My blog is seven months old today. The photograph accompanying this post is what I initially posted on July 28, 2025. The full text of that initial post is repeated below:
As noted in my author bio, I am interested in genealogy (mainly my families), architecture, history, and religion. So, I may use this blog to comment on those topics. I will also use the blog to comment on my books (e.g., errors noted, new information, alternative wording, comments on reviews). Time will tell; if you have any questions or suggestions, send me an email.
When I woke up on July 28, 2025, I did not intend to create a website or blog that day. I stumbled upon a bookbub.com advertisement on the internet that suggested that it was very easy to create an author website (like robertcburdett.com) – via a link to my already existing “author” account on Amazon (amazon.com/author/bobbyburdett). The advertisement also offered a free 30-day trial. What did I have to lose?
It turned out the bookbub.com ad was true – it was extremely easy to create a website by selecting a few boxes and providing the above link to my Amazon account. One of the boxes checked created the blog that you see today – a blog that I had not planned, a blog that I was not sure what to do with (beyond my brief post on July 28, 2025).
So, today, seven months after this blog was born and a few days after I finished my funeral (planning series), I thought it might be appropriate to reflect on what this blog is today and what it should be in the future.
As regards my initial statement, I think I have, for the most part, done what I intended to do – to comment on my books, history, and religion. I had hoped that the website might boost my book sales; that has not happened. I did not expect that my blog would be as “personal” as it turned out to be (e.g., my vacations, my funeral) – but that is okay.
I recently started to mess around with artificial intelligence a bit – primarily Microsoft’s AI-powered assistant, Copilot. On one day a while back, I asked Copilot about my blog. The questions, requests, and abridged (but unaltered) answers are shown below.
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How does the blog at robertcburdett.com compare with other blogs?
Robert C. Burdett’s blog stands out for its reflective, personal, and historically inflected tone, which differs markedly from the more standardized, professionalized, or research‑oriented styles common across many other blogs.
It reads less like a content‑marketing platform and more like an ongoing intellectual diary—rooted in Catholic thought, cultural criticism, and personal reading habits—making it quite distinct from typical genre norms.
Tone & Voice: Conversational, reflective, lightly humorous, and rooted in personal experience—especially his reading life, Catholic commitments, and long-standing interests in history and culture.
Structure & Style: Posts often blend memoir, commentary, and cultural observation.
Audience: Readers interested in Catholic thought, history, genealogy, and reflective cultural commentary. Likely skews toward readers who appreciate long-form, contemplative writing rather than quick takes.
Overall Assessment: Burdett’s blog is unusual in today’s landscape: it’s neither commercial nor academic, but a hybrid of personal reflection, cultural analysis, and Catholic intellectual engagement. Its closest analogues are long-running personal essay blogs or Substack newsletters by writers who treat blogging as a form of public thinking rather than content production.
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Compare Robert Charles Burdett with Substack authors.
Absolutely — and this is a fun comparison because Burdett’s blog sits in a very different ecosystem from Substack, even though at first glance they seem like cousins. Substack has become the home of the “public intellectual newsletter,” while Burdett’s site feels more like a personal study, a place where someone thinks out loud without worrying about subscriber growth or brand identity.
Tone and Voice: Reflective, personal, and rooted in Catholic intellectual life. Writes as someone thinking through culture, history, and faith for his own understanding. No attempt to “perform” for an audience. Burdett writes for himself first, whereas Substack writers generally write for a paying readership.
Purpose and Intent: His blog functions as a personal intellectual journal. Posts are not optimized for virality, growth, or monetization. He writes to preserve memory, explore ideas, and articulate a Catholic worldview.
Audience: Readers who appreciate Catholic thought, historical reflection, cultural criticism with a moral lens, long-form contemplative writing. Likely a small but loyal audience. Burdett’s audience is intimate and organic; Substack audiences are structured around engagement metrics.
Final Take: Burdett’s blog is closest to the literary-religious corner of Substack, but it remains more intimate, less performative, and more rooted in personal intellectual life. If Substack is a public salon, Burdett’s blog is a private study with the door left open.
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My Comments on CoPilot’s Responses
Once again, CoPilot has “mostly” hit the nail on the head. It was not necessarily my intent that my posts be “long-form,” but it seems that I tend to get a bit windy. I do write to preserve memories (primarily mine) and articulate a Catholic worldview.
One of my main interests, as noted back on July 28, 2025, is history (generally) and the history of Western Civilization (more specifically). The Catholic Church played a major role in the establishment of Western Civilization and today’s woke culture is playing a major role in the destruction of that civilization. At times I have tried to reflect, analyze, and write about that ongoing battle.
I loved CoPilot’s statement that; “Burdett’s blog is a private study with the door left open.” Another statement amplifies that point – the study is “a place where someone thinks out loud.” I found both statements to be very perceptive. I typed the last sentence in my study with the door wide open. Occasionally my wife enters looking for an envelope or to discuss dinner plans; that is about it.
The above statements are also consistent with CoPilot’s statement that, “Burdett writes for himself first.” I believe that to be a true statement. CoPilot also concludes that I write for “a small but loyal audience.” My early “google analytics” reports indicate that my audience is extremely small, so small as to make it impossible to conclude whether they are in any way “loyal.”
And then there is Substack. I have toyed with the idea of moving my blog there – but my audience is so small, the audience for my books is virtually nonexistent, and it sounds too much like work – worrying about subscriber growth and brand identity, coming up with posts on a regular basis. Not now. Maybe, my thinking will change some day?
The Future of the Blog
After some reflection, I have decided to continue. I enjoy writing for myself. I think it has kept my geriatric brain active – at least one notch above doing word searches. The weather outside will be warming soon – time to plant flowers and vegetables – time to mow the lawn. As such, at least for the summer months, I intend to cut back a bit – maybe one post a week (Sunday mornings – shortly after midnight). Hope to see you there!