Keeping Up with the Stand-Up Comedy Database

This is awesome! I’ve added to the Comedy Tab on my Netvibes page.

One thing you might want to think of adding in time, is a contributor’s “creative” corner, that allows short satire, parody or comedy sketches, stories, articles as well as the posting of funny videos. This might make for more visitors at the site. Maybe it wouldn’t necessarily be visited by readers, but you’d get a lot of response from comedy writers.

The thing I like best about the NHLN is that it allows and even encourages the proliferation of comedy and satire writing.

There are several ways you can choose to navigate this side of your site as editor and e-publisher. You may want to review and referee all stories that are submitted before they go up. You may want to add some volunteers to proof jokes, riddles, articles and submitted videos before they appear on “Dead Frog.” This seems to be the most popular mode for the NLHN. Points in Case, The Phat Phree, Progressive Boink, College Stories and some others seem to have a well-tuned “editorship” of all things submitted and posted. The downside is that oftentimes, these sites can seem to become a “clique club” wherein a certain group dominates. Oftentimes, the material can be rather disappointing and the comments from “shut out” members seem to be very caustic and cruel. In the writing and publishing game, any writer’s three favorite writers, after all, are “me,” “myself” and “I.”

Other NLHN affiliate sites, however, like Daily Comedy and Brian Frisk’s The Frown use a more egalitarian, open and free way to showcase their artists - any member may submit work and unless it’s too horrible, is not funny at all or it just doesn’t fit comedy or satire, the written words of all registered members’ contributions stay posted and published. There’s a lot to be said of this way of doing things, too. And these sites seem to have some of the very best work on them, despite the fact that most all “self post” and “self publish.”

That’s something to consider, Mr. Jackson. I’m sure you’ve already toyed with these ideas. I think a creative side of Dead Frog may really enhanced your already wonderful and informative blog. Anything you want to know about comedy is here. Of course there is also the argument that keeping the same “encyclopedic” and informative format of the blog should not be veered from. Maybe if you expand in this manner, expand deeper, not “wider” in the case of bringing in other creative areas etc.

Whatever the case, you’ve got a wonderful blog to enhance. It’s not a bad problem, actually. It’s a “good” problem that many blog masters would most likely envy.

Keep up the good work, Todd Jackson. Dead Frog is a vital and vibrant part of the NLHN!!!