Saturday, January 15, 2005

Move along now, there's nothing to see


I’ve heard a lot of people talking about ‘blogging and the suggestion that it’s the true emancipation of the decimation of information.

While that might sound like some lyric from a 80’s protest rap song, it’s certainly covers some of the positives of ‘blogging.


With an opinion and a ‘blog, someone can publicize their thoughts in a truly democratized way: if someone disagrees with you, they’ll tell you as much. Thus, my ‘blog exists as a means for me to store my opinions and allow those like-minded to read and comment.

But there is a flip-side to all of this, and it’s a dark one. What if your ‘blog is never seen?

For example, consider the observations of this fellow 'blogger who has seen things in a similar light to myself. Rather than creating an immediate forum for ones opinions / rants / rambles / insights et cetera, the internet can simply become an even larger room to be stood in a corner feeling even more alone.

It’s sad, and it’s also a reflection of a community on a global scale: there are always lonely people who -- no matter how they thrust themselves into a vast crowd of people -- will always stand alone.

This ‘blog is purely experimental. Getting the traffic of people through needed to make my ‘blog rise through the ranks is not going to be easy -- if it ever happens. But this ‘blog represents more than a hand held out in a dark room, I have a voice that I know is heard in the real world if not this one...

5 Comments:

Blogger Wayne Smallman said...

I'm never going to post something like: 'little kitty did a wee wee .. bless!'

I don't do diaries. I find my head is quite able to store the day-to-day stuff efficiently enough: the good stuff sticks, the shit stuff sinks.

I'm not sure I'm ever going to post anything truly enlightening, but I'm sure I do a good line in provocative and just down-right insulting...

11:56 am  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hi everyone, or two?

It's only very recently that I've started to take an interest in blogging, but from a weblogging angle. In my hunt to find useful weblogs I've also come across other useful blogs.

But, what about those blogs that may be seen by others to be purely time-wasting and of no value? First of all I'm not altogether sure that those blogs aren't being appreciated. I mean someone is reading these things and maybe getting something from them. It could even be that they cater to a particular crowd or type of person that helps their own world have the same meaning. I dunno?

I also know from experience how easy is to want to rant and rave as soon as you get your blog, or as in my case a web site. I guess once you start to see how silly all of this is you'll then want to start to rant and rave about things that matter to all of us.

4:08 pm  
Blogger Wayne Smallman said...

Hi MacRankin!

Thanks for posting:

"But, what about those blogs that may be seen by others to be purely time-wasting and of no value? First of all I'm not altogether sure that those blogs aren't being appreciated."

That's a valid point, you just can't be sure.

If you go simply by comments alone, then that could be a misdirection in terms of website metrics.

In the end, there's probably no way of knowing.

I think that in the end, it comes down to common sense; some 'blogs are so utterly bizarre / boring / weird / odd / unintelligible, that you can be pretty sure no one is reading them...

4:13 pm  
Blogger emilyahostutler said...

I'll say this: my blog manifested as a means for doing some writing that I was planning to do by hand every morning. Several friends of mine were discussing thier blogs every day and I figured this would be a more creative venture. I guess what is nice, is that I have had a lot of junk in my head that I thought of of no interest to anyone but me-to my surprize people actual read and process this stuff. You described your blog as "the darker side" to blogging. Why is this?

8:29 pm  
Blogger Wayne Smallman said...

You really have been digging down into my 'blog.

This is an old'n!

"You described your blog as "the darker side" to blogging. Why is this?"

That's easy.

I often say the things that most people secretly think but would otherwise keep to themselves.

I tend to polarize people's opinions but offering up a scenario that has no happy middle ground.

I would much prefer to have people either love me or loathe me than simply be indifferent to me.

That way, I at least know they're paying attention...

12:49 am  

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