I'm Jason Kottke, an “A-list” blogger of sorts, launched Kottke.org way back in 1998. When I’m meeting with people who want to launch their own blog I show them Kottke’s site, to show them that a clean, crisp design loaded with quality content is the way to go.
In his interview with The Verge, I was struck by this quote:
“I almost completely ignore my email now.”
As someone who has run music blogs (Buzzgrinder, Noisecreep) for a decade, my email inbox was the source for everything; story leads, interview oppurtunities, albums to review, shows to attend, not to mention the back and fourth banter with my fellow writers.
In starting Skull Toaster, my “travel and interview metalheads” project, I “baked in” the ability to ignore email inbox. I was tired of being tied to an inbox, so why not build something new where I could ignore it for days at a time?
Also, I kept the launch quiet, so I don’t get any press releases or added to any lists. Because I’m “no longer playing that game” I don’t get the SEO traffic from posting news and tour dates, and that’s okay – I want people coming to my site because I believe in the tagline; “heavy metal travels.”