Tuesday, June 03, 2008

a tale of two posts

it was the best of blogs. it was the worst of blogs. . . .

i decided to bypass a diatribe against the recent onslaught of mommy-blogs that have flooded the internet and sullied the good name of blogging, and instead decided to do some navel gazing posit something i have been thinking about lately concerning my own blog.

almost 5 years ago when i began project mayhem, blogging was a relatively new and unknown internet activity. in fact, i knew of nobody else who had a blog at the time. it wasn't until another year or so that my writing took on the shape, personality, and (occasional) thoughtfulness that it does today. before that, it was simply a semi-private journal with occasional book reviews and ponderings.

back now to the title of this post and the related dilemma. in the last several months the quantity (and probably quality) of my writing has dropped somewhat significantly. this is due to a combination of a lack of interest, a lack of readers, and the lack of time. as the number of posts has dropped, i have noticed something significant. while i get the occasional complaints from certain family members and complete strangers when my posts take on a more caustic/rude/offensive nature, when i try to write something more thoughtful, professional, and family-friendly, nothing happens. while the former posts receive numerous comments, personal attacks, occasional phone calls from complaining parents, and a public berating from a concerned grandparent, the former posts get virtually no response. it's almost as if they were written at all, leaving me wondering whether or not anybody is even reading what i have to say.

so i call west virginians retards and racists (which they are) and suddenly i'm popular again.

so which is it?

my blog's biggest moment of fame was the aftermath of my post making fun of utah's current first lady.

when i write as the complainers would have me, i feel like i might as well be writing to illiterate west virginians (who according to vice-president dick, are also inbred).

9 comments:

  1. . . . what a boring post. ;-)

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  2. I miss the previous posts, but as I said earlier, it's because I hate politics. Religion, sociology, reflective review, etc., keep 'em coming.

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  3. I think you are absolutely right in your assumption. I think you should keep on keepin' on though.

    The best way for me to describe my reading of your blog, is that I love your deep posts, and I enjoy your "angry" posts. If either were to stop, it would be a sad day. You were the first blogger I ever followed, well before I started my own.

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  4. We talked about this once before, but I think that people do tend to develop expectations for a blog (or maybe any writer), so they don't know what to think of it when a particular post deviates from their expectations. Maybe that's true even when what they expect from your blog is something to argue with.

    This isn't related to your content dilemma, but as a follow up to h2oetry's comment: You were the one that got me started in blogging, and so vicariously a lot of other people, too.

    Also, I totally understand the recent lack of posts because I've kind of slacked off in my own blog, too. I think that blogging as a whole even hasf has its own ebbs and flows, but I think the medium is great, regardless of how its popularity varies. I love the idea of content that is decentralized and individually controlled. Even though it is encouraging when our blogs get a lot of attention, I think the medium's strength has to be that popularity doesn't inhibit it.

    So, I hypocritically encourage you to keep on keeping on.

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  5. so you're irritated with how common blogging has become? Us mommy's have made blogging uncool. Is that what you are saying? Yet, you visit mine at least once a day if not more. I know we've already discussed this topic a few times already. You heard me say that the day you blog about mommy bloggers is the day I will delete my blog. (although i probably wouldn't--i would just probably find a way to keep you from being able to read about and see pics of your cute nephews). I was offended but I can understand your point of view. I love blogging and facebook, etc. etc because it is so easy to keep in touch with people. I wish it existed back in the dino age when I was in college. I've lost contact with so many cool people I once knew. I can't even remember their names. Such a sad day. Blog On!!!!

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  6. Don't sell yourself short, I really enjoyed your early posts and would love to see more of your frequent random observations, thoughts, and book reviews even now. I enjoy the political posts as long as there is some substance behind the caustic comments in them.

    As for the deeper posts, I also enjoy those and appreciate the time and thought that goes into them, but I think the lack of comments and feedback on those posts may stem from people being too insecure to post a comment because responding to such a post requires intelligent, coherent thought instead of the personal attacks that you more negative political posts allow for.

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  7. You're blogging from West Virginia aren't you? That would explain both your writing style and content.

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  8. i hardly ever read your blog...ofcourse i get to argue with you in person which is far more entertaining. :) oh who cares if people do not read or comment...don't write for the masses, they are not worth it. Blog for yourself.

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  9. keep it real
    dont forget inner city thugs are retards and should be put down like dogs
    idiots on tv, phone salesmen, door to door religious people, politicians etc
    fuck em all.

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