Making Moves

Dear faithful and loyal readers who follow my writing even though I don't deserve it,

You guys have literally brought me to tears at times with your support, and that's a good thing. I can't say enough how often I've sat back and just been humbled when I get a nice compliment or a peer picks up an article I've written and thinks that it's worth sharing on their space of the internet. You would think that after six years of doing this, I'd get used to people, in large crowds or small, reading what I write. I can gladly say that I haven't yet, and I don't intend on it any time soon.

So, I hope you'll be excited for me and with me when I announce that as of today, I'm now an author at Dawg Sports. Now, Dawg Sports needs no introduction, because they are one of the preeminent blogs on University of Georgia Athletics. Not only that, but Kyle, who as you know is a co-host to The Dawg-gone Podcast, is good people. MaconDawg, who is also an author over there, is a fantastic read anytime, and those two guys are not only bringing me on, but a slew of other guys as well.

Why is Dawg Sports going from two authors to almost 10 overnight? Because Kyle is seeing the trend that I think all us bloggers are seeing in regards to the online aspect of the Bulldog Nation. That trend is not nearly a trend as much as it is a total change in how Dawg fans interact. Although you may not notice, we all talk to one another. We all respect each others' work, and especially in the case of some of the new staff Kyle is bringing on to help with Dawg Sports, it's not just the writers, but commenters who are adding to the experience. What Kyle is doing is creating a community where not only will us writers absolutely do everything we can to hit you with some of the best Dawg content on the web, but also do it in a way that invites the reader to interact at a high level. The work that Kyle and MaconDawg (along with others who have contributed along the way) speaks for itself, but man, I'm excited about this.

But it's you, said faithful and loyal readers, that have followed me from the old site to a (then) fledgling site called Bleacher Report, back to the old site, then to The Examiner, then back to the old site, then to Beyond the Trestle, and now to this new site. It hasn't just been you that have followed and supported me, but my peers in the blogging community as well, along with guys like those at The Dawgbone. They have updated my links without fail so that when you justifiably visit their site, you have a path back here.

So I want this transition to be as easy on you guys as possible, so here's a short list of things you need to know:

1. We're still working on the logistics of the move, but there will be some cross-posting, especially the podcast, on both sites. It will remain the Dawg-gone Podcast and it's still very much my podcast. Kyle has been totally clear with me that it's the way he wants it to be and that's the way I want it to be as well.

2. There will still be content posted here. I'll also post links to my articles on Dawg Sports over here so that you guys can see my stuff. As mentioned earlier, I've had a LOT of moves and when it doesn't work out, it's a big hassle to start everything back up. Now, I'm not saying this won't work out, because I believe this is going to be a home run, but just in case, I don't want to close up shop on this site just yet. This is uncharted territory for both Kyle and myself, so we're playing this all by ear.

3. I'm not sure what to do with the Twitter handle of The Dawg-gone Blog, but I'm not going to lose my personal handle any time soon. So, as always, you can find me at Ludakit on Twitter. I'll also be working under the author name of Ludakit on Dawg Sports, because that's how I roll.

4. Lastly, I have to take a second to tell you how excited it is to be joining SBNation. Over the years, they have figured out the power of the fan blog, have identified who the superstars are and snatched them up. Guys like those at Dawg Sports, EDSBS, And The Valley Shook, Shakin the Southland, Black Heart Gold Pants, Team Speed Kills, etc. have all solidified themselves as some of the premier blogs in the nation. It's exciting to be a part of a group like THAT.

So, thank you guys for putting up with another move --- again. My ultimate goal though is to constantly grow in doing this because it is a passion of mine. Another move, is worth it in the end. I was too excited at the opportunity to delay it.

Again, I hope you'll move with me once more. I'm just as ready to unpack all these boxes as you are.


Until next time kids (at Dawg Sports).

Be safe.

P.S. -- Olivia Wilde is still the site girl here and will STILL get ample FaceTime (that sounds so dirty) at Dawg Sports. She's absolutely coming with us, so never fear.

A Couple Site Additions

Hey guys. Nothing major happened yesterday and I'm hoping the same goes for today because I've been working in the afternoons/evenings trying to spruce up the site a little bit and make it easier to read and navigate.

First, on the left, I've added the old Podbean Jukebox that was on the first site years ago. It looks rough I know, but it was popular on the old site, so I figured it could find a place here, warts and all. The buttons are a little cut off due to sidebar width restrictions, but you can see the play button, the next button, and part of the volume button. To hear a song, just scroll down the list (it will do this automatically as you move your mouse down) and click on it. I set it specifically not to play automatically on the site, but if you have that problem, please let me know. Also, the Jukebox is in Flash so sorry to everyone who can't see it on a mobile device or tablet. Find me a better Jukebox and I'll change it.

Secondly, to go in conjunction with the new Jukebox, I created a new Gameday Mix to coincide with its launch. It seems that "Stronger" by Kanye West is one of the more popular mixes, so I really just updated it with calls from 2010 by Scott Howard. In a surprising twist, it's called "Stronger 2010." Shocking, I know. Also, it's the first song on the Jukebox. I like the way it turned out, but I'm still trying to figure out volume levels in GarageBand. If you guys have trouble hearing the music along with the calls, let me know and I'll play with it some more. Either way, it's a new Mix and that's always good to have...especially since the first "Stronger" was very outdated. UPDATE: I messed with the mix some and brought Scott Howard down and the music back up. It was too stark of a contrast. You can listen to the new version below and it's been updated in the Jukebox as well.

UGA Mix - Kanye West - Stronger 2010

Finally, I've figured out how to put a "Read More" button onto the site, so that the main page can be more condensed for you. It was right in front of my face, but since I'm unable to read, I couldn't find it to save my life. Thankfully, the long national nightmare is over and you can enjoy shorter posts on the main page and have the choice to click to read more. Of course, that doesn't apply to this post, because I needed to introduce it before I did it. To celebrate, I have a special surprise for you after the jump.

A few changes coming...

I just want to give you guys a heads up that as much as I like this template, its lack of seeing comments without clicking into the post, being able to share posts easily, linking to other bloggers in a blog roll (which is very important to me) and other basic functions are dragging this thing down. Until I can figure it out, I'd rather have a drivable car than one that looks pretty on cinderblocks.

So, if the site looks a little different multiple times in the next few days, don't worry, you're still in the right place. I wanted to get everything locked down before I started writing, but I had things I wanted to write about more than I had a need to let the dust settle.

As always, any feedback is welcome on this redesigned site and any new redesigns coming up in the future. You can always reach me here.

Until next time kids.

Be safe.

Welcome to the new site!

There are a long list of reasons why my readers (you guys) should never trust me when I say that I'm not intending on putting them through yet another change of address. Those reasons are completely justified as you have read me at the original Dawg-gone Blog, Bleacher Report shortly after it was launched, The Examiner and then Beyond The Trestle.

However, there is only one reason why this current space would cease to be what it is at this very moment. That reason is money.

You see, if I ever find a way to make an extra bit of green out of this hobby, then so be it. Right now, the only chance that exists in that area is if Clay Travis decides he wants me to write for him. Needless to say, that's a long shot of epic proportions, even if it'd be totally cool.

So, please bookmark this new site. At the very least, I'll be posting the podcast here, as I'm sure that even if I did get a paying gig writing for someone else, they wouldn't approve of the blatant homerism I show in the podcast, and I have no intent on changing that anytime soon.

Thanks so much to all of you for sticking with me, not only through this change, but the previous ones as well. I'm going to try and make this all as painless as possible. 

Until next time kids.

Be safe.

Working on Commenting

If anyone knows how I can create a "comment" button on posts without having to click and go directly to the post, please let me know. That one's got my brain steaming a little bit.

Other than that, I'm working on getting a "Share" button added to posts as well, so people can email, Facebok, Tweet, etc. the posts that they read.

It's a work in progress, so bear with me. I didn't build this template, but I love its design. It's just that since I didn't build it, I don't know how the bricks are placed. Once I figure that out, hopefully some things will come together.

Test Post

Just a test. Nothing to see here.