Bloggers now learning how to blog???

c0y0te

I came across an article on google news this morning which just ended up in me doing a quick rant on my blog. Basically the yanks are now trying to standardise blogging - which is completely against the point of blogging imho. Anyhoo - if you are interested, here is the article/rant

http://www.avalon5.com/index.php/archives/98

c0y0te

BuffyBot

Typical really, but I don't see how they could impose anything kind of standards. It's more likely they'll all try and meet a standard which they will then promote as some kind of "uber" blogging level - a cyber-clique, more or less. These exist already in plenty of other net related fields and generally don't impact too much on the majority of users - so I suspect this will go the same way.

nesf

Americans.... :rolleyes:

Blogging is power man! etc etc et al.

Honesty, I don't view blogs as anything but a pastime and hobby. Blogging will never replace the media, mostly because most blogs are a waste of bandwidth (mine included) when compared to say, Reuters.

(rant begins here, no need to read any further really )

Ok, most bloggers I know are well balanced rational people that use their blogs to talk about or comment on some aspect of their life or some interest of theirs. They don't approach writing blog entries with professionalism or care that a journalist would. A lot of the time, it's unfiltered opinion and little fact. Not a bad thing, but not to be confused with serious journalism. Now there are a very small number of very serious bloggers out there whose blogs are very professional and well researched. Fair dues to these guys who obviously have way too much time on their hands. But they are the minority. These people are the ones who could work as serious journalists. They show a high level of literacy and knowledge and couple this with either a good writing style or strong research abilities. Obviously these are not skills that 99% of people have (I'm a proud member of this 99%! ).

Then there are are all these guys who take their blogging "seriously" but who write total and utter crap. They basically just self publish opinion and thought which would never be seen in print. Ever. These aren't necessarily dumb or stupid people, but they pride themselves on the quality and carefully crafted entries. I'm sure we've all seen them. Opinionated, poorly researched, sensationalist crap. These bloggers are the vocal proponents of the "blogging is power" groups.

These idiots are the ones who are trying to paint blogging as a grandiose true voice of the people. I mean seriously. 99% of people don't have anything interesting to say to the general public. Yes to people who they share hobbies with or interests with but not to the general public. Blogging is akin to a group of random people doing their own magazine. Yes occasionally one person who is highly skilled comes along out of the blue and can write articles that people love to read. But the majority of the people can only write about their pet subject and nothing else. It's a rare person who can produce good articles on areas they have no interest in. It is not a common trait.

Blogging is personal, it should be regarded in that light. Yes a few illuminaries with have serious blogs read by thousands of people, but they will be the exception. 99% of blogs will have readerships numbered in the 100s at best. Most blogs I read have less that 100 regular readers. These blogs are entertaining/informative/good to read but they will not grow into huge monster blogs read by the masses. Blogging is great for those of us who like to think aloud, it's great for people trying to keep in touch with each other, it's great for people who share a common interest and who want to talk about it. Blogging is not a replacement for serious journalism. While I don't doubt that there will be a handful of blogs that might be read alongside a major news site, these will be the vast minority.

I maintain a few blogs. The only serious topic that is dealt with is depression. One of my blogs is filled with thoughts and ramblings on depression, what it's like to live with, the therapies available etc. It's my pet topic. I know a lot about it. I can write about it. Most of the people that read the blog that it's in tell me that the only reason they read my blog is for these entries, and that they only skim read my other stuff. It's a specialist interest and it's not something that everyone wants to hear about.

It is not something that thousands of people want to read. My writing and style isn't that good to be brutally honest. I ramble and get lost in spurious thoughts. And what I write is better than a lot of blogs I've seen. Not because I'm a gifted and talented writer, I'm not, but the majority of blogs I've read have been by people that just cannot write for others. I do not include in this, journals and "how my life is" blogs. These are a majority of blogs, but they don't have to be well written to be entertaining. Maybe I'm unlucky in what I've seen and the blogs I've browsed. But I've seen a lot of them in the 4 or so years I've been blogging. Don't get me wrong, there are a lot of fantastic, well written blogs out there, and I love reading them. But the majority of blogs are either terrible opinionated ill-researched garbage, or they are only of interest and readable to a small group of similar minded people.

I think blogging is here to stay, in that I can see it's popularity only increasing. But I cannot see blogging as the new wave which will replace all traditional media. Such thinking is idiotic. Blogging is accessable to anyone with an internet connection and an ability to use a browser. It's because anyone can do it, that it is never going to become serious journalism. Simply put, it doesn't matter what all the wannabe journalists who keep blogs want and dream of, blogging as a movement is going to be mostly idiotic opinion and just a few true gems.

Those gems will always be the tiny minority, and no amount of "rules and guidelines" for blogging is going to change this.

Edit: posted to blog too, just to see the reaction