Alright, it's Monday and you might be asking yourself "where is the election coverage I was promised?" If you are asking that thank you for reading last Tuesday's post. After much consideration I have decided that there are much better places to find election coverage than here and that since I am assuming my readers are at least reasonably intelligent, you will go there.
So what will I post about on Mondays? Anything, everything whatever I find interesting on that day and feel like writing about.
So today I am going to discuss blogs themselves, why do people write them and why do other people read them?
There are blogs out there on quite literally every imaginable topic. A quick search will find discussions on knitting, cooking, animal husbandry, math, politics, and which Star Trek Captain is best. The Internet has allowed anyone with an opinion to share it instantly and some of those opinions are even read by others.
As I started putting this blog together I was asked by a friend to include a "blogroll" a list of blogs I like and then perhaps they in turn would list me on theirs. As I began the process (which is started but far from complete) I realized that the vast majority of people I know have blogs of their own.
I am reminded of a comic I read back in the mid eighties (When Cable TV started to become very widespread) that stated "By the year 2000 there will be over 15,000 TV stations. How will you ever decide what to watch?" The other character then replied: "No one will watch anything, we will all be too busy appearing on each other's talk shows" In some ways I feel blogging has fulfilled that prophecy.
The end result is a gigantic "blogosphere" in which we each strive to have our voices heard above the din, and hope that maybe just once, we can say something that is important to at least one other person. Most of us won't. A rare few become superstars. Even more will shine brightly for a moment and then crush themselves under the weight of their own success.
I thank you all for joining me as we learn together exactly what kind of blog this one will end up being.
P.S. I was asked if I would be responding to posted comments. For the time being the answer to that is "no" Someone I once counted as a friend and mentor began posting too many comments on his own blog and that was the first step on a path that lead to his ruin. I would like to avoid that.
Hi There Fish!! This is realwest - just wanted to say how right you are about everyone posting their own blogs!
ReplyDeleteIndeed, tech-tard that I am, I had a blog that lasted all of two weeks - a long, LONG time ago. I think it was even before the advent of Blogspot!
But I wrote about the kinds of things that were personal. Things that had meaning for ME but obviously not for anyone else.
I'm happily ensconced now at what I dubbed "C2" for Correspondence Committee.com having discovered that writing a blog is fun but tedious and a LOT of work. I've found many friends at C2 who have responded very nicely indeed to some essays I've written there or co-authored there. Its MUCH easier than trying to do your own blog!
But I would suggest that responding to comments need not make the blog all about YOU - especially if you don't "hammer home" the point that the blog thread was all about in the first place! Just try to respond to the questions that are asked by your readers.
I do sincerely wish you the very best of luck with this blog and appreciate that you provide a "fresh" take on matters large and small for your readers to enjoy.