Reminding Myself Why I Blog

Published on August 12, 2004 By Gideon MacLeish In Blogging

Warning: this is just another rant. If it's not to your liking, you may want to move on...lol.

I recently put up an article that was a bit more of a piece of "me" than some of my regular pieces. It sunk like a stone.

It seems to me fascinating that there are numerous blogs that are posted on the way JoeUser is going downhill, and yet, the articles that get the points aren't the insightful, well written articles. They're the "shock blog" articles with the inflammatory titles (Two such "articles" that I know of have topped 230 responses, last I checked!).

I have seen other bloggers make this same statement in different ways; when I arrived here, one very talented blogger was frustrated to the point of nearly leaving. This is one of the reasons I started and continue the "A Blogger You All Want to Know" series; because if you want to get rid of the crap on the site, the answer is simple: READ GOOD BLOGS! I stand by all of the users I have profiled, and if you want a starting point for good blogs, check them out! (I would also like to state that higher ranked users are also usually very good reads; though this is not necessarily the case; the reason I don't profile them is they already HAVE the exposure).

To the topic line: This causes me to reflect on why I truly blog. It's not for points, but some comments, some feedback are nice. It may be a small ego boost, but it tells me what you really want to read (sadly, my top article remains the Mary Kate Olsen post).

signing off,

Gideon MacLeish

Comments (Page 2)

Gideon MacLeish

on Aug 13, 2004

yeah, but if it'd been "Michael Moore's GAY Boobs", you'd have had 200 replies and dropped a massive google bomb...lol

Texas Wahine

on Aug 13, 2004

D'oh! Should've thought of that!

Gideon MacLeish

on Aug 13, 2004

I just hope Diamond-D doesn't ever figure out that if he ENABLES his comments, he'll get 50 "get the F%$^ outta here" replies, reach the top 20 and get more exposure.

Whoops! I've said too much. I'm not worried though...I think he has a clause that doesn't allow him to read anything not published by Fred Harteis of Biznet.

Texas Wahine

on Aug 13, 2004

I'd be curious to see how long it would take for him to be inundated with unpleasant comments? He might even top Gay WHAT??

Shovelheat

on Aug 13, 2004

and yet, the articles that get the points aren't the insightful, well written articles.

I think that's just the nature of the universe. Just look at the popularity of rap music! Who decides what quality is?

mignuna

on Aug 13, 2004

I know, mig...as a side note, the "sunk" blog did eventually pick up a couple comments

i'm glad it did. and i always enjoy your personal blogs

vanessa/mig XX

WiseFawn

on Aug 13, 2004

I don't spend much time here, may I ask what sunk blog you are talking about? It's a weird, but OK weird, kinda place here. You just have to keep going for yourself, saying what you want to say, following your own way. I am in no clique, lol, I have certainly been kept out of the "sisterhood" but I do have a few I adore. Everybody else, I like and enjoy and try to encourage. The blogs I've had with tons of responses were blogs I might've proud of writing, but the blog got so lost in the comments and the usual crap of the comments that the number meant nothing. And with this rambling I am trying to say, keepblogging and following your own way!

chiprj

on Aug 13, 2004

Hey, I had an article with the word "boob" in the title, and it still didn't get much play

BWAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! Boob... play... BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! That might help with referals...

Zoologist03

on Aug 13, 2004

I think your articles are good Gideon...and also the people on my custom links write good and/or "interesting" blogs....in fact if I skip over most of these "shock blogs"....except for some that are just so tempting.....but if it sucks than no comments for the author....I've also written some fairly good blogs(although not too many lately) and they don't have much of an impact.....but, I keep on tryin'

~Zoo

WiseFawn

on Aug 13, 2004

little_whip - You have been unblacklisted from my blog for quite some time and it rally doesn't matter, I doubt we have that much to say to each other. You know nothing of me and the "sisterhood" accept that you were fully embraced and welcomed. I suggest you let it go.
Sorry Gideon. I've enjoyed many of your blogs.

Gideon MacLeish

on Aug 13, 2004

I think that's just the nature of the universe. Just look at the popularity of rap music! Who decides what quality is?

Good point.

Gideon MacLeish

on Aug 13, 2004

Gideon, i dont read all of your threads, theres just too damn many of them, (over 250 the last time i checked, and you havent even been here very long, about 2 months now?) so i tend to choose ones that lead me to believe they are addressing a unique topic, not just your version of other issues already being discussed on various other threads. No offense intended, but you do this quite often, and i tend to avoid those threads, because who wants to have the same conversation about the same issue on more than one thread at a time? Just my opinion, but id rather see "gideons take" on various issues posted as a comment on the original thread where the discussion was started, than have to leave that thread and visit your site in order to see your opinion, which you post as a *new* article.

Hmm..."My Coolest Road Trip" is a version of someone else's blog? "Confessions of a Misfit Christian"?

Those are the examples I am speaking of...the "Diversity or Left Wing Totalitarianism?" Thread is one of my highest rated articles...the two I just mentioned are among my lowest.

The reason I don't reply on someone else's thread is simple: if I hold an opposing view, I would like to state it without offending the thread author, or risking being blacklisted or hijacking the thread.

A quick look at my posts will show blogs of all sorts of topics...the "personal" ones are the ones that sink.

dharmagrl

on Aug 13, 2004

I just hope Diamond-D doesn't ever figure out that if he ENABLES his comments, he'll get 50 "get the F%$^ outta here" replies, reach the top 20 and get more exposure.

Gideon!!! Shhhhhh!!! Hush your mouth!! You'll give him ideas!!!

I think I've only had one blog that had more than 150 replies. I've never had a monster with over 200...yet.

I think that writing some crap and having people jump all over it but what you consider to be decent stuff sinking like a brick is a universal thing. It happens to me all the time. It's the same with featured articles. What I consider to be feature worthy goes un-noticed, but a 3 liner called 'You named your kid what?!' gets a featured position. It's all perspective, I guess.

Gideon MacLeish

on Aug 13, 2004

OK, LW, in all fairness I decided to scan back through my blogs to see if I spin off of other blogs "quite often", as you assert.

I have 196 blogs total, for the record; I stopped counting at 70, as it was getting tedious and my point was proven. Of the last 70 posts, 63 were NOT takeoffs of other people's blogs (with the sole exception of a thread started specifically to avoid hijacking another blogger's thread); 6 could be construed as a takeoff of someone else's blog (although I was liberal in defining those 6 as takeoffs), and 1 was incidentally identical to someone else's blog (Dharma and I posted articles on biznet at almost exactly the same moment; unless I am a mindreader and she doesn't have her tinfoil beanie on, I think it's safe to assume that was accidental).

I don't think this fits the definition of "quite often". I may have done some spinoff posts early on, but I was new to joeuser and figuring out where I wanted to be and what I wanted my blog to be. I think it's safe to assume that I have since established and cemented my position and my own identity. If all you see are blogs that are takeoffs on an overdone topic, you aren't looking hard enough. I have pulled obscure news items, shared insight into my family (including the recent birth of our son), and indeed, my soul.

I might also add my comment to article ratio is over 4 to 1, so I do plenty of opining on others' threads as well.

I've said enough on this subject. Thanks for your comments, though, it was helpful to do an inventory.

Manopeace

on Aug 14, 2004

I love your blogs Gideon. I read them all and comment on some.I truly believe I have found a friend in you!

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