Blogs.....Controversial Opinion.

SpencerJames

I know in writig this thread that there will be many angry bloggers. I would just like someone, ideally an avid blogger to explain to me the purpose of blogs. I have read them all and they seem to be, is just normal everyday poker players who feel their adventures is worth broadcasting. I understand that people may find a top pro's blog interesting but do people really want to hear how Joe Blogger got on in the 100e freeze out in The Fitz? I have to admit some blogs I found quite humourous and entertaining and interesting but is it not the ultimate in ego massaging to feel that your average poker life is so important that people actually will be interested in reading it? I am not just slating the bloggers here, I genuinely would like to understand this concept better as right now I just see blogs as the voice of the common man and shudder to think why anyone would be interested in listening to the common man?

Spencer James

LuckyLloyd

This post has been deleted.

5starpool

You are fully within your rights not to read any of them I believe.

Goodluck2me

5starpool wrote: »

You are fully within your rights not to read any of them I believe.

ban.

I love the irony* in the OP though, if to listen to the "common man" is wrong, why should we pay any attention to your post?
If we should listen to you, then you have no point worth listening to?


*Note: proper use of the word

Glowingmind

I had a brief discussion with another boardsie about this recently. Most blogs are pretty dull because it's pretty difficult to write in an engaging manner if you're not used to writing, and can be difficult to articulate certain things without lapsing into poker boards-isms.

It can be pretty hard to express your thoughts and thought processes (this is why i rarely contribute anything meaningful to the board) without becoming rambling or mundane. Ideally all blogs would read like El Stuntman's as he clearly has a passion for the actual writing aspect rather than just the poker aspect. There's very few people who can pull this type of writing off sucessfully.

I think the primary function of blogs for a lot of players is more to do with keeping track of their games rather than trying to entertain others. The same purpose could be served by keeping detailed spreadsheets and non-public diarys, but sometimes it's better to have things out there in full view.

mickste

wow OP, if i want to follow the progress of certain posters bulldozing 1c/2c on line including graphs i will.I love reading advice on scottish curling team betting odds.

I would agree that some blogs are just refreshed once the blogger has had a nice touch.Personally i think that's why Ed hollis's blog is so popular. Every entry he seeems to lose stupid amounts.

Of the Irish bloggers i find Mick Mcool's the most intresting. No bs and he usually says how it is.

CaptainNemo

SpencerJames wrote: »

I know in writig this thread that there will be many angry bloggers. I would just like someone, ideally an avid blogger to explain to me the purpose of blogs. I have read them all and they seem to be, is just normal everyday poker players who feel their adventures is worth broadcasting. I understand that people may find a top pro's blog interesting but do people really want to hear how Joe Blogger got on in the 100e freeze out in The Fitz? I have to admit some blogs I found quite humourous and entertaining and interesting but is it not the ultimate in ego massaging to feel that your average poker life is so important that people actually will be interested in reading it? I am not just slating the bloggers here, I genuinely would like to understand this concept better as right now I just see blogs as the voice of the common man and shudder to think why anyone would be interested in listening to the common man?

Spencer James

No one would listen to you if you blogged because you seem like an elitist troll, but most ordinary people are very interesting. Thinking there is such a thing as the "common" man is a sign of very cliched and arrogant thinking.

SpencerJames

goodluck2me wrote: »

ban.

I love the irony* in the OP though, if to listen to the "common man" is wrong, why should we pay any attention to your post?
If we should listen to you, then you have no point worth listening to?


*Note: proper use of the word

Yes, you are right, why listen to me. Im not saying listening to the common man is wrong, Im not that pretentious. I retract that statement i was just trying to highlight the avergeness of certain bloggers who feel is necessary to post a blog.My question is and hope we dont stray off this, is why do bloggers blog? what is a blogs purpose and why do they feel the need or duty to broadcast their poker misadventures publicly? The Ireland poker scene is very incestuous anyway and most of the "good players" know eachother, is it a status thing to have a blog? is it a clique thing? does it cement your standing in Irelands poker hierarchy? and why do bloggers feel that their life is of interest to anyone else? Surely its an ego thing?

Scouser in Dub

You seem to be missing the point of a blog entirely

LuckyLloyd

This post has been deleted.

careca

Because we (the readers) are a nosy shower of fcuks with too much time on our hands (especially Mon-Fri 9am-5pm).

SpencerJames

Scouser in Dub wrote: »

You seem to be missing the point of a blog entirely

Please enlighten me then. Thats why I posted this thread. Im not just trying to ruffle feathers, as I stated in my op I enjoy alot of them but wonder as to there purpose.

YULETIRED

We are all wanna be Adrian Moles...I blame Sue Townsend.....
OP, I think you are asking a question that you already know the answer to, if there is a problem with blogs it is not with the people who write them , it's the people who read countless blogs and find little or no content in them and continue to read., problem = themselves.......
Pick out people who interest you and read recommended blogs.

Also there are many reasons for writing them, any writing school will tell you to keep a diary and just write down randomn thoughts to keep the muscles working, a blog is a little more diciplined extention to this and helps keep the eye in. Plus if you are keeping track of your writing in a diciplined fashion, this may spill over into making you behave more diciplined in real life..... I actually have a blog but It's not poker related (zero poker content) nor is it up there to be read but I do write in it each week about current news stories and my own stuff... it's quite interesting for me to read back on some of the older posts.. (EGO?)

.
Blog bashing is tiresome really, for some it's the last bastion of free speech they have (in todays PC world) , why stilfe it or question it unless there is an underlying reason for this. I find reading a blog as similar to reading the cartoons in the paper, sometimes I go Meh...sometimes I have a laugh but I save any criticism of the paper I have to the rest of the articles published..

btw. I find the common man much more interesting and amusing than most famous people I have met/watched/read .....fact.


PS. I'm Not having a go at you in case you think I am as I like the 'controversial' type questions.....as LL says some example would be nice :-)

phantom_lord

SpencerJames wrote: »

Yes, you are right, why listen to me. Im not saying listening to the common man is wrong, Im not that pretentious. I retract that statement i was just trying to highlight the avergeness of certain bloggers who feel is necessary to post a blog.My question is and hope we dont stray off this, is why do bloggers blog? what is a blogs purpose and why do they feel the need or duty to broadcast their poker misadventures publicly? The Ireland poker scene is very incestuous anyway and most of the "good players" know eachother, is it a status thing to have a blog? is it a clique thing? does it cement your standing in Irelands poker hierarchy? and why do bloggers feel that their life is of interest to anyone else? Surely its an ego thing?

most people just write for themselves.

TrueDub

SpencerJames wrote: »

Please enlighten me then. Thats why I posted this thread. Im not just trying to ruffle feathers, as I stated in my op I enjoy alot of them but wonder as to there purpose.

Their purpose is irrelevant for this argument. What's your purpose in reading them? It seems to irritate you. Why don't you stop?

Lots of things in life irritate me, and many of them have websites & blogs dedicated to them. Do I read them?

I have a blog - I update it now & again, when the mood strikes. I don't expect it to change the world, I don't even expect anyone to read it. It's just nice to have somewhere to practice the skill of writing, and to attempt to craft a well-formed opinion.

SpencerJames

LuckyLloyd wrote: »

Internet, serious business. Why don't you go ahead and list the three blogs that grind your gears the most. Now, that'll really rouse some rabble.

Lloyd I think you hit the nail on the head. I think this t came about from a guy I used to play poker with in Canada sent me a link to his blog. Now this guy is a gooburt of the highest order and not a good player by any means. if you have time to waste read some of his blog and then you might understand me a little better at how disillusioned I am with them and the point of there exsistence. Sorry if I offended any bloggers. http://jscasinotrip.blogspot.com

SpencerJames

TrueDub wrote: »

Their purpose is irrelevant for this argument. What's your purpose in reading them? It seems to irritate you. Why don't you stop?

Lots of things in life irritate me, and many of them have websites & blogs dedicated to them. Do I read them?

I have a blog - I update it now & again, when the mood strikes. I don't expect it to change the world, I don't even expect anyone to read it. It's just nice to have somewhere to practice the skill of writing, and to attempt to craft a well-formed opinion.[/quote]


No they dont irritate me by and large and as i said i enjoy them most of the time, was just wondering as to why people blog and you seemed to answer that there. Thank you.

califano

why you s.o.b:mad:

LuckyLloyd

This post has been deleted.

phantom_lord

c+p plz?

LuckyLloyd

This post has been deleted.

phantom_lord

i regret asking for that.

ollyk1

SpencerJames wrote: »

Please enlighten me then. Thats why I posted this thread. Im not just trying to ruffle feathers, as I stated in my op I enjoy alot of them but wonder as to there purpose.

I had a blog years ago and I actually really enjoyed writing it. For me it had perhaps 3 benefits to me.

A few poker friends who I played with regularly would like to hear how I got on in certain tournies so this was a way of providing an update without forcing people to read them at any particular time and saved me sending seperate emails or msn messages etc.

The knowledge that I would be posting up publicly how I fared in a tournie forced a discipline on my play. I didn't want to have to post that I went out calling off too much of my stack preflop with junk and hitting a marginal hand or playing badly from the blindds etc. I notice a similar effect when someone had a stake in me in a tournie. I play very focussed poker as a result of having someone else's money at stake as well.

There used to be a lot of funny stories and things happening at the poker tables which was a large part of why I played live poker and I liked trying to write about that in an entertaining way.


There were also many disadvantages to having a blog some of which you've outlined and it was for those reasons I ceased writing.

ditpoker

blogs by bad writers with zero content = makes baby jesus cry
blogs by bad writers with good content = meh...
blogs by good writers with zero content = mildly entertaining
blogs by good writers with good content = great fun

blogs by lloyd =

SpencerJames

Thanks for your replies, as i said i do enjoy them was just trying to understand why people write them, i knew my op would be controvesial and thanks to those who did answer my questions. I was in no way blog bashing just posing questions as to there relevance. and as you can see from the blog i put up, if you read it you will question blogs too!!!

Mr.Plough

To the OP.

I'm pretty sure alot of the players on this forum keep a blog more for themselves rather then the readers. In 2 years if I was beating 5000nl (:rolleyes:), I'd enjoy looking back over some of my old posts where I was grinding 50nl.

Also I find "common" peoples' blogs who I know and can relate to much more interesting then some of the online superstars who reg 200/400 plo.

LuckyLloyd

This post has been deleted.

Theresalwaysone

Do update it. What about the Deepstack event? Would be intersted to hear a report on that, especially considering the amounf of boardies playing with you.

You probably have one half written anyway...so finish it off. Gwan..

DeVore

I tried keeping a poker blog but I havent managed to maintain it because I simply didnt feel like I was writing anything of value to myself or a reader.

However it isnt necessary to lead a wildly interesting life or to play at nose bleed stakes to write a worth-reading blog.

Blogging is like many things, when its done well it can be brilliant regardless of the content. Some of the funniest standup comedians do routines about the most mundane of things. A good writer can write about nothing and captivate an audience. Indeed, its almost the definition of a good writer!

I would much rather read a blog by a 1/2 grinder who writes with aplomb and character and humour then dredge through another of Helmuths insipid pieces about how bad he runs at 1 million / 2 million.

DeV.

strewelpeter

SpencerJames wrote: »

I...shudder to think why anyone would be interested in listening to the common man?

Here are three good reasons:
Reason 1
Reason 2
Reason 3

and there are many more

robinblinds

SpencerJames wrote: »

I know in writig this thread that there will be many angry bloggers. I would just like someone, ideally an avid blogger to explain to me the purpose of blogs. I have read them all and they seem to be, is just normal everyday poker players who feel their adventures is worth broadcasting. I understand that people may find a top pro's blog interesting but do people really want to hear how Joe Blogger got on in the 100e freeze out in The Fitz? I have to admit some blogs I found quite humourous and entertaining and interesting but is it not the ultimate in ego massaging to feel that your average poker life is so important that people actually will be interested in reading it? I am not just slating the bloggers here, I genuinely would like to understand this concept better as right now I just see blogs as the voice of the common man and shudder to think why anyone would be interested in listening to the common man?

Spencer James

If you are an average non pro, blogs must be off the wall.

Hectorjelly

Its seems so pointless to point this out, but blogs have no editorial control. Anyone can write about anything they want. So of course there are tonnes of crap ones, but there are also some gems. For an opinion to be controversial it shouldnt be totally redundant

Blogs give a forum for a different type of discussion and analysis than available elsewhere, and as other people have pointed out they have benefits for the writer.

Heres a list of non-boards related ones I read regularly,

http://www.bloglines.com/public/hectorjelly

RoundTower

i agree I have found very few interesting poker blogs, and this is coming from someone who wastes a lot of time on the internet.

Hitchhiker's Guide to...

goodluck2me wrote: »

ban.

I love the irony* in the OP though, if to listen to the "common man" is wrong, why should we pay any attention to your post?
If we should listen to you, then you have no point worth listening to?


*Note: proper use of the word

FTW

hotspur

I used to hate the phenomenon of blogs, but I misunderstood their place as texts in the current world. Rather than me trying to explain it, read this article by Alan Kirby (you can skip what is before the heading "What’s Post Postmodernism?":
www.philosophynow.org/issue58/58kirby.htm

I think the whole phenomenon of blogs, social networking sites, interactive TV etc is very interesting, although individually they are usually just tedious.

Here's the poker blogs I read:
http://patrik-antonius.blogspot.com/
http://www.doylesroom.com/blog/
http://www.cardrunners.com/members/index.php?option=com_mamblog&task=show&action=user&id=1617&Itemid=29
http://88percent.blogspot.com/

I read Luckyjimm's one too, but it has gotten much worse since moving to the gutshot site. I miss Jonny Lodden's one, and kind of Niki Jedlicka's one. Am I missing any blogs from nose bleed online players?

delanec8

Didnt realise doyle had a blog.

LOL at his latest entry

Hitchhiker's Guide to...

strewelpeter wrote: »

Here are three good reasons:
Reason 1

and there are many more

wow - such a great blog! fear and loathing in cork ...

DeVore

The OP also asked *why* the authors write in the first place. Personally, I really enjoy the craft of writing. In itself its an enjoyable pastime and I have also dipped in and out of "Progoff Journaling" by which the act of writing about a difficult subject makes the subject clearer to me in my own head and gives me some perspective about it. A good example being when my father was very ill, I wrote a lot about it and it helped me come to terms with it. So, not all writing is for the reader, sometimes the process helps the writer too...

In the poker sense, it might be that while explaining a particular hand you might gain some valuable insight into how you played it or how the others viewed you during the hand.

Its true that there is no need for publication of such journals, and I have a hard drive full of finished and unfinished articles that have never seen the light of day, but if its well written you might as well share it. Its not like its forced down anyone's throat!

Unless of course its this blog. (warning: NSFW!)

DeV.

zuutroy

I write mine:
1. for discipline.
2. to chart my progress as a player.
3. in the hope that someone who reads it will give me good advice.

nicnicnic

I write mine because I'm an egotistical megalomaniac

strewelpeter

hotspur wrote: »

...read this article by Alan Kirby (you can skip what is before the heading "What’s Post Postmodernism?":
www.philosophynow.org/issue58/58kirby.htm

That article says that Big Brother is a text

Ha- Ha

or is using a cliched, long since shark jumped, simpsons reference just too knowingly post something or other ?

hotspur

strewelpeter wrote: »

or is using a cliched, long since shark jumped, simpsons reference just too knowingly post something or other ?

Not in my book, why only today I made a picture of Lenny and Carl the logo of my hattrick team (online football management game). I added the wonderful Lenny & Carl conversation:
“You know, I was hexed by a troll once and a leprechaun cured that right up.”
“Hey, you know what’s even better is Jesus. He’s like six leprechauns!”
“Yeah, but a lot harder to catch. Go with the leprechaun.”

The Simpsons still rules, well okay now it's awful, but John Swartzwelder is my comedy writing hero and his stuff was as good as any comedy ever put to film. I strongly urge any of you who love good comedy to buy his books, starting with his 1st detective Frank Burly book "The Time Machine Did It". With the dollar being busto it's practically free at $16 on amazon. In fact buy all 3 Frank Burly books.

YULETIRED

hotspur wrote: »

. In fact buy all 3 Frank Burly books.

Frank Burly - my secret shame....:)

I googled a sentence and i got an excerpt..cool...google is cool...

this bit remind me of internet forums in general...

"I traveled far into Earth's future, where all was peace and harmony and everyone was perfect and snotty... They viewed me as some kind of Neanderthal, because my forehead didn't weigh 80 pounds like theirs did, so they chucked me into a cage... We spent four months there, with our keepers treating us as if we were brutal Neanderthals. We tried to convince them we were humans of great sophistication and cultural advancement, just like them, but they weren't buying it. In the end we managed to escape by being brutally Neanderthal and bashing their overdeveloped heads in, getting so excited while we were doing it that we screamed and jumped around like monkeys."

robinlacey

SpencerJames wrote: »

I have to admit some blogs I found quite humourous and entertaining and interesting but

Spencer James

i don't see how you can attack blogs whilst conceding this point.
think about how many things in life try and fail to accomplish even one of those things.

Daithio

YULETIRED wrote: »

We are all wanna be Adrian Moles...I blame Sue Townsend.....
OP, I think you are asking a question that you already know the answer to, if there is a problem with blogs it is not with the people who write them , it's the people who read countless blogs and find little or no content in them and continue to read., problem = themselves.......
Pick out people who interest you and read recommended blogs.

Also there are many reasons for writing them, any writing school will tell you to keep a diary and just write down randomn thoughts to keep the muscles working, a blog is a little more diciplined extention to this and helps keep the eye in. Plus if you are keeping track of your writing in a diciplined fashion, this may spill over into making you behave more diciplined in real life..... I actually have a blog but It's not poker related (zero poker content) nor is it up there to be read but I do write in it each week about current news stories and my own stuff... it's quite interesting for me to read back on some of the older posts.. (EGO?)

.
Blog bashing is tiresome really, for some it's the last bastion of free speech they have (in todays PC world) , why stilfe it or question it unless there is an underlying reason for this. I find reading a blog as similar to reading the cartoons in the paper, sometimes I go Meh...sometimes I have a laugh but I save any criticism of the paper I have to the rest of the articles published..

btw. I find the common man much more interesting and amusing than most famous people I have met/watched/read .....fact.


PS. I'm Not having a go at you in case you think I am as I like the 'controversial' type questions.....as LL says some example would be nice :-)

Nice post.

As HectorJelly said, blogs are unedited, and as with anything unedited, 99% of it is going to be crap. But the fact that it's so easy to ignore that 99% makes it worth suffering for the 1% that is actually really good.

El Stuntman

Roundtower2 wrote: »

wow - such a great blog! fear and loathing in cork ...

I stay away from that place

God seems to agree with me too, he trying to drown the Rebels even as we speak

TheDuck32

Some people just like to write.


http://duckedagain.blogspot.com/

roryc

I just remembered I had a blog

HighFinance

Daithio wrote: »

Nice post.

As HectorJelly said, blogs are unedited, and as with anything unedited, 99% of it is going to be crap. But the fact that it's so easy to ignore that 99% makes it worth suffering for the 1% that is actually really good.

Some kind of editing is always necessary (though not necessarily by editors). So do it folks!

Here's what Newsweek makes of the end of user-generated content

http://www.newsweek.com/id/119091

Good news for the subbies in the NUJ.

b.

DeVore

I want to hear expert opinion. the point is that I want to hear a NUMBER of expert opinions and then make up my own mind about it. The last bit seems to be too har for many people.

DeV.