Last week, I couldn’t believe the site didn’t have a way to browse posts by month or year. I was ready to change the theme and spend time on something that would benefit almost no one. Today, I realized the archive is actually in the sidebar on individual posts, not on the homepage. That discovery sent me down a rabbit hole of reading posts from as far back as 2018—and it really highlighted how infrequently we publish.
Rnningfool averaged around 30 posts per month from 2010 to 2017. Sam and I together are closer to 15. The posts are better now, but readers still expect activity. Sam correctly blames the readers for the lack of comments—but regardless, we need to maintain our output.
With AI, this should be easier than ever. I genuinely believe the content is stronger today—better writing, better imagery, and less friction in getting ideas out of my head and onto the page. I’m also not persuaded by the argument about “losing your voice.” I write exactly how I would write, ask AI to strengthen it, and then revise it again if something doesn’t feel right. Most of the time, the result is simply better.
And the new logo at the top? That took five seconds. The previous one below stayed for seven years and represented what used to be my strongest skill. Tools change. Output improves. That’s the point.
Promoting the Blog
Sam decided to start advertising the blog on Instagram, citing some anxiety about sharing his thoughts publicly. He questioned why we’ve posted for so many years and what value an audience actually provides. An audience would be fascinating because we have two completely different audiences. I’ll outline below but first I want to share some Sam gems.
I’m a renaissance man. I try new things like vegetarianism, getting off social media, adopting blind cats, etc. It makes me feel like I’m growing as a person (though this post may indicate a regression). That’s just who I am. But I won’t sit back and get roasted on my own blog. No way. No how.
And Gourlay. Omg. The guy writes about flipping his dog at a yoga class one time and he’s anointed the best blogger of all time. Then, out of nowhere, he up and quits. THEN even more out of nowhere, he’s back on splitting tens writing about how he wants to get hit by a car, and everyone loves him again. Just get your girlfriend to drive over your melon-head and get it over with, she’d do it.
Again, it’s only been four days, but I think that by just adding another person, the opportunity is real. HOWEVER, adding someone who ‘knows’ data (which I’m saying I do) is even bigger. My gut tells me that a few tweaks here and there could have a big impact. – July 2018
The Blogging Business
I don’t do this for money. I don’t do it for clicks. I don’t do it for validation. I do it to document my belief system and my life.
Ten years later, do I think differently? Have I made major changes? Were there events that shaped me in ways I’d otherwise forget?
I also genuinely enjoy engaging with an audience where almost no one agrees with me. Aside from a few Sams (not Sam Stortz), I’m rarely on the popular side—and that’s part of the fun. There’s something entertaining about colliding with people who assume I’m a fucking idiot. *AI didn’t see that one coming* Yet, I’ve done a fair amount of traveling, talked with thousands of business owners / customers at this point, and am now working my way up the corporate chain of millions of dollars. I think I’ve earned some credibility.
Which is why I’m not surprised that when Sam posts this on Instagram, most of his friends probably skip my posts. Why would they read something written by someone they don’t know who holds fundamentally different views? Sam’s audience skews younger (than me) —products of liberal colleges and suburban environments.
I come from a very different place. I own a business. I reject socialism. I don’t subscribe to the idea of global harmony as a realistic goal. Those differences aren’t a flaw—they explain the disconnect. We’re speaking to different worlds, shaped by different incentives and experiences. Laura even made a comment that AI made me sound like a politician. Perhaps that’s in my future.
Keep posting Tom! Your brother should keep posting because I believe in free speech and I like his (non-political) blogs. As one of the Sam’s who agrees with your political blogs, I’m sure even we don’t agree on everything, but we do on the broad strokes – fiscally conservative, socially middle or left of center, and a proponent of US strength to keep the peace. Perhaps those who don’t agree with us and laugh at your silly blog posts will one day have that epiphany many young folks have when reality smacks them in the face. They’ll be thinking in traffic about the new tax on people who eat meat, or how the mayor who de-funded the police still hasn’t been found since his carjacking, then look out their window to see a bunch of young illegals hanging out not working, yet texting on the latest iPhone. They’ll say (with the windows rolled up) “Did my taxes pay for that shithead?” Or perhaps they’ll just be practicing their atheism in peace playing Catan on the day formerly known as Christmas, when one of these new illegals they defend will force them to convert or die, and think, “Maybe I should have gone to Mars with Tom, Elon and the Christians.” Maybe then they’ll remember your posts and be decent enough to comment that you were right. I’ll probably be frozen next to Walk Disney by then or have my consciousness uploaded to the eternal web. If so, I’ll be sure like their comment!