Why blog? Why create a brand-new site while I have four other sites going? Why start something new?
I won’t sit here and claim anything altruistic or motivational. I won’t even make false claims like I’m doing this for money, or fame and glory. The truth is, like for most people, it is the most boring of answers, and it’s simply because I wanted an outlet. I wanted an outlet that’s just mine. Not something that is boxed in or chained down to some vague concept of a brand. Something that is simply reflective of “Me”.
Yes, I have four other sites than this one, with two being the primary focus of what time I spend online. Fatherhood: Reloaded, and The Greene Affect. So yes, I have outlets where I can write, where I can share things, but at the same time, those sites are limited. I feel handcuffed to what they are and what they are not when it comes to my writing and what I share.
Not making a lot of sense? Let me break it down.
Fatherhood: Reloaded
Fatherhood: Reloaded, in the three-plus years I’ve run it, has gone through a few different phases. I started it as an outlet (similar to what I’m doing here.) but I also wanted it to be “something”. I never expected it to get as big as other dad blogs and fatherhood-related sites like Fatherly or Fathercraft, but I thought I could find my lane. Writing about being a dad, reviewing a few products, and just having a site reflective of me. Hell, I thought having another kid at 40, well over a decade since my last, gave me a leg up on certain areas and subjects that I could write about.
Then, my son was born, and things got flipped upside down because of unknown and unexpected conditions. It didn’t necessarily change the focus of the site, as I still have a focus I can write about, and I can give unique perspectives. The problem has been that I’ve been unable to post consistently, and if you know anything about blogging, websites, or Google, being inconsistent on when you post is a no-no. To be frank, the site has floundered. Traffic has tanked so badly at times I’ve considered shutting the doors on it. Trying to salvage it has felt more like a hindrance and a burden rather than an outlet or a hobby. I’m trying to bring it back into the realm of being a passion project, but I’m not there just yet. (Funny enough, getting this site set up and going reinvigorated me enough to where I just might have found a bit of passion to try to bring it up out of the ashes.)
So, when the site first began to flounder, because I had no time or focus to give the site when my son was born, I did what any logical person would do, and decided to start a new blog!
The Greene Affect
The Greene Affect came from a desire to share what was going on with our son to as many people as possible. Unbeknownst to us before his birth, our son was born with a condition called Arthrogryposis Multiplex Congenita (AMC). It has been a journey so far, with multiple surgeries, nearly 30 trips to Shriners Children’s in Greenville, SC, and so many doctors and therapy appointments. Many updates have been more than what a social media post could hold, so the blog came about to help share our story. Blogging and writing things out has been very cathartic for me as well.
The issue with The Greene Affect is that its content and audience are extremely locked in. It has become more of a site or newsletter for family and friends rather than a site I’m worried about SEO or trying to rank anywhere on Google. It is nice to have, and my wife and I have both found ourselves using it as a resource to recall certain details of our son’s progress and treatments, but in ways that’s what it has become; a resource.
Ultimately, I’m not able to just write, especially if I’ve had a particularly hard time regarding a particular treatment or setback. People come and want to read updates and the positive stuff. No one wants to truly read the heartache or the ups and downs. They want rainbows and unicorns rather than reading about real life sometimes. Which means I find myself filtered over there as well. Don’t get me wrong, I still love it and still love updating it with the latest and greatest, but there have definitely been times when I’ve felt obligated to write and update rather than simply just wanting to sit down and get thoughts out.
My other two sites, we’ll chalk up to pipe dreams more than anything else. Created with hopes of grandeur, but without fully thinking through all that would be needed to maintain and make it worthwhile.
Geekasms
Geekasms was a site I originally created nearly 14 years ago. It was a pop culture website before juggernauts such as Comicbook.com were even on the playing field. I covered a bit of technology, but the site was primarily movies, television, and comic books. The first big breakthrough the site had was when the first images Mjolnir in the MCU (yes really) and of Chris Hemsworth’s Thor were leaked online. Seeing the traffic and the numbers, especially that first day, was such a rush that it was a feeling I continued to constantly chase. It was truly a motivation to throw in every minute of spare time I had into the website, just in hopes of hooking another massive traffic moment. The biggest hurdle the site had was it was run solely by me, and after a while, I was unable to keep it up. Chasing that rush burned me out rather quickly. I closed the doors on the original site nearly a decade ago, just after it had passed over 2 million total views.
I even made the mistake of letting go of the original domain. (I still kick myself!)
In recent years, I’ve tried restarting the site, possibly more out of nostalgia than anything else if we’re being completely honest. The problem is, you can spit in any direction and hit 10 pop culture sites now. Trying to launch or even relaunch Geekasms is like throwing a minnow into the ocean. It’s a nice dream, but without contacts in the industry or another big break, it is hard to offer readers anything that isn’t readily available at 100 other sites.
That’s the trick kids, find yourself a niche, especially if you can find one that isn’t over-saturated, and hang your hat on it.
Sapling Creative
Finally, we have Sapling Creative. Something I was hopeful for but similar to Fatherhood: Reloaded, I’ve simply not had the time, or honestly the motivation, to make it what I hoped it would become.
I have been a freelance graphic designer for well over a decade. I’ve never advertised, never strived to find clients. I get work by word of mouth and have my handful of regular clients that I can always rely on to call on me a handful of times a year.
My wife is an awesome photographer who does weddings, family and senior photos, etc. We both have skills that complement each other, and felt like we could benefit by combining those talents and offering them to clients.
That was the goal of Sapling Creative. To join forces and bring in clients, either individuals or small businesses, that we could help. My wife is a stay-at-home mom, and she takes our son to his different therapies throughout the week. We thought Sapling Creative could be the perfect “work-from-home” setup for her, and it probably could be. Our biggest issue is that while we enjoy helping people and companies advertise and build and promote their brands, we are awful at advertising and promoting ourselves.
We have still maintained our individual freelance gigs, but to push anything under the Sapling Creative banner has been a struggle. I created the site and started populating the portfolio, but then life happened. We didn’t have time to commit to building the brand and have since kind of moved away from it.
She still takes photos, and I still will get a random advertisement or logo design job, but they’ve been few and far between, primarily from our lack of advertising or looking for work. The sporadic nature of our freelancing doesn’t help build a website or even an active social media following. Sapling Creative exists, but just barely.
What is Parsons Media?
So that covers the many branches of this Charlie Brown-looking tree, that is my online presence. Which may cause you to ask, why start this site? Why create a fifth site on which to throw my thoughts? What’s the end goal?
That’s the beauty of this, there isn’t a goal in mind! Parsons Media, is just that, my little corner of the interweb to do what I please.
It all boils down to this: I like to write. I have a ton of different things I could write about, but I don’t, because I don’t feel like it will fit in any of the four sites listed above. My life is crazy. It goes in multiple different directions between work, having 3 kids, and still trying my best to maintain a few personal interests. This site is going to essentially be my own personal online journal, as I try to do something I’ve never done, and that is build my own brand, using my own name. (More on that later).
So, what does that mean? What is Parsons Media the website going to be?
Well, first and foremost, this is a personal blog. I will write about anything from a random happening, to the latest on my son, to updates on my latest project.
This is a site where I’m going to write as much in my own voice as anything, which means I won’t shy away from a random cuss word. This site is unlikely to be G, and I will not apologize for that. That’s just how it’s going to be.
I’m going to share side projects that I’m working on such as family genealogy and other such things. I promise that random newspaper clippings are going to be in this site’s future.
I also plan on sharing and rewriting some previous posts I’ve written on the other sites. I have countless drafts of posts I’ve either written or intended to post and never have, for any given reason. Those will be coming here, because this is truly going to be an unfiltered, safe space. I will not always be writing about rainbows and unicorns. I have two children I share custody of and a toddler who is disabled. I have a lot of rough shit I go through. I know I’m not alone, everyone has shit they deal with, but I now have this outlet, so I’m going to be sharing!
Enjoy this ride, because I honestly have no clue as to where we’re headed!
