Saturday, July 18, 2015

Monster Munching: Now On Facebook!



**UPDATE**

Just wanted to clarify that Monster Munching isn't going away (yet!). The blog, as you see it now, won't change. It's just that I've created a Facebook account that you can subscribe or like (or whatever it is that people do on Facebook). And when you do, it'll let you know when a new Monster Munching post (and my OC Weekly restaurant review) comes online!

----------

**ORIGINAL POST**

I've been doing this blog for more than a decade now. It has outlasted a lot of the restaurants I've reviewed for it. It has been around before Yelp became a verb.

But now I'm at a crossroads. Readership isn't what it used to be. And as I focus more and more on my role as OC Weekly's food critic and writing daily posts for OC Weekly's Stick A Fork In It blog, which I'm proud to say I helped establish with Gustavo Arellano, I decided I have two options for Monster Munching going forward:

1. Euthanasia.

or

2. Take the defibrillator paddles out for one last jolt.

For now, I'm going with #2.

But since trying to get more people to discover the blog requires SEO skills I don't have and money I don't wish to spend, I've come up with the next best thing: Facebook.

Yes, this blog is now on Facebook. I'm not sure yet how well this will work out. But I'm told Facebook is where all the cool kids are.

So if you're on Facebook, "Like Me"...(that's the first time I've typed those words and now I feel dirty), because at the very least, you'll see when I've put up a new review without having to check back here.

Here's the link:


Now, what's this about SnapTweets and TwitterGrams?

THIS WEEK ON OC WEEKLY:
Gypsy Den - Santa Ana

10 Comments:

At 9:20 AM, Blogger Greg Hao said...

As someone who doesn't have Facebook, it's obviously painful for me to see you go down that particular path. But I suppose if that's what it means for you to keep this blog alive then needs must.

Do you know if OC Weekly has RSS feeds for your stuff since that's how I keep up with my news? It would be especially helpful as I start to transition out to Taiwan in the fall.

 
At 9:44 AM, Blogger elmomonster said...

Greg,

You're moving to Taiwan for good? :-( Let's get a beer before you do! And amen on Facebook. I have a long dead account that I don't use except to contact people who are only reachable on Facebook. But I can longer ignore the juggernaut, especially if it leads to people actually reading what I have to write.

As far as OC Weekly, they do have an RSS feed. I don't know if it's exclusively only my stuff, but my stuff is certainly at least 50% of it. Here it is:

feed://www.ocweekly.com/syndication/section/dining/

And I'd like to take this opportunity to thank you, Greg, for sticking with me all these years.

 
At 11:27 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Just a lurker passing by. I would be disappointed if this blog were to stop updating. It's been my primary go-to site for new places in OC to try since 2005 or so. Sometimes I'll scan the OC Weekly links afterward but it's your blog content and the pictures that bring me here. Basically, I always use your blog as a portal to OC Weekly and never bother visiting the site directly for anything other than the food entries.

Naturally I hope this blog will continue even if entries slow to one or two per month. However if the logistics are insurmountable, I'll simply bookmark your OC Weekly (author ID) page and reluctantly adapt to a new normal.

 
At 12:12 PM, Anonymous JB said...

There was a time I couldn't wait for Monday to come. It meant a new post on Monster Munching! Now, I binge-watch Monster Munching a couple of times a year...like House of Cards

 
At 5:55 PM, Blogger elmomonster said...

Anon,

Sorry! I think I'm now realizing that I may have given the impression I'm taking Monster Munching to Facebook only! It's not going away. I've just created a Facebook account to make it easier for people to share the posts!

But thank you for delurking and commenting. I really appreciate it!

I've updated the blog post to clarify.

JB,

Thank you for reading after all these years. And for being a tipster as well! I remember those times when I could produce a post every Monday. I still try, but then, Monday turns to Tuesday, which turns to...well, you know how it goes...

 
At 10:40 PM, Blogger EatTravelEat said...

Looking forward to the expansion of Monster Munching. :) I still continue to read--this blog along with your OC Weekly posts have been a great source of inspiration for anything OC related.

 
At 9:15 AM, Blogger elmomonster said...

Thank you ETE, for all the years of support! :-)

 
At 12:58 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I check here religiously for terrific and interesting finds. Don't stop!

Related note - wondering why your reviews aren't listed under the Reviews Section link on the OC Weekly site any more? The last review shown for you is 8/12/14! Ever since then it's only been Gustavo Arellano reviews?!? (and I much prefer your reviews)

Thanks again for all the great finds. Please keep it up!

 
At 5:38 PM, Anonymous eaterdeltustin said...

Whatever you do, thanks for everything. My wife and I have been following you for over 10 years now. Wow!

 
At 9:01 AM, Blogger elmomonster said...

Anonymous,

Thank you for reading and the kind words!

You are right: my OC Weekly reviews are in a different place now. It was a corporate decision to publish them on the blog for more exposure. They're usually published under the category "From The Dead Tree Edition".

I've provided the link here: Edwin Goei OC Weekly Reviews., which has all of them since that last one you saw on August of last year!

And through some glitch in the system, sometimes Gustavo's name appears on the byline (for a reason we've never been able to figure out) although it's my piece.

Also, if you're interested, all of my past and current Stick a Fork In It blog posts are listed in this page: Edwin Goei Authored Blog Posts.

EaterDelTustin,

Glad to see your comment! It's been a while! And thank you (and your wife) for reading and sticking with me for all these years! I'm very grateful.

 

Post a Comment

<< Home