Blogging-- why would an individual bother?

[Nords]

I see that a couple posters here also run blogs. MarketWatch has a Robert Powell article that largely pans the retirement-blog genre. It also bemoans the lack of blogs from those near or in ER, which sounds a little peevish considering that we must have "so much time" to devote to blogging about our ER experiences. Powell wants people to tell him what blogs he should read so that he can publicize (or pan) them in a future article.

I can appreciate that blogging is a great way for a business to grab your attention every day or week with "Look what I'm doing!" posts. But it seems to be a monologue rather than a dialogue and it's not easy to see who's reading or how busy the site is. My impression is that bloggers are quite happy to yak away without caring if anyone is listening, let alone pausing to let someone else carry the conversation, and that blogging "feedback" mechanisms are minimal. I don't read many blogs and I don't think it's worth my effort to start one. Personally I'd rather stick with the more challenging discussion-board format.

But if my impressions are wrong, I'm ready to be dissuaded...

 

[Martha]

Greg and I briefly had a discussion about starting a blog where we could talk to each other while others watched. :

 

[Nords]

Greg and I briefly had a discussion about starting a blog where we could talk to each other while others watched.   :

Hey, if you posted photos with that you could charge subscription fees!

An exhibitionist lawyer-- what a surprise!!

 

[REWahoo]

I don't read many blogs and I don't think it's worth my effort to start one. Personally I'd rather stick with the more challenging discussion-board format.

I'm in agreement. No opportunity for meaningful discussions regarding dryer sheets, kayaks, animals with food on their heads, or other early retirement related subjects on a blog.

But Martha and Greg blogging each other online? Maybe I should keep an open mind.

REW

 

[deserat]

Nords,

Actually, I think it depends on the types of blogs - for example, for my hobbies, I like reading some blogs - like discussion boards, some are better than others. I also have a blog and waited a long time reading others before I started it. Is it a monologue, yes, but it's also a free way for me to store some of my accomplishments, i.e. books I've read, stuff I've made, places I've been. Yes, I could do that on my own computer alone (and do do that for some things), but if a dialogue can be started with a blog entry, then that's nice. Heck, the Terhorsts and Billy/Akaisha use their websites as basic blogs, too.

As with anything "YMMV."

Bridget

 

[TromboneAl]

I've never understood the attraction of blogs. Can someone recommend a blog that I might find interesting?

 

[Sheryl]

I've never understood the attraction of blogs.  Can someone recommend a blog that I might find interesting?

I read a few "web diaries" which are the same thing in my mind, although maybe a blog is more commentary and less diary.   

To me they are the internet version of tv shows (Soap operas?).  Once you find one or two you like, and get to know the characters, you get hooked on "checking in" every day.    I've seen many that are insufferable teenagers navel-gazing but there are also many aspiring writers who use the blog as a way to get daily writing practice and free critiques.

I'd recommend some of my favorites, but a lot are just "girl talk."  Surf here  to see if you find anything that interests you...    http://diarist.net/awards/

 

[sailor]

I've never understood the attraction of blogs. Can someone recommend a blog that I might find interesting?

For example I enjoyed reading blog one of the posters from this board:
http://retireat37.blogspot.com/

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Why blog? One word.

Vanity.

Or maybe its a passive way to demonstrate self worth. You blog your life, your thoughts. Maybe a million people are reading them and hanging on every word. Maybe no one. You go to bed every night pondering which it is.

 

[OldAgePensioner]

I'm still waiting to see which of those sword fighters wins. It's been a long wait. But entertainment of that sort is hard to find.

 

[sgeeeee]

I'm still waiting to see which of those sword fighters wins. It's been a long wait.  But entertainment of that sort is hard to find.

Anyone wanna make a bet? Which do you think will happen first? One of Th's pacmen wins the sword fight, or Cut-Throats fisherman actuall pull's in a fish?

 

[Mr._johngalt]

Why blog?  One word.

Vanity.

Or maybe its a passive way to demonstrate self worth.  You blog your life, your thoughts.  Maybe a million people are reading them and hanging on every word.  Maybe no one.  You go to bed every night pondering which it is.

I've been thinking of blogging (assume the reasons are obvious)
However, I wouldn't go to bed every night "pondering". I expound, opine,
pontificate, cajole, explain, predict and critique whether anyone listens or not.
It's therapeutic.

JG

 

[TromboneAl]

Have you guys seen cockeyed.com? The site describes a lot of interesting things that this guy has done.

 

[tozz]

Count me in as one who never really did "get" blogging.  The one exception perhaps are journalists who actually have done some research, and have something to say.  But even then, the terrain is pretty uneven.

To me, the attraction of a board (once the informational content has been mined) is the interaction between individuals, and the possibility of occasional surprise.  It can be fun to try to project personalities from simple messages.  Who are the wits?  Who are the dullards?  Who are the blowhards?  Who are the reflective thoughtful types?  Who is going to push someone's button and make eyeballs bulge?

Sadly, the old threaded boards seem to have gone the way of the dinasaur.  Compuserve software was the most elegant ever, in my opinion.  Given a choice, my left brain will gravitate towards a threaded environment where you can actually figure out who is talking to who, without the awkwardness of quoting. Absent threading, any topic with more than a few dozen replies gravitates towards mayhem.

 

[greg]

Help me. Help me. Martha has me in the 'time out' corner of the basement with my serendipity hat on, the one with the tinfoil liner. I guess I've been bad. She lets me have the parakeet for entertainment. I've been teaching it to spit spinach and throw oat hulls. Next week, if she puts me back down there, I'll teach it to to make rattlesnake sounds. I taught the last parakeet to sound like a microwave. Keeps me occupied. Hey Martha

 

[Jack_Key]

I see that a couple posters here also run blogs.  MarketWatch has a Robert Powell article that largely pans the retirement-blog genre.  It also bemoans the lack of blogs from those near or in ER, which sounds a little peevish considering that we must have "so much time" to devote to blogging about our ER experiences.  Powell wants people to tell him what blogs he should read so that he can publicize (or pan) them in a future article.

I can appreciate that blogging is a great way for a business to grab your attention every day or week with "Look what I'm doing!" posts.  But it seems to be a monologue rather than a dialogue and it's not easy to see who's reading or how busy the site is.  My impression is that bloggers are quite happy to yak away without caring if anyone is listening, let alone pausing to let someone else carry the conversation, and that blogging "feedback" mechanisms are minimal.  I don't read many blogs and I don't think it's worth my effort to start one.  Personally I'd rather stick with the more challenging discussion-board format.

But if my impressions are wrong, I'm ready to be dissuaded... 

I'd say that obviously, different people have different reasons to blog. I've read someone telling that vanity would be the main reason: it might be a reason for some, it isn't for me.

I'm running my blog to help me stick on my plan. Since I've been blogging on "The Blog of a Man Who Plans to Retire at 37" a little less than a year ago, I've been posting my "quarterly financial release" and discussing about moves to reach my goal. Without the blog, I might be too lazy to do my homeworks. Posting to a blog and trying to make it an interesting read for others is challenging.

In my case, I have to make my plan clear, I can not take too much shortcuts in my  plan since people will notice and write about weaknesses or problems in the plan. Right, people don't post much, but when they do, they often bring new informations. Since some people follow my blog since the beginning, they know my personal situation, so to discuss about it, I don't have to restate my goal, financial situation, etc.

For many things, I prefer discussion boards. But blogging is still useful: I can link to some of my posts on my blog when needed, so that I don't have to rewrite the same thing over and over again (for instance, if one asks: how can you live on $15k? I can answer: you'll find details there: http://retireat37.blogspot.com/2004/10/my-15k-budget.html and the discussion is not diverted too much).

I also like blogging since it helps my improve my English skills. A blog if more "formal" than a discussion board and thus I care more about the quality of my posts on my blog.

Regards,

Jack

 

[Jarhead*]

Help me.  Help me.  Martha has me in the 'time out' corner of the basement with my serendipity hat on, the one with the tinfoil liner.  I guess I've been bad.  She lets me have the parakeet for entertainment.  I've been teaching it to spit spinach and throw oat hulls.  Next week, if she puts me back down there, I'll teach it to to make rattlesnake sounds.  I taught the last parakeet to sound like a microwave.  Keeps me occupied.  Hey Martha 

Wow!

Sounds like Martha allows you to grow your own "pot" down in the basement

 

[greg]

[]


Sounds like Martha allows you to grow your own "pot" down in the basement




No, Martha has me in the snide corner of the basement, the part without any light. But, when we visit some of HER friends (the ones with cats), I always attempt to steal/confiscate any catnip on the floor. I tell them I'm taking it home to burn--NOT to make brownies. All of my friends live way deep in the woods and don't provide their cats with any amenities or condiments--just mice and water .

 

[wabmester]

A blog is more "formal" than a discussion board and thus I care more about the quality of my posts on my blog. 

Why not just post high-quality posts to a discussion board? Some posters here do that (at least some of the time), and I always appreciate the thought that goes into their posts (even if I don't agree with the content).

In any case, to me a blog is just a subset of a vanity websites. I don't have a problem with them, but I really don't understand why they generate so much buzz. I've been posting my thoughts on the internet since 1981, so blogs seem really old-school to me.

 

[Mr._johngalt]

Why not just post high-quality posts to a discussion board?   Some posters here do that (at least some of the time), and I always appreciate the thought that goes into their posts (even if I don't agree with the content).

In any case, to me a blog is just a subset of a vanity websites.   I don't have a problem with them, but I really don't understand why they generate so much buzz.    I've been posting my thoughts on the internet since 1981, so blogs seem really old-school to me.

I agree with Wab. Blogging is just a variant, but I understand it. If your brain
is working 24/7 and you have the time and inclination, then why not?
I probably will never take the time to do it, but I get it.

JG

 

[Jack_Key]

In any case, to me a blog is just a subset of a vanity websites.   I don't have a problem with them, but I really don't understand why they generate so much buzz.    I've been posting my thoughts on the internet since 1981, so blogs seem really old-school to me.

When a writer writes a book, is that vanity? When people write diaries, is that also as a consequence of vanity?

Blogging and discussion boards are two different things, just as writing books, writing diaries and posting on forums are different things.

I read some blogs and can state some reasons why I like them better than message boards. Message boards need you to be more involved in your reads. On boadrs, there are many topics, many threads and subthreads and many posters. Sometimes, the boards get flooded by irrelevant comments and discussions. If you spot someone who generally have interesting things to say, you have to browse though many topics and threads to read his posts and, most of the time, you'll have to read an entire thread to understand the context.

With blogs, you just go on blogs from people you appreciate, look if they did post something recently, read it and go elsewhere. Better, you can use a RSS feed reader, see all updated blogs in a form at once and read posts you are interested in. It takes me about ten minutes a day to stay tuned with 10-15 high quality blogs.

Regards,
Jack

 

[Leslie]

I'm glad some people choose to blog--I spent a big chunk of today reading this guy's: http://thefatmanwalking.com/

He is a 39 yo ex-Marine who managed to get to 400 pounds. He decided to walk across the US from San Diego to NY to lose weight. He left in April and is as far as the middle of Arizona. Its a great story of a guy trying to get his act together...

Thanks for allowing me the interjection--I thought maybe someone else might wanna see too.

 

[Michael Moore]

I don't do a blog, but all of my hobby projects get written up (with photos) on my website, which is devoted to that hobby (motorcycling) as well as my little side business in that area.

In general, people seem to be very appreciative of the information, especially the "I did this, and I recommend you don't" stuff.

For discussing a topic I like a web forum or an email listserve. But then I run about 7 listserves on various m/c topics too.

Fora and listserves give a dialog, and I think that makes it more interesting for everyone. I do occasionally browse some blogs, and some of them make for interesting reading.

cheers,
Michael

 

[deserat]

I do think that boards like this and blogs have overlap but also have different purposes - perhaps some are for vanity - but not always. Heck, if you like dialogue ynot ytalk or some other variant? I look at it as different tools for different jobs. I personally like reading specific blogs--you get a sense of a personality of the person and what they are doing. Reminds me of the cyber sci-fi books and virtual communities with Avatars. In addition, good blogs will have a dialogue aspect to them as well. Plus, for some blogs there is a community atmosphere like that of this board. Perhaps some blogging communities haven't evolved or matured such as this board so that is what is turning one off of them.
For me, if I'm looking for information, I'll look in many places and through many formats.

Bridget

 

[deserat]

Hey Nords? So why would you bother to blog ;-)..........A little jump in the wayback machine for you. I don't blog anymore, but I think you do -heh.