It was back in 2003 that Perseus Development Corporation conducted a survey on blogs. Their findings were very interesting. Fully 66% of all blogs had been abandoned (at least temporarily), not having been updated in two months. Of those abandoned blogs 25% boasted only one post, made the day the blog was created. Given these statistics I think it is safe to say that the majority of blogs created in the Naughts probably lasted only briefly. A blog that has lasted an entire decade is then very remarkable. The Rap Sheet has reached exactly that milestone, having turned ten years old yesterday. It was on May 22 2006 that it was launched.
For those of you unfamiliar with The Rap Sheet, it is a blog dedicated to crime fiction (the blog dedicated to crime fiction, in my opinion). What is more, The Rap Sheet doesn't simply cover the printed word, but also television shows, films, and radio shows as well. Over the years The Rap Sheet has featured articles on The NBC Mystery Movie, the classic radio show Suspense, and the films based on Dashiell Hammett's classic The Maltese Falcon. The Rap Sheet benefits from having multiple contributors, many of who are "top professionals" (to borrow a phrase from the American introduction to The Avengers). They don't simply write about crime fiction, they have actually written crime fiction. Quite simply, among The Rap Sheet's contributors are actual crime novelists.
In 2009 The Rap Sheet won a Spinetingler Award from Spinetingler Magazine for Special Services to the Industry. The Rap Sheet was twice nominated for the Anthony Award for Best Website/Blog.
For years now The Rap Sheet has been an invaluable resource for fans of crime fiction. It has always been both very informative and enjoyable to read. Here is to another ten years!
Thank you, Terence, for you kind and generous support of The Rap Sheet.
ReplyDeleteCheers,
Jeff