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Monday, May 09, 2005

I'm a Blog Sinner

I've been reading articles and other blogs on how to blog. I want to improve here and be more interesting. In my quest for knowledge, I stumbled across this blog. It was bit disheartening to realize I've committed many, if not all, of the sins listed here. At least I've refrained from mentioning what I had for breakfast. But as I continued reading and began thinking about it, I decided I disagree with some of the suppositions made here.

First, the assumption seems to be that all blogs should be news blogs, filling in "the nooks and crannies of information available, if you will, and to make the Internet a more efficient research tool by voting with their links for its best content"

Um, no, I don't think so. A blog can have a theme that has nothing to do with picking up where the NY Times left off. The important thing is the promise a particular blog writer makes to their audience. I've never promised to supplement the mainstream media. My purpose in beginning a blog was to give a glimpse into a published author's life, in particular my life. Some days I'll talk about how my writing is going, other days I'll talk about something interesting I found on the net while I should have been writing, and on yet other days, it'll be another topic. I'm willing to gear this blog to address what people would like to see, but I'm not striving to be a news outlet either.

The author's second assumption seems to be that a web "diary" holds no interest for anyone except the vain blogger as they talk on and on about themselves. Here I'll admit he has a point--now. As I was surfing the blogosphere, I was amazed by how many spam blogs and what I had for breakfast blogs were out there. However, while the diary blogs are not all that interesting now, some day archeologists, anthropologists and historians are going to be in raptures over the vast amount of day to day life they have to wade through. Today, historical diaries, like from the Civil War, give a more complete look at the world back then than any history book can give. This isn't banal--even if it isn't that interesting now.

"If weblogs are to enhance the Internet itself -- not just authors' misplaced vanities, weblog creators should recognize that their contributions to the Internet are important to a world of curious readers and take them -- and, by implication, themselves -- much more seriously than the exercises in vain banality their sites have become."

But who said weblogs were responsible for enhancing the internet? Granted, when I do a search while I'm looking for research information for a point in a book I'm writing, I don't want to end up on some teenager's blog, but on the other hand, I believe blogs are what they are--a forum. It's like television, if the program doesn't interest you, turn the channel.

This blogger needs to lighten up. If there are bloggers out there who want to change the world, hurrah! Go to it. As for me, well, I have a book due December 1st, I'm waiting for revisions on my October book and I'm trying to get things organized to promote Crimson Veil. I don't have time to "enhance the internet," I'm too busy just trying to write and work full time.

MN Weather Report: 62 degrees.