Shaun Groves
Next month this blog will turn eight! But before it was a blog it was a…
2001 – Message Board
I was on tour with Bebo Norman and a very young Katy Perry back in 2001.
Most nights, after the concert, I’d read fan reviews on the message board of Bebo’s website. And sometimes I’d say “thanks” or answer questions people asked about life on the road, what song Bebo played third, what kind of guitar Katy was using…
I was hooked.
Record labels created a gap between artist and audience (inadvertently, I’d like to think). I heard a stylist say once “Wearing what they can’t have makes them want you more.” Artist websites were pamphlets that maintained this distance: places to read a label-crafted bio and press releases, look at professionally Photoshopped publicity pics, and see a listing of upcoming tour stops. They kept audiences informed but not connected.
But Bebo’s message board closed the gap. At the end of that tour in 2001 my label put a message board in the first shaungroves.com. Not only that, they added one to the site of every artist on their roster.
2005 – Shlog
I spent an hour every morning and evening reading and responding on my message board. Until Randy Elrod suggested in 2005 that I launch a blog.
Randy was the newly hired forward-thinking “Worship Arts Pastor” at the church I was part of. He was younger at heart than guys half his age and contagiously passionate about blogging. He suggested I read Hugh Hewitt‘s book Blog: Understanding The Information Revolution. And I did.
I started a blog unwisely named Shlog. Shaun + blog. Get it? Me neither…now. Readshlog.blogspot.com launched in May, 2005.
2006 – ShaunGroves.com
My label was immediately divided over my blogging. An intern thought it was genius. The president thought it was a narcissistic fad. The publicist expressed concern that the laser beam focussed messaging and image she’d crafted would be diluted by daily posts that were out of her control. There was a brief attempt to get me to stop blogging, but my contract gave control of shaungroves.com to my label yet didn’t prohibit me from launching a site of my own.
In 2006, my label closed its doors and gave me control of shaungroves.com. With the help of a mom in Texas named Kat (now head honcho at Inspired to Action and How They Blog) we redesigned shaungroves.com as a blog – not a typical artist site. As far as I know it was the first artist site of its kind.
I met Kat at the smallest concert I’ve ever played. Had the crowd been larger we may have never gotten to talk; I may have never learned she’d once worked as a web master for a radio station. I would have never known about her interest in taking on a web project “just for fun.” And it was fun – to reimagine what an artist’s web presence could look like and accomplish.
I did all the graphics. Kat did all the hard stuff. Unfortunately, we kept the name “Shlog.”
2009 – New ShaunGroves.com
The site I have today launched in 2009. The overall design was created by Brad Ruggles. The illustration at the top and bottom came from Barton Damer. And the hours of coding were done by Ben Stewart (now founder of Louder Media, a web design and development company).
The biggest and hardest change in 2009 was killing the message board. A tiny but close knit community had formed there over the previous eight years. I certainly got an ear-full from them when I took their gathering place away. But it needed to happen – with the advent of social media there were better places for that community to congregate…places that could even make it grow.
Another big change? No more Shlog. No more awkward conversations after concerts in the lobby of churches in which one woman asks another “Have you seen Shaun’s Shlog? You have to!” True story.
2013 – The Next ShaunGroves.com
Ben and I are beginning to plan the next rebuild of shaungroves.com. And I’d love your input.
What sites do you love the look of?
What sites just work so much better than this one?
What’s missing here?
What’s in the way here?
If money and time and technology were limitless…what would you like to see in the next shaungroves.com?
Last thing…
The Christian Alliance For Orphans and I are teaming up this Wednesday, April 24th for a free webinar on Harnessing Social Media For Good.
If you or someone you know is interested in learning more about using your online voice for good, register now for Wednesday’s free webinar. Class starts at 2PM Eastern and lasts until 3:30 with a time for Q&A.
Kelli says:
Have you seen Shaun’s Schlog?! I almost spit my drink out. Oh my… 🙂
I am registering for the webinar tomorrow. I feel stuck and frustrated right now with my writing and in life as well. Everything feels stagnant where I am. I’m interested in learning some steps to maybe move forward at least in this little area that I have control over. Looking forward to it!
Shaun Groves says:
To me, it’s even more inappropriate with the “c” in there. So don’t do that. Ever again.
Look for an email from me later today. Let’s talk.
Kelli says:
Oh dear! It’s so terrible! I hadn’t even thought that of the word shlog until you typed that. Totally took me off guard. And yeah…the C is worse. Cannot stop laughing. 🙂
Brad Ruggles says:
About time you did a redesign…this one sucks. 😉
Shaun Groves says:
No kidding. No any designers who might be free? ; )
Laura says:
You have done a great job with your blog! I have only been a blog reader here since fall of last year but I loved hearing how you’ve come to this point.
Can’t wait to see what you guys come up with!
Shlog is pretty cool by the way, I think you should definitely incorporate that somehow! 🙂
Shaun Groves says:
Nooooooooo!
Matthew W says:
Hey Shaun,
Something that I LOVE is that you have the stream toward the top with some of the series you’ve done. It’s kinda like a “best of” that’s really fun to view every once and a while.
What I’d like is that in the “posted on” that you currently have to the top left of the post, that you’d add the year. That would make it easier for those of us who do read the posts from the stream at the top.
Thanks!
–Matthew
Matthew W says:
I thought of something else. Disqus works wonderfully for blog comments… You’ve probably heard of it via other blogs, but it lets you connect your information via facebook or twitter rather than a personal website. It also lets you keep track of replies to your comments.
Christy Fitzwater says:
I love who you are -RICH content! Keep the artsy look but maybe less cluttered? (My favorite website is Steven Furtick’s -so clean and simple.) Regardless, I’ll still be here reading happily every time your name shows up in my inbox!
Randy says:
Hey, Shaun. thanks for the shout out! I especially like the line: “He was younger at heart than guys half his age and contagiously passionate about blogging.” You are so funny!!
I’m proud of you. You are one of the few who really listened.
Can’t wait to see what you guys will dream up!
Randy
Shaun Groves says:
So good to see your face around here, Blog Father.
Thanks for the encouragement.
Sheila Warner says:
Honestly, I hate the banner. It looks like some 60s theme. Change the banner and that alone would be a big improvement. What I like about the emails I get are links to related posts I might find interesting. I am a newcomer to this site, and I find it entertaining and thought provoking at the same time.
Shaun Groves says:
Whoa. “Hate” is a strong word. ; )
But, yes, I’m not super fond of it anymore either. But better is coming!
Liz Reeves says:
Actually, I really love your site. I find it easily navigable (or is it navigatable?) and I love all the thinks you have linked/connected. But more than anything, I love that you are real & transparent. As long as THAT doesn’t change, anything else you do with the site will be fine. 🙂
JR says:
I have fond memories of the Shlog days (it’s horrifying with the “c”, Kelli! Why would you say that?! I never once thought anything inappropriate about it until you put the “c” in there! AH!!) The Shlog days was back when my mother was still trying to convince me that I could marry that nice guy in the shiny shirt who came and led worship at our church. Praise God on behalf of all involved, she soon gave that quest up. (Ironically, she’s still gunning for a guy on our worship team, although this time, there are no shiny shirts involved…I wonder whether she’s conveniently forgotten that I’m completely tone deaf, or perhaps she’s hoping that if I marry a good singer, I might become one myself via some sort of weird osmosis…)
Anyway, miss the Shlog, but I love ShaunGroves.com. No real standout suggestions for changes (although I’m totally receptive to the possibility for future changes).
Inkling says:
And I was just popping over here to see if something might cheer me up after a hard day of mothering a four year old (do all 4 year olds possess such big emotions?!) before heading to bed. I think I’ll be chuckling over shlog and those two women for awhile.
Thanks for that. And thanks for retiring that title. But really, it is hilarious in its own quirky way. Guess God knew I needed to laugh and smile today.
Paula says:
Gosh – I can’t believe the shlog was so long ago! The shlog and the friends I made on the message board were the only things that got me through the day at the rubbish job I had. (Not to mention you were one of my first “blogroll buddies”)
It was also where you made up an imaginary boyfriend for me so I didn’t have to face the “so….dating anyone?” question when I went home at Christmas 😀
I’m going to be really helpful and NOT make any suggestions – I like change, and I like to be surprised. As long as things work when you click on them 😀
Pat Callahan says:
Along with everyone else, I spit my drink everywhere with the “Have you seen Shaun’s Shlog” comment. I never had thought about that, but now I cant stop thinking about it!
Admittedly, I loved “SHLOG” and never thought anything about it (but get why you changed it)/. If you had only know, you could have increased readership with a tagline like, “we’re just an ‘N’ away from Shaun’s shlong.” But I digress.
I’ve loved the blog from the early days. Still love it. Thanks for your thoughtfulness and insight in your writing. Keep up the great work!
Kris says:
I’m so annoyed with my spam filter, or with feedburner, I am a subscriber, and yet, some of your posts randomly aren’t making it to my inbox–and so now I am *just* seeing this. Anyhoo,
I agree that a new look might add a little more spring into your blog-step. I do hope you’ll keep the art in here somehow, as I really liked the art in your ebook…. but maybe more white, less brown? I am a color-lover, so I find it weird hearing myself say that, but there’s something very clean and fresh about white space… I’ll tweet you Monday to show you my latest adventure (blog related) it’s a surprise until then 🙂
I think your site is easy to navigate–I’d love if you switched to Disqus for comments, mainly because their comment threading is easy and has great reply options, plus, I get an email when someone replies, so I don’t have to remember to go back to the post to see if I ever got a response–without emailing me every response on the comment thread. I realize this is a totally selfish request, but you asked 🙂
I can’t wait to see what you come up with!, I know it will be more appealing than shlog. heh.