HUGE Blog Update – 300 followers, 10 patrons, press passes, new writer, and web design revamp

I have a number of exciting updates to share with everyone about the state of Backlog Crusader today! This is a little long, but please bear with me.

Traffic and Followers

Backlog Crusader is three and a half months old and I am happy to report it has just passed the 300 WordPress and email follower milestone! On average the site is getting over 100 views a day, with spikes up to several hundred to over 1,000 depending on how well my post sharing strategy goes on social media.

Totals since day one on April 25th: 70 posts, 18,127 views, 9,678 unique visitors, 1,321 post likes, and 535 comments.

Patreon Status

The Backlog Crusader Patreon went live last month and we have a fantastic, wholesome community developing on the Backlog Crusader Corps Discord server with 10 patrons in the first month! Check them out on the Patron Wall of Fame! You can also see each of their thank-you card art requests there. Patron support is much appreciated and we are slowly working toward breaking even on the various costs that have gone into the website, such as domain email hosting and logo design.

Among many other rewards, I am hand-drawing and sending physical thank you cards to every single Patron, including the $1 tier. Please consider joining us as we build a new gaming and blogging community from the ground up and get yourself a neat one-of-a-kind piece of art based on your favorite animal or creature! I’ll even draw your specific pet if you send me a photo. Here are some examples of my art style:

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If you would like to support the blog, but aren’t interested in Patreon, please consider one or all of these helpful options:

• Follow the blog by email if you aren’t already
  (Subscribe option is on the sidebar)
• Share the blog with your gamer friends!
• Like and/or share the Backlog Crusader Facebook page
• Follow Backlog Crusader on Twitter or Reddit

Upcoming Events

Thanks to your fabulous support, Backlog Crusader has been approved for press passes to several upcoming events:

• Super Smash Con, August 8th-11th, Chantilly VA
  (Features largest Smash Bros tournament in the world!)
• PAX West, Aug. 30th-Sept 2nd, Seattle WA
• PAX Unplugged, Dec. 6th-8th, Philadelphia PA
• PAX East, March 28th-31st, Boston MA

I am potentially organizing group meetups at these events. If you will be at any of these and want to join in, email me at angeline@backlogcrusader.com.

Questions for readers:
1. What interview questions would you be most interested in hearing the answers to from game developers?

2. What are you most interested in reading about regarding these events? The general atmosphere? People? Panels? Interviews? Cool photos? Other? All of the above?

Upcoming Game Reviews

I have been able to form some great relationships with many publishers and developers thanks to the blog’s success. I want to share with you a list of review keys I will be receiving for upcoming Switch game releases, all expected between this month to the end of Q1 2020.

Other games that I’ll likely write about or review: Spyro Reignited (Switch), Pokemon Shield, and Digimon Cyber Slueth (Switch)

Speaking of game reviews, because I mostly play Switch games, a friend of mine will be helping with PC game reviews henceforth. Please welcome Bohdan by dropping a like or comment on his first review!

Website Design Updates

If you take a look at the website on desktop, you’ll see that there is a new version of the background (also featured at the top of this post), with the Backlog Crusader mascot in the style of Hyper Light Drifter. The background design edit was made by a friend of mine and you can check our her portfolio here. She does great logo commissions! You will also notice that the website layout looks a lot cleaner now thanks to a friendly CSS wizard and looks as well as functions better on mobile.

Alright, I think that about covers it. As always, thank you for reading! Please feel free to send any and all feedback to me at angeline@backlogcrusader.com. I’m always looking to improve!

Yours,

Angie

Support Backlog Crusader on Patreon – $1 is less than what’s lost beneath your couch cushions!