Comments on: Pop Occulture

By: The Definitive Guide to Tim Boucher’s Web Projects - [tmbchr]â„¢

The Definitive Guide to Tim Boucher’s Web Projects - [tmbchr]â„¢ — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 23:55:28 +0000

[...] Eventually, I outgrew the “Occult Investigator” name and character image. My writing was changing a lot, though I can’t for the life of me remember exactly how, and it felt like it was time to move on. I settled on “Pop Occulture” because it sounded more cerebral or something, and my writing was definitely reflecting that approach. I was attempting to modernize and streamline what I was doing, and trying to promote a more marketable face to the world. How successful I was in that, I have no idea. [...]

By: Inanna

Inanna — Fri, 02 Sep 2005 03:08:40 +0000

I might be delurking here, but I’ve been reading and linking to you for a while. I like the new logo a lot. “Occult investigator” was too stodgy and didn’t give a clear idea of what you do, in my opinion. It sounded like you spend your weekends hunting for ghosts with special electronic equipment. “Pop occulture” is catchy, hip. Good.

I’ve been thinking a bit since you posted about why so few women comment here. I don’t have a great explanation for you yet, but it struck me following links to Disinfo and attendant blogs that there is something very macho and “hipper than thou” about those sites. They lose my interest quickly. It doesn’t help that one of the bloggers described his interview subject as interesting “and a total babe to boot.” But I need to think more about what’s going on there. I don’t feel the same off-putting vibe from your site, btw.

By: J. Puma

J. Puma — Thu, 01 Sep 2005 23:52:05 +0000

yeah it looks frickin’ killer with the star in the o! brilliant!

By: Dan

Dan — Thu, 01 Sep 2005 21:16:07 +0000

Seriously, I just want to stare at that logo. It’s inspiring. It would look great on a book. If I were you, I’d trademark it ASAP.

By: Dan

Dan — Thu, 01 Sep 2005 21:15:05 +0000

Damn, that looks even better! Bad-ass.

By: Tim Boucher

Tim Boucher — Thu, 01 Sep 2005 20:42:42 +0000

Thanks James! I thought maybe about putting a star inside the O in pop. let me try that

By: Tim Boucher

Tim Boucher — Thu, 01 Sep 2005 20:41:19 +0000

Yeah, I’m working on that whole thing. Thinking of changing the hand to more of a personal logo, and let the skull etc stand on its own. Yeah, the skull was inspired by disinfo’s little character

By: james

james — Thu, 01 Sep 2005 20:40:23 +0000

Excellent choice for a new name, and I’m not just saying that. People respond to clever angles and takes on what is already out there. You are re-defining this blog on your own terms and “owning” it. Run with it– especially if you are achieving instant results.

As for the logo: it’s good, but something about using that magnificent capital O in the word “occulture” is at odds with the lower-case O in ‘pop’, which has no corresponding skull. I’m looking at it composition-wise, symmetrically perhaps… but, it IS readable, and that counts for more than anything. Only a dumbass will not be able to make the connection between ‘occult’ and ‘culture’…

Congrats!

By: Daddy Peacebucks

Daddy Peacebucks — Thu, 01 Sep 2005 20:26:03 +0000

Ooh! The skull is a great logo! I can see how it also resonates with that disinfo logo you’re talkin’ about in the newest post. Was that inspiration?

I second the thing about the st. peter’s hand clashing with the new logo/header. I love it, but it doesn’t quite go. Perhaps, if you have a separate section for something, you could still use it and the name Conclave as well; like, if you start a message board off of your main site: it could be Pop Occulture presents The Conclave and have that good ol’ familiar spooky saint hand.

Just a thought.

By: Daddy Peacebucks

Daddy Peacebucks — Thu, 01 Sep 2005 20:19:42 +0000

I like that the new name sounds or associates well with “popular culture.” Say “Pop Occulture” ten times fast–it could pass as a slang phrase or contraction for popular culture itself. I like that. I think it’s a cool effect.

By: Tim Boucher

Tim Boucher — Thu, 01 Sep 2005 18:06:02 +0000

Well I’m glad SOMEBODY likes it! Jeesh!

By: Dan

Dan — Thu, 01 Sep 2005 17:56:31 +0000

Wow, the new logo and title are perfect.

By: Tim Boucher

Tim Boucher — Thu, 01 Sep 2005 17:38:49 +0000

That’s great, but I have much bigger plans in store.

By: Jacob

Jacob — Thu, 01 Sep 2005 17:35:39 +0000

I was actually quite fond of the plain, black, roman Tim Boucher print header. heh I’m a real minimalist, I guess.

By: J. Puma

J. Puma — Thu, 01 Sep 2005 16:43:05 +0000

i think the logo is rad. it’s totally comic-book-y. my only aesthetic comment might be that it clashes a little with st. peter’s hand, there. i like ‘em both, but they look slightly odd next to one another. but that’s just my ‘pinion.

By: Tim Boucher

Tim Boucher — Thu, 01 Sep 2005 16:30:40 +0000

Yeah Nickelodeon is what I’m going for, although I’d maybe substitute the term “comic book”. I like to ride that almost cheesy edge to establish a sort of “safe zone” for the more serious stuff that goes on within these pages.

Yeah, I’m going to swap out the home page, FAQ and update some other stuff, so sit tight. I’m on top of it

By: Jacob

Jacob — Thu, 01 Sep 2005 16:20:57 +0000

just get rid of that home page. make timboucher.com redirect to timboucher.com/journal or something.

also I might suggest hyphenating pop-occulture thusly. tool around with the logo a bit, too–seems kinda clunky, and kind of “nickelodeon.”

By: Tim Boucher

Tim Boucher — Thu, 01 Sep 2005 14:55:33 +0000

Shoot me an email. I have lots of ideas. Let me know where it is you’re trying to increase traffic to.

By: alistair

alistair — Thu, 01 Sep 2005 14:53:21 +0000

i need a good source of information on how to increase web traffic. all of the seaches i do lead my to hyperbolic web sales pages promising 10,000 hits per day. any ideas?

By: Tim Boucher

Tim Boucher — Thu, 01 Sep 2005 14:51:33 +0000

My ad rate has also shot up which means that people are reading through, or at least scrolling down to the bottom of the page. Both excellent results.

By: alistair

alistair — Thu, 01 Sep 2005 14:50:20 +0000

well, yes, you can`t argue with a shift like that!

By: Tim Boucher

Tim Boucher — Thu, 01 Sep 2005 14:48:53 +0000

My hits have gone up an average of about 500 people per day since dropping the “occult investigator” name. The proof is in the pudding!

By: alistair

alistair — Thu, 01 Sep 2005 14:46:28 +0000

the hidden meaning and significance of popular culture. from madonna to madonna in one stroke. the issue of the right name is one of branding. you have worked to push the occult investigator brand into the consciousness of the net. give it time for the echo to return. my view is that any changes now will dilute your position and diminish your exposure. do you see a reflection in your hit rate as a result, or do you monitor your webstats?

By: Tim Boucher

Tim Boucher — Thu, 01 Sep 2005 14:24:20 +0000

Well, I don’t know about all that other stuff Stephen, but I’m definitely keeping the logo. This just feels like a much more appropriate direction for where I want to take my work. I’m not throwing a way being an occult investigator - after all, who could be a better writer on Pop Occulture than that?

By: Darkshadow

Darkshadow — Thu, 01 Sep 2005 12:27:54 +0000

Hmm, if you say it real fast, it sounds like “Papa Culture.”

By: Stephen

Stephen — Thu, 01 Sep 2005 07:20:47 +0000

Don’t let them change your title!
Don’t let them define you!
Keep the “Occult Investigator”title!
We’re Gnostics and Seeker of the Truth!
We are friggin rebels, bro!
Screw them, Ignore them!

P.S.
Also keep the Pop Occulture logo, it looks cool!