That's what I think when I see just how many active blogs exist out there.
Blogs seem a lot like glorified journals to me. I don't especially care what most average people have to say about Obamacare or their favorite place for a Brazilian bikini wax. I thought these were the things we used to journal about--privately! Since when do we want other people reading our journals? Those are called memoirs, and no one actually writes their own, anyway, so the point is moot.
However, my "AHA!" this week comes from reading the blogs that actually teach us something. No, I don't mean the blogs that pretend to teach us something (http://cubachi.com/2010/08/26/bristol-palin-to-be-on-dancing-with-the-stars-let-her-have-fun/), but the ones that actually help us save money (http://moneysavingmom.com/) or make home repairs (http://diy-home-repair.com/) or travel efficiently (http://wdwfanboys.com/index.php) or cheat death (http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/13891). Those are the blogs worth reading. And if you take notice, they are also the ones with lots of ads. Because people click on ads when they read the blogs. And that generates revenue. And smart people like revenue.
So, what am I saying? Only smart people should blog? Well, perhaps, in a way. If you have something to share with the world that is going to MEAN SOMETHING to other people, then by all means, blog away. If not, then please, keep your journal at home. I don't really care about your shimmery lipstick that goes perfectly with your Prada bag that you bought on sale at Macy's with your new boyfriend and his lactose-intolerant daughter (a child from his first marriage he neglected to tell you about until now, three months into your relationship--queue drama!). So, thank you for sharing, but really, no thanks.
Mike, I can completely relate to your feelings about certain blogs. Do you ever wonder how much server space is being taken up by all the worthless blogs? Then again, who define what is a worthless blog?
ReplyDeleteMike-
ReplyDeleteI completely get what you are saying about the oversharing of information. Just because a lot of what we do is digital now, doesn't mean that we need to share every aspect of our life with strangers. Although, I do have to admit that sometimes the oversharing can be quite humorous and give me a good laugh :)
There is definitely an level of digital over-sharing going on with the number of blogs authored on the Internet. While to most of us they can be totally pointless or uninformative. They all serve a purpose. For some, a source of venting, others and only source of relief. At the same time that people are allowed to post this non-sense, we have the same right to not have to read it. It is amazing though the level of information that people post on the Internet for everyone to read. I'm definitely not one of those people that share their entire life online.
ReplyDeleteMike,
ReplyDeleteAs I read your post, the word that kept popping into my head was, "AMEN!" I agree with everything you said. I remember keeping a diary as a little girl. You know, the normal stuff: what boy I thought was cute, how mean I thought my parents and teachers were, and how I hoped Santa would bring me a pink bike with a basket on the handle bars for Christmas. Even though my diary contained nothing earth-shattering, I thought I would literally die if anyone, especially my older brother, read it. That is why I, like you, can't understand why or when private thoughts became so public. I no longer keep a diary but if I did, it certainly wouldn't be online for the whole world to read.
Ande Gibbs
I agree with you, Mike. To be a blog about Bristol dancing is simply a ploy for attention from a very lonely person. I am learning to enjoy blogs that are topical to me and contain information that I find interesting..Bristol, however, is a no..I'm finding many blogs that are simply out there taking up space..written by very lonely people starved for attention. As a result of this activity I am actually looking for blogs that concern topics I'm interested in...It's really amazing to see what's out there.
ReplyDeleteAlthough the Blog about Brazilian bikini wax sounds interesting, I agree with you, quite a bit of what is going on in the blogisphere (I have no idea how to spell that) seems to be either lonely ranting or an attempt to generate revenue. When working on the setup for our class blog I took a run through the toutorial on how to generate revenue with advertising. If I could get everyone of my classmates to click on link in our blog every week for the next month, I could almost by a cup of coffee. Well, cheep coffee and I would probably have to throw in a buck to boot.
ReplyDeleteWith that said, there are legitimate reasons to have a blog. My wife keeps one going to update out of town friends and family with the happenings of our lives. I also have a good friend that just spent 2 years in Africa with the Peace Corps. His wife kept us all updated with a blog and to boot, posted requests for items they needed from the states. I guess what I’m trying to say is that they are not all bad.
Now where do I find the Brazilian bikini wax?