-hits-to-my-triond-content-in-june/
August 11th, 2009 at 11:21 am
I guess nothing sells like sex. That’s why beer commercials have beautiful women etc. It’s too bad a vast majority of our society care more about Mariah Carey’s bloomers than some well written prose. Great article Guy.
August 11th, 2009 at 1:56 pm
Hi, Jeremy:
What I have found out is that the Internet allows everyone in the world to participate in this new media called the world wide webb. The Gazette must offer what will appeal to the largest number of readers or the publication will never amount to much. I’m proud of all the good prose on the Gazette. Good prose is not enough. And in this case, Ms. Carey is not wearing any bloomers.
http://www.pittsburghflashfictiongazette.com
August 22nd, 2009 at 7:11 am
There are problems with writing about sex. Understand, I was married, I don’t have personal issues with it; but there are a lot of people who perceive writing about sex–particularly if it becomes explicit writing–as inappropriate. Now, if you don’t have a day job an don’t plan to have one, censoring your personal content to maintain employment isn’t much of an issue. However, there may be other problems. My ISP has a clause in their contract that runs something like “shall not receive or create pornographic material”. I live on the backside of beyond–irritating my ISP just isn’t ON. Now, I’ll grant you I’m pretty happy when my views run in the hundreds. Thousands don’t come into it. Which may be why I’m not ready to quit my day job, and am still being careful of what I post. Romance is dandy; but “sex” could land me in a lot of hot water. Dunno what your life is like…this is just a little aside on the realities of living in a conservative community.
August 22nd, 2009 at 11:00 am
Hi, Daisy: My ISP also has a clause against porn or what could be considered obscene. Some of the post on my blog are about sex but are not written in an obscene or pornographic way. Many writers who write about sex write about it as if it was dirty. My “sex” stories contain no vulgarities or profanities. And although the sex is realistic it is not explicit. All of the explicitness is in the mind of the reader.
I think this is why Triond and WordPress allow me to publish my sex stories because the content is really about the story and not about the sex.
And yes, this is my day job (I took early Social Security) and I live smack in the middle of a college town that has several universities within walking distance of my apartment. Well written sex stories that are not obscene are appreciated.
I live in the right place at the right time. So far so good.