Dead Silence

My Freaky Blog

I am the author of a blog called Dead Silence. I started blogging years ago, before the words "blog" or "blogging" were even in use! In reality I've been blogging for a little over six years, possibly more. I try not to keep track of that, since my early writing wasn't something to brag about. But I must be doing something right these days, because I'm in the running for a Blogger's Choice Award for Freakiest Blogger, Best Blog Design, Best Educational, The Blogitzer and Best Blog About Stuff.

Everyone blogs for a different reason. Some blog to keep friends and family updated on what's going on, some blog to make people laugh and bust at the seams. I blog because I want to share my interest in serial killers and other types of true crime. Are you worried yet? Don't be! Trust me, you may not know it, but there are plenty of other people out there who share the same interest as me. It just seems that most don't go around talking about it or blogging about it.

When it came to Dead Silence, I wasn't sure what to do. For once in my life, for some odd reason, I was worried what people would think. I finally said "screw it" and started my blog at Wordpress.com, and within a few months, I made the move to a domain. The only regret I have is the fact I didn't start the blog sooner.

The design used is actually a free one that I downloaded one night that features a rotating header. The header images were created by a friend of mine, Billy [1]. The one thing I've discovered with a blog like mine, it's a little harder to find themes, at least free ones, that fit the topic.

A blog about serial killers can't feature a design with bright pink stripes or white fluffy clouds. I've been lucky to find a few decent designs that could be tweaked and used for Dead Silence. At the moment, the design features 14 different images that rotate. This means that every time someone visits they could possible see a different image. I must say that the current design has been the crowd favorite. Hopefully one day I'll have a custom design done for the blog.

Some people have asked what's the most important aspect or part of a blog. In my opinion, updating frequently is very important. No one will stick around and read a blog that's only updated once a week or only a few times a month. People's time is precious, and they want their information fast.

Design and frequency aren't the only thing that sets a blog apart from the others though. The way someone writes is the difference between entertaining and boring. You can have someone who posts the news as it is, or someone who posts the news with flair. They add their own flavor to the information they posted.

In the same boat as the writing is the content itself. Is it something someone can read anywhere? Can I find the same story or topic covered on the next blog I read or are you original? The more original you are, the more people will read your blog. Not only will they read it but there's a good chance they'll tell others about it as well. There's no better advertising then word of mouth!

Who reads my blog? I have a mix of visitors. I have people who read my blog on a daily basis and those who find it via an online search. I actually had someone on a message board tell me they found my blog while trying to find information for a research paper. I think those who read my blog share the fascination with serial killers and true crime. I have male and female readers, young and old.

According to some of the feedback I've received, I have people from all over who read my blog. I have people who contact me to suggest a serial killers to write about. I've even had emails from production companies who want to send me information on their movies.

The one thing I've never received though is negative feedback. When I first started Dead Silence, I wasn't sure what to expect as far as comments and e-mails. Would I upset someone who perhaps knew a victim? Would people think I was glorifying violence? So far I haven't had any of those problems or issues. Of course that could all change tomorrow!

I must admit, unlike with my personal blog, there is never a lack of information or ideas for a topic. I do try to change it up a bit though and not just post biographical nformation. I've made posts featuring Youtube videos of news broadcasts, some posts have discussed crimes by state and I even had a post that discussed college courses that you can take that are serial killer related.

Reading about death and murder can take a toll on anyone, even those of us who read it on a regular basis. It's good to change it up from time to time. If you keep posting the same type of posts over and over again, readers will become bored and will move onto another blog or website. No one wants that to happen!

If I was asked how Dead Silence makes the world a better place, I'm not exactly sure how I'd answer that. I don't think it makes the world a better place per se, but I do think it educates people and makes them more aware.

For years people pictured serial killers as monsters and beasts. People believed they had a "certain" look, which is far from the truth. They can look like you and me. They can live next door or be in the office next to you at work. They have families, kids, go to church and take part in helping the community. Ted Bundy for example volunteered at an emergency hotline. John Wayne Gacy was a well-respected member of the community who performed as a clown at children's parties. It just shows that you never truly know everything about anyone. I'm sure the wives and children of killers thought they knew their husband or father like the back of their hand. Do I want people to be paranoid? Of course not, I just think everyone should be aware of the evil that truly is out there.

If I woke up one day and someone took my blog away for some reason, I think it would be heartbreaking. It's something I've worked very hard on. It takes effort and research to run a blog like Dead Silence. I'm not writing about my job or life, I'm writing about true crime and serial killers, topics that take research and time. Some posts take me days to finish because I need to make sure the information I've found and used is correct.

I'd still express myself and my interest in the topics I write about but I think it would be harder to find those like me. Even now when I mention the books I read I get strange looks or if I start going on about a TV special I saw on a case or killer, people will sometimes change the subject or walk away. If I had to, I'd find another online venue to share my thoughts. I might start a message board or an email group. I think too many people out there like my blog. I couldn't just let it die without a fight or trying to find some other way of keeping it going.

Speaking of people liking my blog, it turns out I'm nominated for a number of awards at the Blogger's Choice Awards. At the moment I'm nominated for Best Blog Design, Best Educational, Freakiest Blogger, The Blogitzer and Best Blog About Stuff.

To be honest, I was very surprised to see Dead Silence nominated for such a large number of awards. I'll be happy if I just win won and the one award I really want is the Best Educational Blog. Perhaps it's twisted in someway, but hey, I can be a twisted person.

People like to learn about different topics and I don't think it gets more different then serial killers, crime and murder! What would it mean if I won? I think I'd feel that people appreciate all the hard work I put into my blog. It would prove to me that I'm not the only one who enjoys my blog but others do as well. Most importantly, I think it would show that people respect what I do. Some people might be freaked out by what I choose to write about but they can't deny that I put time, effort and hard work into what they see when they stop by Dead Silence.

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