Future of this Blog

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So, we’re no longer able to write comments at Get The Picture. I’m not sure if someone disabled them or if it is just a setting the Senator had enabled. I know this has some champing at the bit to go full steam here with this blog. When I stood this site up, I made a conscious decision to keep this site simple until a month had gone by since Bluto’s passing. If no one has heard anything from his family by March 9, I intend to increase the development on this site and make it look more like the home we’re used to.

I’ve seen some suggestions for the banner image and I have one in mind as well. I expect to gather several images and I will present them all in a post (with a poll, hopefully) so that everyone that wishes to weigh in, can.

I’d also like to discuss what elements of GTP should we borrow? Should we set up a copy of the Lexicon? The Gift Guide? Montana Project? Quote of the Day? Your opinions are welcome.

I’ve had 2 people step forward and offer to do some writing here. If you’re interested in doing that, speak up here. I intend to give those folks editor access once we know where we’re headed here.

Any other ideas? Won’t hurt to start brainstorming some things even if we’re not going to immediately implement them. Put your suggestions here so that I can refer to them if/when we ramp up here.

Thanks to everyone that has chimed in so far, the suggestions and encouragement are appreciated.

Go Dawgs!

156 thoughts on “Future of this Blog”

  1. I sincerely appreciate your work in doing this. I think anything you’d like to use would be okay with Bluto. I did not realize how much I enjoyed being called baconbreath until his blog was no longer there. I was hooked and your work has been like methadone to me. The huddle up is better than anything else on the interwebs.

    • Fact check this if need be, do believe the Senator was a fan of Occams razor, onward and upward…”It’s a hell of a start, it could be made into a monster
      If we all pull together as a team”…GO DAWGS!!

    • Mr. Day,
      If you set up the “The Gift Guide”, you should get the little kick back that comes the guide.
      You are doing all of the work. The little bit of money should go to you.

      • I appreciate that. I’d prefer to take any revenue this blog might generate and roll it back into the blog so that we don’t have to do donation drives. There’s a lot of “ifs” doing some “heavy lifting”! 😉

  2. Much appreciate all of your work, Otis. I can’t check the exact count on my phone but last time I looked you were already pushing 13K clicks after a few weeks. So, you’ve got some special sauce going here. Any homage you feel appropriate in honoring GTP and Senator Blutarsky is AOK by me. The Lexicon would be a nice touch. I’m happy to
    chip in with a post every now and then too. Go Dawgs!

  3. I’m pretty low on the GTP totem pole, but I can’t imagine the Senator would be anything short of thrilled that someone continued on his traditions. HUGATA!

  4. I nominate RangerRuss for FTMF’S chairman as far as dealing with trolls and malcontents. He definitely has the disposition for it!! 😉

      • One in particular who could piss off the Pope is currently without a home due to the GTP comments shutdown. Hopefully, he won’t migrate over here. You know who I’m referring to. His handle rhymes with torch. He would argue with a damn fence post, as the old saying goes. Has to right, even if he’s dead wrong.

        • Well, I’m not going to discourage anyone from coming here and joining in. As long as they respect the norms laid down by the previous administration!

        • What I didn’t appreciate was that no matter how many times he was proven wrong, he was absolutely right. What was worse, was the negativity when things got hard. “Woe is me” and “I told you so’s” is not what we need when we’re in a fight.

          The conceit he presents is that he knows more football than Kirby. No matter how farcical that is, he was not backing away from it.

          There are certainly isolated decisions we can make an intelligent judgment on, but for the vast majority of the 900 (960 this year?) minutes of a football season, we haven’t a clue as to what is happening out there or why. Cristobal not taking a knee is one we can have a say about. Pretending otherwise is a joke. We are there to pull our team through. Not to boo or to critique.

    • He’s empowered to do anything that doesn’t land him in jail. Unless he’s willing to go.

      • That’s weird. That was supposed to be a response to Whit about giving RR the Ban-Hammer

        • “If nominated I will not run; if elected I will not serve.”
          -Some yankee bastard, unindicted war criminal.

  5. I agree with the consensus that your decision to dive in and keep the conversation going has been an excellent idea. The Senator was a unique guy with his own approach, but I think it’s a sign of respect for him that people want to continue what he started. I hope that would please him.

    I think the poll for the headers is a great idea. And continuing the Lexicon is another great idea. I think word of mouth will draw people over here. A lot of people enjoyed GTP, and I’m sure a lot of them haven’t found this place yet. I suspect a lot of us who are here have thought, after the Senator died, “what will we do?” It’s good that Otis had the idea to actually DO something, and what he has done seems pretty brilliant.

  6. Lexicon for sure. I’m guessing it helps the newcomers. I never used the Monday Ticket Exchange, but I would imagine that would still be popular each fall. Honestly Otis, it’s OK to bring things over one by one. You are a champ for doing this. Drop a canon shot every now and then.

    • Also, I got an email from Peyton Edwards after Senator passed away. I’m hoping he will continue the Mumme Poll?

    • Yeah, my main concern is if GTP gets taken down, there goes the source material. I know there are archive sites online but, it’s easier to gather material from the original site. I’ve already saved copies of the Lexicon, gift guide, etc. to my computer so that I can pull from them if needed.

  7. Thanks so much for doing this, OD.
    The amount of work involved in what the Senator did is incredible; I don’t see how he did it. He must’ve had a very unique situation in life.
    On content, he obviously spent many hours sifting through voluminous daily Dawg sources and boiling it down to the topics that would interest his somewhat unique audience. Then he put his own humor, snark (he was great at that) or discussion points into it, and it was magic. He had a personality that came through distinctly and strongly. He also really kept us in line 😎.
    I think the trick will be to keep just enough of the old stuff, Montana Project and Lexicon, and to gently head in a few new directions. I would suggest we maintain something of his old page in the design (James Brown & Dooley, maybe in some small homage.
    I’d also like to see updated and better links for other dog resources and blogs. Like an on-site link to the radio broadcast of games, etc.
    A lot of the links on our old site were not even active anymore.
    Times indeed are changing, guys. As is college football, lol.
    Again, thanks for keeping this going.

    My prayers for Athens and Laken’s family.

  8. I’m tossing Musical Palette Cleanser in the ring…was always a nice twist. Congressman Otis, you’re doing a fantastic job keeping the memory of GTP going, and we are all very appreciative.

    • Yeah, that’s definitely a keeper. I probably know more about pop/rock music than I do about college football! I intend to keep that tradition going!

  9. I have nothing to contribute but I’m grateful that you are keeping the gang together. One of my favorite reads was the weekly power poll. The Senator’s insight was unique and there’s no way we can replicate it but I’d like to see that in some form. You’re doing a great job, Otis.

    • Doug Gillette. He commented on GTP fairly regularly. IIRC, he got tired of the grind of posting on HJS but yeah, it’d be great if he could contribute the occasional post here

  11. I appreciate what you are doing here Otis. This blog was part of my life and I’m glad to see it continue in whatever fashion you see fit. My only request is you keep our comments in line like Bluto did. Thank you and Go Dawgs!

    • Yeah, we have a good bunch of salty old Dawgs who know how to mind themselves. If I have to remind every now and then, I will.

      • The worst thing about the Playpen was forcing the offended to read every single post.

        Shameful really.

        If people only had the choice not to click on the link labeled “playpen” and avoid it entirely if they chose to, it may have been acceptable.

      • Agree, no playpen. My least favorite innovation here, I hated it. Was thrilled when it was dropped. It just drew people who wanted to stir up junk.

          • No. Non-football, political, divisive topics kept popping up in the comments, so the Senator created the Playpen to give folks a spot to vent about such things. He/We underestimated how much, uh, venting would occur. The Playpen became the Thunderdome and things got pretty ugly at times so he shut it down. It was a great idea and worth trying when he created it and an even better idea to bury it when he did.

          • I’m much happier not engaging in political and social “discussions”. That doesn’t mean I won’t.

          • A happy Ranger is a gooooood thing, we can call you “Man of RASP”…GO DAWGS!!

          • Coweta is correct and to strain my living room analogy…if there is a wild party going on in the backyard it’s going to spill into the living room. While regulars here may know how to handle it, I suspect it may keep others away and that’s not worth it. Plenty of places on the interwebs to engage in that.

          • not only possible, but he said so himself. It turned into a monkeys flinging their own poop display every week, and he realized that kind of energy was probably best unleashed someplace else. I think he was right. Nobody is asking anyone to change their views on politics, religion, etc. THere are plenty of places to talk, or fight, about those things. Have at it.

            Me, I come here to avoid that. I realize I dont have to read it, and mostly didnt as it descended into chaos.I guess he had to read it, didnt like it, and 86d it. Solid approach.

          • FWIW, my intention would be to identify subjects/debates that transcend our current binary political choices. I’d like it to be more challenging and the result, hopefully, more interesting than that.

    • Sarcasm I trust…but no. What made GTP work and will be Otis’ greatest challenge was the libertarian mindset of the Senator. Blatant outsider trolls were banned immediately. Opposing fanbase trolls got enough rope to hang themselves…some did and a few haven’t yet (Archmatry). The Playpen proved he had to cut off ALL non-blog related comments and threaten expulsion of even a regular if not respected.

      I always had the feeling that GTP was an invitation to the Senator’s living room. Grab a beer, have a seat, discuss the topics of the day. We all need to treat this site the same way. It’s not your place to track mud in, steal food, yell and fart. That’s for other sites.

      And the Golden Rule has to be no personal threats and prolonged attacks. “You’re an idiot” need only posted once in an argument, then move on. Loved how the Senator would use the “boredom” defense to end any off topic debate.

      Finally, for those who lament the lack of an edit feature…may I suggest you read your comment before hitting reply? You’ll catch typos and maybe even a rant you might decide to just delete as an argument not worth pursuing.

      • I’ve typed stuff numerous times, re-read it and deleted it. It’s easy to put a stop to silly arguments. Don’t participate.

      • It is a serious request.

        I don’t disagree with the guidelines. I would say that I never got the name calling aversion mainly because it doesn’t bother me to be called names so I have trouble figuring out why it bothers others. Sticks and stones and whatnot. And besides some people are fucking morons. How can they address it if no one tells them? But I will abide should such be the will of the host.

        Like I suggested above, while it might not be for everyone, it tended to be a very popular forum and if you don’t like it, you do have the option to stay away.

        I would be happy to volunteer to provide weekly subjects for such a forum and see how it goes.

          • I appreciate the opportunity:

            1) I would advise you NOT to put an e-mail address on the blog. I think that caused the Senator more heartburn than a lot simply because people were filling his inbox with bitching about posts and who needed the boot and how to do his job and to run his own place, blah, blah, blah, etc… But do as you wish. If you do, I can use that for Playpen subjects.

            2) Without an e-mail to send it to, I can simply post something at the end of the day on Tuesday on the oldest post that day and you can throw it up the next day under a banner as you wish.

          • 1) I’m not using my personal email. If it becomes a hassle, I just won’t check it! lol

            2) You will be given editor access to the blog to draft your post. To begin with, I will review and schedule all posts. When everyone is comfortable with writing in WordPress, I will give you the access to post as you see fit.

            Until March 9 gets here, let’s just stick with the Huddle Ups for another week-ish and then we’ll start up more content.

      • “It’s not your place to track mud in, steal food, yell and fart.”
        BuzzKill… Oh, wait….!

      • Peak, now that you mention it, “You’re an idiot”, is usually where the trouble starts. If you really want to control it, don’t allow “YaI.”

  13. I add my tenor voice to the “Thanks, Otis!” chorus.

    The trick is going to be to pay homage to GTP without trying to “be” the Senator. I’m for continuing that blog’s “feel” (as much as possible) without trying to make the two indistinguishable. You have – or will develop – your own style. I wouldn’t worry about what the Senator would do in a given situation. Do what you think is right.

    I’m sure the scamps will sound off loud and clear if they think you have strayed.

    • Of course, The Senator had a “firmly diplomatic” way of putting down, discord!

    • Spot on. WWTSD need not be Otis’ operating guide. He’s put the effort into this so go your own way. The first MPC being “Hotel California” would be deliciously funny but I can tell his music taste is better. Speaking of which…Beyoncé’s new song ain’t country. Prove me wrong.

    • I think the best homage to the Senator and GTP is the fact that we are all here. This blog doesn’t have to – and can’t – replicate GTP. It’s already a success.

    • I agree that the trick is to pay homage to The Senator without trying to be him. My idea would be a section of “How It All Began”, and include all of the stuff in the original as something of an archive. Then add things that are new in separate sections.

  14. Daily Gator is a must, IMO. It’s like our own personal Florida Man. Really enjoying coming here each morning before work, like before on GTP. Think this could be fun. I’d love to help with posts during slower times, but can’t be relied on full time. Thanks again, Otis.

  16. I know the senator would appreciate if you could light into Art Briles ass once in a while

    • Ms Debby, I’m sure I’m not alone in my gratitude to you as a member of the board.

  18. Thanks again for setting all this up, Otis. The lexicon would be a nice touch, and the Montana project was a personal favorite. As for posting content, do what you like. The Senator had a keen interest in certain topics (i.e., players as employees) that may or may not interest you as much, and that’s your choice. Your style, and the style of other contributors, is not going to be the same as the Senator, and that’s okay. I’ve realized that while I truly cherished what he built, I value just as much the contribution of the commentariat here. Seeing the familiar handles of each person in this online community has been great. Keep it going Otis!

  19. Can we get a “desktop” option while on mobile? The comment string becomes quickly indiscernible with the mobile version.

  20. I may get hammered for this suggestion but in the spirit of the « Musical Palette Cleanser » segment(which i am all for)…could we introduce a « BBQ Palette Cleanser »?

  21. I’ll pile on by saying thanks, Otis. There’s been a real void without the Senator’s musings – in fact, I still find myself clicking on the GTP link out of habit many mornings. I’m glad that you’ve created a place for the commentariat to reconvene.

    There wasn’t anything the Senator posted that I disliked but I most enjoyed the Daily Gator and Musical Pallette Cleanser. I also enjoyed his skewering of the NCAA. The association may be an easy target but his criticism was valuable because he provided an attorney’s perspective on their dumbassery.

    I’d be happy to contribute the occasional post. I don’t pretend to have the the Senator’s (and some GTP commenters’) depth of insight into many Dawg- and CFB-related matters but hopefully could provide some occasional food for thought/levity.

  22. So many regular features to consider!

    MPC
    Daily Gator
    Your ND Game Day Post
    Game Day Post
    Power Poll
    Observations from the 35
    The YPP thing if maybe one of the other stat geeks would do it
    Lexicon
    Montana Project
    An honorarium to the Senator
    Gift Guide

    Love the Huddle Up already. Keep it. And keep on rolling!

    P.S. I always had a sneaky feeling the Senator had a team of folks who fed him content. That didn’t do justice to his hard work and tireless effort for what he claimed was his passionate hobby. That said…maybe other than extra writers/editors you do find some willing to be research assistants to feed content to those willing to write. We’ll probably never really know the magic behind GTP.

  23. Otis my man! As others have said already thank you for undertaking this initiative and giving all of us an opportunity to continue the Senator’s legacy while staying in touch with the old gang (I use that term affectionately). I like Dylan’s idea of a “How it all began” section for the history and homage to SB. I’d love to see the lexicon and Montana Project stuff carryover and hopefully the MummePoll. Even if Peyton Edwards doesn’t continue the poll, perhaps he can send out another email blast telling everyone about this website. Thanks again and keep up the great job!

    • Dang, you stole my response.

      Otis, my man! Thanks for doing this. Lots of good suggestions already so I have nothing to add.

      As for the original GTP site, is there anyway we can pay to just keep the site up? I’d contribute to a fund to keep the site live but static, just so we can go back and persue some of his greatest hits over the years. Is there a “lifetime” option for site hosting? If so, I’ll contribute.

      • Russ, without going through the Senator’s family, I don’t know how that could be done? I assume WordPress would take any monies sent their way but, I don’t know how you would be able to tell them what to apply it to? The Senator probably had an account/number under his name?

        • Understood. I guess if you or anyone closer to the Senator’s family hears something, just know that I think people would pay to keep it alive/static.

          BTW, thanks for doing this.

          • Yes sir, if I hear anything from them, I will stress that all of us here would like to keep the Senator’s blog online and we’re willing to pay the fees to do that.

  24. OD, thanks for all your hard work this far! I’ll be glad to help contribute from time to time.

  25. I’d love to see your blog continue in some form or fashion. I won’t lie, I do miss the banner at the top of the GTP blog. Seems odd seeing the same people here from that site but without the banner!

    But, yeah, I like the idea of guest writers occasionally too. I’m all in for whatever you have in mind. Very excited to see the same folks here that I have been conversing with all these years.

    I would assume the GTP blog will eventually shut down when the bills go unpaid unless The Senator’s family step in to keep the lights on. Would be pretty nice if we (you) could get the blutarsky.wordpress.com domain name. I’m not sure how it works with WordPress or how long it is paid for before it gets put back into general population.

    • Well, actually, the “wordpress.com” domain names are free. gtprefugees didn’t cost me a dime. But, “blutarsky” is already “reserved”. Would it become available if the blog is taken offline? I don’t know?

  26. Just glad you’re willing to do it. Like many others GTP was my first stop on the computer and the only place on the internet I have ever posted. I am now looking at this site every day.

  27. I bring nothing to the table as far as contributing, simply a consumer of pretty much anything Dawg related. As others have noted, there’s a huge hole in my morning routine. Much love for taking this on!

  28. Thank you Otis. This is awesome. No one can match the Senator in quality or quantity but I’m certain he’d be pleased & honored to see the flame continue burning. Nice to keep the gang together as well.

    Your deal, your call on content. I’d wouldn’t mind seeing a little more on other Dawg sports perhaps & have absolutely no desire to see political bullshit. Be glad to contribute financially for site maintenance or editorially on content if needed. Thank you very much for your efforts!!

    • I second the suggestion for more coverage of other Dawg sports. I know the Senator was a purist in terms of following just football, but I would appreciate the occasional post on the other sports, especially when Dawgs excel (like the 400m indoor WR by DGD Christopher Morales Williams).

      • Agree on talking about other UGA athletic endeavors. Something to cheer about during the off season for football. And especially a place to vent about Men’s BB. Gotdam if I didn’t watch that LSU game, get excited at the comeback only to see that stupid loss at the end. When O Lord will this end?!

    • Please hit the Contact link at the top of the page and shoot me an email about your blog Contributor invite. Thanks!

  30. As so many have already stated, thank you so much for taking the initiative to give us a place to continue to gather and discuss our Dawgs.

    As for ohmage to the Senator and GTP, I think the Lexicon and the Montana Project are must haves.

    Thanks again for doing this.

  32. Otis, any way you can stick an email link somewhere so that we can contact you directly, without making each message public?

    • that’s a great idea. The Senator had an email address, which I sometimes used. In the early stages, it is probably a more efficient way for those of us with ideas to communicate with you.

    • Yeah, I can. I have intentions on creating a mail account just for the blog but, I haven’t done that yet. I’ll create that tonight and put it on the Contact page at the top.

  33. Great job Otis. I haven’t commented since maybe the first day, but have been skimming things. Still a little in mourning. Get the Picture is the only site on the internet where I have commented. It’s the only blog where I respected the opinions of the host and the commenters. Keep up the good work, I’m sure most folks will be drifting over.

  35. Would be incredible to resurrect LSU Freek & have him superimpose a photo of the Senator on the Coach Dooley & James Brown GTP banner.

  36. Much appreciation for carrying the torch, Otis. It sure helps fill what would have been a huge void.

  38. Adding to the many deserved thank yous already given. I read faithfully but only occasionally butt in… One of the things I loved that the senator did was to include (in summary fashion with a link) so much material that was behind paywalls. That was a great help to me as I don’t want to spend my limited disposable income on those sites (I didn’t want to be a starving musician, so I became a middle school teacher instead. One day I’ll laugh about that choice!). To keep that tradition may take multiple people willing to help. Just a suggestion to think about.
    Also, who would be willing to head over to that bama sbnation site so we know how to mock Eric with a K? I loved how the senator’s snark was always ready to unload his way… FTMF!

    • I’ve already designated ee as the Opposing Fan Forum Correspondent, he can add the Bama sites to his beat and let us know what they’re up to!

  39. Late to the discussion…..

    1) Deep in my soul, I do not think the Senator would have resented or objected to anything of his being preserved or continued in a spiritual successor blog. He just never seemed to get butthurt about such things. I think any regular segments you have someone who can continue in its original/similar spirit should be continued here.

    Observations from the _____
    Daily Gator
    Power Rankings
    Shot… Chaster…
    ____ is doing some heavy lifting

    And some things that need to be saved for record purposes:

    Lexicon (DEFINITELY!)
    Montana Project

    Perhaps a general MEMORIAL section that explains the inspiration for the blog and has links to those.

    2) I think you’ve done a lovely job keeping some of the most important things:

    The general look/feel. Color, alignment of colums, etc. so it feels comfortable.
    The fact it is wordpress so our accounts were maintained and we don’t lose track of who is who. Same names. Same avatars. All good.

    3) I look forward to you adding your own spirit and charm as well. As much as we are all here because of the Senator, going forward this will be a labor of love for YOU and your team. The community will be here to support you, but this will live and thrive only if it brings YOU joy and satisfaction the way it did to the Senator.

    So I hope you can find your own favorite recurring columns and features that make this place a joy for you to maintain and preserve.

    Thank you everyone.

    4) I think waiting a month is more than enough. SOMETHING is going to fill the void, and I’d much prefer it be a blog like this trying to be as close as possible to GTP than all of us get splintered off to 10 sites.

    I do wish his family had said more about what he intended/wanted for the future of his blog, but perhaps he never said anything about it.

    5) We should help Otis do whatever he can SEO-wise to make “Get the picture dawgs” and some similar terms point here so people who missed the initial news burst can find this place next fall.

    Perhaps at some point we can get the family to put a huge link to over here?

    BTW:

    Can you imagine what its going to be like come next August?

    I know there are a TON of GTP fans who stop reading when the season ends and come back in Aug/Sep. They are going to be out of the loop. There are going to be a lot of shocked and very sad fellow Dawg fans.

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