Yesterday Ian of The Hard Word decided to take a break from blogging. This really is a bummer. He’s one of the best writers and genuine ‘nice guys’ I’ve noticed since I started this blog. I hope his sabbatical is short.
What I found interesting was all the responses to his ‘work stoppage’. Not just at his blog, but at a few others where this was mentioned. Most responses were the obvious ‘noooo’ and ‘what a bummer’ type (mine included). Some were questions as to why. I wondered if it just got too boring or hard to do for him. He really had some great stories and well done posts. It appeared to be some effort.
Lately I’ve noticed an increasing amount of comments and posts from people apologizing and/or at least mentioning how they ‘promise to post something more interesting’ soon. Makes me wonder how many bloggers work hard on their posts? A lot of them seem well crafted and others seem spontaneous. Most seem to be a combination of both. That’s how mine is. Sometimes I have a subject pop into my head and I’ll think about it and write all my thoughts down and then create a post. This might take a couple of days.
Also a lot of my posts are spur of the moment. Just an emotional reaction and a quick type job and there it is. Those are obvious. Those are also the ones I sometimes regret posting when I see them later. But since they were honest reactions, I let them where they are. After all, that’s what this blog is basically for, a type of journal.
The question is, what do bloggers shoot for when doing a post? Is it an attempt at starting a discussion? Is it just a journal of their life? Is it a place for ego-biscuit generated by comments? Seems to me that it could be all three. It also seems to me that if it all becomes ‘work’ or a struggle, it’s probably not worth doing.
I just like to have fun with it. I really like making a connection with people in areas of the world I’ve never been and may never see. (I read every one of the blogs I have linked plus some that are linked at sites I regularly visit. I may not comment on everything, but I do read them.) Mostly. I think it’s great to know that somewhere out there is someone else who can identify with you on more than 1 level and can actually care for someone they’ve never actually met. Modern technology is great, isn’t it?
So, Ian has taken a break. I hope it’s a short one. I hope the blog isn’t getting him down. I hope others aren’t feeling pressure to post cool, funny & interesting stuff just to keep readers coming back. Personally, I don’t think that’s what most blogs are meant for. For me, I like getting a glimpse into others thoughts and feelings and the funny, interesting well crafted stuff is like icing on the cake.
G’day Ian. Enjoy your break. Come back soon.
(This was written on Tuesday. It wouldn't publish. Let's see if it will now.)
13 comments:
Pretty quick today Bob... took about 10 seconds of wait time for a comment box. Not too bad compared to the 12 minutes average this week. :)
Re; the posts.
This is something I've said before too...
It's almost easier to post things before you get 'regulars' who read your blog. You can just type what you want, not caring. When you have regulars you start to feel a little pressure.
Me? I try to shrug off the pressure. I can usually do this and say 'screw it' and I type boring day to day things just because want to get it out of my system.
I do NOT type up funny, witty posts into "Word" and work on them before hand. I do not edit them, spend time on them or take over 2 minutes to write. LOL.
I open my blogger box, type and post. The end. I don't have time to prepare novels in Word and be picky about my posts. LOL.
I like reading everyone's blogs because I'm nosy and I like the different stories or topics that people write about.
As far as my own, I don't write to amuse people. I just write about things that are happening or questions that I have. If you laugh, fine, if not, it's fine too. Same with comments-I can take them or leave them. Sometimes I do feel pressured to write SOMETHING, but if I don't have anything going on, I won't just write to fill up space.
I hope Ian comes back soon too.
I just have diarrhea of the mouth. I just write what I would say.
I do spell check twice. I also hate writing depressing posts about arguing with Michael especially several days in a row.
I never delete any posts or leave any unpublished. I try to treat my blog as if I were talking to someone.
I have a blog because Michael suggested I start one. It never occurred to me that someone would read it, let alone comment on it. I like the friends I have made, so I continue to write whatever crap comes to my mind, even if it's not funny or entertaining. I am only myself...even if that's not so great some times.:)
Meritt, I do the same thing most of the time. I do worh on some, like the Highwayman ones, just because they don't just come to me. The spontaneous ones are obvious.
Peachy, I like the variety too. It's very interesting reading about all the topics and feelings, stuff I may not think about on my own. I like the comments, but I don't mind if there are none. If I start writing for comments, I think that would cause me to feel pressure.
Nina, your blog is one of the best. It's obviously spontaneous and you write well. I'm glad you have "diarrhea of the mouth".
90% of mine are spontaneous.
I do some of mine in word, but just because then I don't have to be on the internet here at work and can just add to it if I have something else I need to do and can only get to write a few words at a time.
Sometimes blogger feels like work to me and I've contemplated quitting, but haven't yet. I know I'll like to come back some day and see what all I wrote and why and what was going on in my life.
And I just like to talk :-)
i'm going to have to say that most of mine are just crap that i write because i feel like it. to be honest, i didn't think anyone would stop by... or find anything i have to say interesting. i still don't know if anyone finds it interesting, but i still write. i actually started it because i was emailing steve so many times a day that i thought maybe i was annoying him ... figured i'd blog and when he had a chance, he could check it out on his own time...
it's just a place for me to vent and write about stuff that i like and things that i do... and it's nice because i can go back and remember everything... without the effort of having to keep a "real" journal ... since i'm at the computer all day anyway....
i would like to say that i really like the people that i've met... it's nice to know that there are funny, smart people out there... :) i have way more friends on blogger than i do in real life. heh.
blah, blah, blah, sorry. :)
My blog started because I needed an easier way to post my pet peeves lists. I used to update them on my web site, but that got to be a chore, so a coworker recommended Blogger. Ah, that fateful day. My two best friends have been posting on it from the beginning and I have added a few more people over time. The whole point of my blog is to post about something that is pissing you off right at the moment, so by their very nature, these posts are spontaneous. I do prefer for them to be at least mildly amusing or relatable. It isn't always peeves and bothers, though, sometimes it is random posts about why we are the way we are such as quiz results and my recent post entitled "Some reasons why it's probably best I don't have any kids yet." I do go back and edit posts after the fact for spelling and grammar, but I don't put a lot of thought into writing them. I have other outlets for that sort of writing.
Lars, I do most of mine in Word now because the damn blogger has a tendency to eat the posts. That way I don't lose what I wrote. Don't quit bud, I like your blog.
Veronica, I felt the relief of being able to post today too. I know what you mean by 'feeling attached' to some of the blog friends. I am too. I don't have a problem talking to anyone, anywhere though. I like meeting new people. BTW, I like the word 'cajones'.
Grace, your blog has some of the most versitile subject matter. Like Nina's, it's obviously spontaneous and it's pretty funny the way you express yourself.
Michelle, I have been lurking at your blog for a while. I find the mini-rants so funny. Lots of times I'll be thinking that I can identify with them.
J, I guess I'm lucky we connected before you changed names again. I'd be bummed if you disappeared so if you are planning that again, let me know.
If you become a Yankee for a year, you'll get spoiled. It will become habit forming. If you do, I'll check out a few Hockey games, assuming there ever are any more.
Well thanks Bob - and everyone - that was a really nice thing to say.
Because of the way I write, I do it all in word first, then just copy and paste it. I spend a long time over posts, but I enjoy writing, so that doesn't bother me.
I find myself being quite a harsh judge on my writing though. That, rather than the time I take to write, is more of a contributing factor to me taking a break now. I don't think the posts I have been writing have been very funny recently. So I decided to stop for a while. Plus I really do need to find paying work soon, or else I'm looking at having to leave Australa. Funds are running short, folks...
So I'm gone but hopefully not forgotten. I'll be back at some point, I just don't know when. But thanks everyone, the comments mean a lot. And I'll still be reading everyone else's Blogs while I'm gone...
I've been on blogger for about a year. At first it was just to rant about work. Most of my friends and family either don't understand the type of work I do or are grossed out about some of the things I usually talk about. A blog was a way for me to talk about the stuff I hated/loved about my job without getting "the look" from my friends/family.
Then I realized just how fun it is to post random things about everything in my life. So, my blog evolved from mostly work-related to everything-related.
I usually only post when I've thought of something I feel is interesting. I look at it as more of a diary. I'm only posting things that I myself will like to read later. It really is a peek into my life. If other people find it interesting and choose to comment, then that's wonderful, but not necessary for me to keep writing. I really do enjoy reading others' comments, even though that's not exactly what I'm writing for.
I usually type in blogger but if it's a long post, then I'll copy and paste periodically into wordpad just so I don't lose it if blogger goes haywire. And I always go back over it to check for spelling and grammar errors. When I read posts, mistakes jump out at me. It disrupts the flow of reading and I hate it, so I try to have my posts error-free.
I started mine to meet a hot Yankees fan. I've succeeded, so now I can quit. Hey......maybe that was Ian's goal all along too! Did you ever think of that???
I began blogging because of my husband. I don't worry too much about what I write. I write what's on my mind or what's happening in our lives. If you don't like it, well, p*ss off. :)
i blog, therefore i am.
i don't write for anyone. well, i guess that's not true. i used to have a regular webpage (at the URL i am at now) and updated it occasionally for family and friends to see what's going on. i am so horrible at writing emails you see. but generally i just write whatever comes into my crazy little head. i am not writing it for anyone out there to read. just for me, i think. although it is occasionally a challenge to see if i can make people laugh or not. ;)
and the only time i have ever had anything to do with Word is when i know blogger is being a bitch and i am afraid it'll delete my post when i try to post. so i started saving the posts in word so that if it got lost i would still have it. also, if the spell check isn't working on blogger i cut and paste into word to check spelling.
that is if i actually remember to spell check. i hate rereading. ha!
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