Blogittyblogittyblogittyblog.

You know, apart from everything that happens on the internet, one thing that bothers me is people that put their emotions, thoughts, and (mostly) problems on the internet and then get angry when anyone responds. I’m not thinking of any particular examples, just in general. The internet is like a public building, for the most part. Writing out everything about yourself on the web and getting angry at the feedback is like taking off your clothes at the post office and expecting no one to point or throw a blanket over you. Or take pictures and post them on the internet, but that distroys the analogy by making it recursive.

I mean, people, suck it up. I know that’s not a particularly nice thing to say (and if you’re genuinely mentally depressed, go get help), but there you have it. Talk about something else than just yourself. It helps. Unless you have the most interesting life ever — and trust me, you don’t — why are you subjecting the denizens of the internet to it? Unless you want attention, in which case quit the whining about what people say back. Because you can’t have your cake and eat it too. If you don’t let people respond when and how they wish, they’ll probably get pissed and stop reading.

If you want a diary or a personal journal, keep one in a notebook or in a text file on your hard drive. If you want a blog, give me some ideas or thoughts; be funny; be satirical; link to a news item you find interesting, a news item you think others like you would be interested in too; something, please, something other than your petty little gripes about the life you’re squandering moping about feeling sorry for yourself.

Do you see that sort of thing on my blog? Yeah, maybe every once in a while. But not every freaking post. Frankly, my personal life isn’t going to be appealing to anyone but my closest friends and a few random stalkers (who really need to pick someone more attractive and famous than me, thanks guys).

For instance, the fact that I have links on the sidebar of my blog is a tacit indication that I want people to read it, and if they find nothing of interest here, go somewhere else that just might be a little more exciting or whatever. Unless of course I’m so self-absorbed that I have my blog as my own homepage and use it as a portal outward to the great web beyong. I assure you, I’m not that narcissistic.

Anyways, enough of that for now. Just, please, think of the people that might read your blog. You have it on the internet for a reason. If you want prayers, ask for them. If you want feedback, ask for it. If you don’t want anything of the sort, turn off comments, or even better, clear the blogosphere and get some real life friends.

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Posted January 10th, 2005 in main.

4 comments:

  1. Anonymous:

    some very enlightening thoughts, dax, as long as you are, as you say, not referring to anyone in specific.

    funny thing is though, i was under the impression of a blog being defined as an “online journal”. you of all people should know that many people like to write simply to express. all your writings may be persuasive, but who are you to tell the world their writings must also be written as such, or something like it?

    intelligent writing involves identifying your audience and writing to them. you don’t use technical terms to a layman, and you don’t break your details into layman’s terms for one well-educated. but this only applies when you are writing FOR THEM. online journals are often not written for the audience, and even if they were, how would one define an audience when putting it on the web for the whole WORLD???

    rather dax, maybe you need to stop living your blog for an audience.

    of course, i have not read whichever post it was where unnamed person asked for no replies, but then again, you never shared that info. b/c obviously if he/she blatantly begged no replies, he/she’s delusional, b/c of the very place in where he/she posts. but i suspect he/she wanted to avoid a very specific type of feedback.

    ::K::

    January 18th, 2005 at 6:51 am
  2. Scatterfingers:

    It’s a common mistake to assume that weblogs evolved out of “online journals”; they actually evolved out of crude things that we would probably just see as a list of links to stuff around the web. They were logs of where a particular surfer had surfed. Blogs are growing into online journals, but I think that’s mostly neither here nor there.

    I have to question the motives of a person who puts their thoughts or life up on the web and then claims that they don’t want anyone to read what they’ve written. If that’s really the case, then why not do it somewhere else, or at least not advertise the blog’s addy anywhere? Keep a paper journal, or a big ole word document and back it up on the web somewhere if that makes you feel better about it.

    Frankly, I write for an audience, and I know it. I know who most of the people are. Do I write to please my audience? Sometimes. Do I write to cause controversy? Sometimes, because I’m like that. Do I write because I want to say something and I want someone to hear? Almost always. The question becomes less whether or not you write for an audience and gear your blog to that audience, but whether the blog is accessible to both “inside” audience members, and to people that wander in off the web. I like to think I keep a good balance of both. I mean, you read back in the archives, there’s all kinds of stuff on any and all subjects.

    My blog is like trail mix.

    Can I tell someone what their blog is supposed to be? Within certain limits, sure. But mostly I expect people to be honest with themselves: people read your blog, and you want people to read your blog. It’s that simple. Why do you want people to read your blog? Complicated question. Probably for the same reason that you like people to listen when you’re in a conversation. Just that it’s a conversation between you anyone who happens to come along; that doesn’t negate the fact that when people read and comment on a blog it’s a nice feeling, if only because at least they care enough to read.

    The only problem is a lot of blogs are so pathetic it’s difficult to care or want to read. That’s the bottom line. If you don’t care who reads, don’t care. But you might as well take your blog of the internet and stop writing as if anyone is listening.

    January 18th, 2005 at 7:43 am
  3. Anonymous:

    if i was mistaken in the history of blogs, i accept your further knowledge of it (seeing as i have no basis besides the impression i was under). i submit to your point.

    and it would follow that if a blog is NOT merely an online journal, you WOULD be inevitably writing for an audience. in that aspect i agree. but if (and i do think this must be quite a popular occurence) someone is using a blog account merely for expression as i previously mentioned, then in that aspect i still would hold that i am right. the majority of bloggers probably don’t give two timbits what the history of blogs are. and i think a lot of them are under the same impression i was - that they are for online journals. to express.

    while yes, many people do want feedback, and in many scenarios, i don’t see that you can blanket that logically.

    there are musicians who produce music for an audience. and then there are musicians who produce music merely to express. same thing with writing. and to use your example, same thing for spoken word (though obviously to a lesser extent). there are plenty of people - whether you or i can relate to them or not - who like to say things, sing things, and write things without getting a reaction. maybe just to make us think. maybe just to feel. or maybe b/c they have a thought that they don’t want to argue about, but do want to share. not all personalities like to have their thoughts, ideas, and emotions up for debate/discussion.

    ::K::

    January 18th, 2005 at 9:13 am
  4. Scatterfingers:

    Oh for sure, some people want to express just to express. I do that with what I write, for instance. The only thing is that I express it in private, on my computer. The only reason I ever post any of what I do is because I consider it pretty good (or at least readable) and I really do want someone to read it.

    I can’t judge others motives. I’m sure a lot of people have a blog because everyone else has a blog, or because it’s easy and free, or because they’re bored, or because it’s an easy way to back up their shit… whatever. But it still stands to reason that if something is available for people to read, there’s probably some desire in the person posting it for others to read it, and there’s probably at some time going to be someone that does actually read it.

    The question still remains, if you must express yourself, why must you do it online, or why must you do it in front of all those people?

    I would think it’s the same thing as someone getting together a band to jam and have fun… nothing wrong with that. But most bands don’t just jam and have fun: most bands are out there letting people hear their music for whatever reason. It doesn’t really matter what the reason is that the band is playing live; people are hearing them, and if that really doesn’t matter to them, well, why are they playing in front of people?

    A valid question, I would think. Most creativity engenders viewing just by the nature of what it is.

    January 18th, 2005 at 12:18 pm

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