I started keeping a weblog in the middle of 2001, and it became a habit. I was never into it to monetize the site, I was never cool enough to be one of the kool blog kids (most of whom have faded back into obscurity) and I never pursued a network through the site like a lot of other folks did. But I did enjoy the dopamine hit of writing, editing, and posting stuff, no matter how boring or niche it wound up being; I enjoyed the exercise.
I started this Scout blog in 2009 after I bought Peer Pressure. Mostly it’s a record of the things I’ve accomplished, and I use it to remember how or when I did something. Since I’ve been working on Darth it’s also become a record of how I did something for anyone else dumb enough to buy a truck made by an obscure, deceased company. But some days I write on this site and feel good about keeping track of what I’ve done, and some days I wonder why I’m doing it.
My hits on this site have dropped pretty dramatically in the last year or so. It used to be that this site actually got more traffic than my personal weblog, probably because this is such a niche subject. But that’s slowed way down for reasons I don’t understand. I’ve gone for weeks without any feedback and only a handful of hits, which is kind of a bummer. It’s made me question, once again, why I’m doing this, and whether I should continue.
On Tuesday, I got a call out of the blue from a very old Scout acquaintance from back in the days of Chewbacca, with whom I’d bought and sold parts. He’s looking to fix up his Scout to sell it—he’s not driving it anymore—and wondered if I had a stock radio in my stash. We caught up for a little bit and I told him I’d hit the grapevine to see what I could dig up.
Yesterday I got a couple of comments on the YouTube channel from someone with a similar truck, who said he liked the videos. My view counts there average around 300 or so per video, which is less than peanuts, but much like the weblog, I think I enjoy the process of recording, editing and posting enough to keep doing it, even if it’s mostly for myself.
On the Binder Planet, about an hour later, I got a nice comment in my build thread from another guy who has a similar truck, and whose build thread I’ve referred to repeatedly for some of the projects I’ve been working on. That felt good.
And 30 minutes after that, I got two sales on my Threadless storefront for a couple of Scout shirts. I haven’t advertised them on social media lately, but there’s a pitch at the end of each of the videos for them.
So maybe this is the universe telling me to keep doing what I’m doing. Even if I’m not the size of Mr. Beast, I’m still finding satisfaction in what I’m doing, and other people seem to be, too.
William J. Miller says:
Hi Bill,
Please keep posting you are a wealth of knowledge for those of us that are in the infancy of our projects. We look to you for your successes and tips to do a better job. I personally find value in each and every post you have made and plan to use them as guides on how to start my “projects” on my 68 Travelette when it’s back home from the Binder Boneyard when Dan Hayes is making it roadworthy.
Again, thank you for your efforts and know your contributions are highly respected and appreciated.
Very respectfully…WJM (from Alaska)
bill says:
Thanks for the vote of confidence, Bill. I suppose my post was more rhetorical than anything else—I did talk myself into continuing by the end, but it does feel good to have confirmation every now and again.
Neal says:
As you know, I have been enjoying your blogs through the years. Hope you will continue. And I do hope to meet you someday.
I’ve gotten a bit more distracted by national news as of late and so I’ve been passing on checking some of your Travelall posts as of late.
I’ve purposely stayed away from Binder Planet. There is such a treasure trove there from you and from others, but what a rabbit hole of distraction. Especially for someone like me who doesn’t even have a truck yet.
Thanks for the reminder about your merchandise. I have been meaning to order a shirt but haven’t gotten around to it yet. My birthday is coming up in March, so I feel
an opportunity coming asap!
And speaking of opportunity, who is your acquaintance who is selling his Scout? I know that they are so much more nichely popular (and expensive) now than they were years ago, but I still have some kind of hope that someday someone who knows someone who knows someone who is selling a Scout will find out about my desires and help me connect for a deal I can’t refuse. But I also know that is increasingly a pipe dream in this age of Bring a Trailer sales and tech bros with big accounts and garages. Fingers still crossed though. And still dreaming.
Best to you and keep on truckin’.
-Neal in Boston.
bill says:
Hi Neal—
I’ve got an old Scout friend from years ago who is getting up in age and mentioned he’s thinking of selling. I’m going to arrange to drive out and drop off a radio this weekend, and I’ll check out his rig to see what he wants to get for it, and I’ll let you know.