U2log.com first among many, not money
I was just going over to Plasticbag's to steal their comment disclaimer for u2log.com when lo and behold, Tom writes:
"U2log.com - one of the first and best single-subject magazine-style weblogs. I'm not a great fan of U2, but it's still an impressive site - and more importantly was created way before Gawker media and the current fad for commercial webloggery. I wonder if it makes any money..."
Finally, someone recognises U2log.com. I always feel it's been ignored by web pundits -- probably because they find its subject matter distasteful. I think I entered the site into the Webbies twice without being short listed while the much younger and more derivative Whedonesque got in without problems.
Do we make any money? No, we don't. We don't make any 'big' money. We make pocket money. Enough for me to buy my many editors a Christmas gift. Enough to pay for bandwidth over-usuage. We're probably in the Top 5 U2 fansites, but nowhere near the largest. We get 5000 to 7000 (front)page hits per day and just had our busiest day last week at 23000 page hits.
We started this site as a joke, just some old IRC friends mucking about. Our style reflected this. We were irreverent, with a Brit/Aussie type humour - unlike any other U2 sites. Always taking the mickey out of the band. These days we're rather professional, with press accreditation and access to big events, old skool reporting and what have you, but we're still doing it because we're obsessive about documenting the band and still in love with the music.
I've been wondering lately if it's a shame U2log lost it's tongue-in-cheek approach or not. It /has/ gone extremely professional lately... at the same time, my personal U2log highlight still has to be the Promo Bono scam. I kind of miss those days of carelessly taking the piss. Perhaps it's just maturing, like anything else in this world and it's all philosophical, but I'm still in my Peter Pan days, and never want to grow up :-)
I miss it too. And I miss Ben. But I think we've grown past it and if we pulled a prank now it wouldn't sit right. Unfortunately. Promo Bono was brilliant.
I think after a while anything you do each and every day loses a certain amount of natural innate enthusiasm and if you want to continue to do it, you have to move into a more professional style. It's not a bad thing, it's just a natural evolution.
oh man, Promo Bono was total prank GOLD. u2log still has better tidbits than u2.com, for my money. the funnies are good, but the professional outfit, also excellent. do you think maybe the "seriousness" of u2log reflects u2's (kinda)unfortunate return to seriousness?
Don't know what prol's take on it is, but I really don't think it has anything to do with that. It's just grown, there are more people involved, and there's a much bigger userbase. It's just evolved from playing around to something bigger, almost frightening. Unfortunately for me it's very hard to come to grips with.