Where have all the blogs gone?
Where are all the good blogs gone?
There are two sites I go to in the morning for a sniff around – my Google Reader and Irish Blogs. I like to know what my compatriots and others are saying about themselves or the state of the world.
I used to get regular laughs, and frequently found articles that would make me think or give me a fresh perspective on life.
Standards are falling faster than the price of a house in Ballsbridge.
There was a bit of a fuss when Twenty chucked in the towel. I didn’t join in the debate, because I felt I had nothing to contribute at the time. Since then however, I have had that post at the back of my mind while trawling the sites, and I have to say that I agree with a lot of Twenty’s thoughts.
There is an awful lot of stuff being written that dilutes the quality of the blog scene. People are becoming lazy. I am deleting feeds from my reader a lot faster than I am adding them. Blogs that were good have become stale.
The reasons I will delete a blog from my reader:
- YouTube videos. Unless, of course they are particularly unusual or good, I’m not interested. If I want to see a YouTube video, I’ll browse YouTube. Videos of songs turn me off.
- Memes. I hate memes, as they tend to be boringly repetitive. Really, they are nothing short of a chain letter where the recipient feels obliged to respond out of courtesy. I have only seen one good one lately and that was the “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner” one.
- Incestuous blogs. These are the blogs that have formed a clique and tend to comment about each other. Linking to other peoples blogs is a good thing, but not if a small group just keep referring to one another.
- Meet-ups or Bar Camps, or whatever you want to call them. I get tired of reading about some impending group meet, and cringe in the knowledge that my feed reader is going to be filled with photos of that meet afterwards.
- Film reviews. Your likes are unlikely to coincide with mine so your review is irrelevant.
- Old Jokes. For God’s sake!! I’ve either heard ‘em, or they are not funny.
I know there is the argument that the Interweb is an open platform and that people should write about whatever they like. That is absolutely true, and I have no argument with it. There are also sites that have been set up as a personal diary that are aimed at family and friends. Fine. I have no problem with those and a lot of them are very good, funny and well written. However, there seems to be a proliferation of what I call ‘lazy blogs’ that are swamping the place, and the good reads are becoming ever more difficult to find. They are giving the impression that ‘this is all there is to it’ so people are starting sites with the same lazy style.
When I started a couple of years ago, this was a vibrant place. Wars were started and fought in the public arena. People weren’t afraid to criticise. There was a freshness about the place where you didn’t know what was coming next. It was fun.
I’m not saying that this site is a beacon of light in the fog. I’m certainly not holding my site up as an example of what should be done, though I try to avoid the pitfalls I have listed above. I know I am probably going to be flamed for writing this, but that is good. It means that I have stirred some emotions, even if they are hatred and loathing for Grandad.
I’m not saying all blogs are bad. There are some excellent ones out there that I jump straight into when I see there is a new post. I’m not going to name individual sites for the simple reason that I am not attacking or praising any particular site. It is the general trend that I am concerned about.
I didn’t always like Twenty’s musings, but I got a laugh more often than not.
He was one of the Old School.
The times they are a changin’.
Maybe it is because back a couple of years ago it blogging was relatively new and discovering new blogs used to be enjoying. After a while everything settles down and a lot of people are posting entries for the sake of posting entries. Everything goes a bit stale.
I don’t post half as much as I used to or leave comments for that matter. Of course I’m a fair bit busier than ever before but I mainly just browse and lurk about now.
I’ve only recently gotten into blogging and I would love to know what it used to be like ‘back in the day’ seeing as there has been so much backward gazing and reminiscing of late!
How about a few links to your favourite blogs of old to show us newbies how it used to be done? You never know it may inspire a few of us to pull our socks up and devote a little more time to what, for most people, I think is no more than a time-consuming hobby 🙂
Of course posting a series of links may go against everything you’ve said above about lazy posting but it will require research on your part. It’s something to think about anyway, I’d be genuinely interested 🙂
Hmm. I can’t comment on ‘the way it used to be’, having only been here a couple years, but I wouldn’t disagree with you, overall – but I think there is a place for the things you’ve mentioned, in moderation.
No one comments on weekends, so I assume that means people ren’t reading much, so I’ve derived great enjoyment out of getting songs from my formative years from YouTube, well in the knowledge that they’re not everyone’s cup of tea, but it’s fun for me, and I’d like to drag my readers into my nostalgia, and show them a glimpse of my past. I don’t watch people’s song vids much either, but I can see why they’re posted.
Film reviews – well, I often ask people what they thought, whether they have the same taste as me, as far as I’m concerned it’s the same on a blog. ‘Your likes are unlikely to co-incide with mine so I’ve no interest’ – jeeze. So you’re not likely to have much interest in whatever’s there in the first place, if that’s how you feel about, em, other people.
Cliques – hmm, well, the only way to deal with that is to dilute it by joining in. I don’t think people do it on purpose, it’s just, you go to the places you go, you talk to the people you talk to. It’s just congregation. This is social, after all. I’ve found blogs like that to be pretty welcoming.
Memes and old jokes – yup. Meh.
Meet ups. Well. I don’t know. If you’re on the sort of blog that talks about ‘what I did’, you’re going to get what people did, and it may include other bloggers… what are you gonna do.
I think posts complaining about other blogs is the new boring blogging, to be honest! And I say that cheerfully, not snottily.
Although I don’t blog myself, I have been commenting and generally lurking for a few years and I can definitely appreciate your point grandad, especially concerning the cliques that seem to have grown around certain blogs.
Saying that, every new medium tends to hit a plateau after a while and the inital vibrancy of belonging to something new or radical dissipates – the medium basically finds a nice running pace compared to the inital sprint.
But what does that mean, sheepworrier – that you shouldn’t visit the blogs you like anymore in the interests of diversification?
It can be hard to have a blog that pleases everyone. It’s really a case of people post what they feel like that day. In some cases, there are links to YouTube videos that they found interesting and wanted to share with people who either don’t have a YouTube account, or don’t know they have one etc.
There will be gems mixed in with the coal, so the only way to get to them is to deal with all the coal until you find one.
Grandad, as the unfortunate poster of that rant you linked to, let me first say a genuine thanks for nailing your colours to the mast there. See, while I really do appreciate the point of view that you can do what you like on your blog, that the interweb is a big place and there’s room for everyone, I also like to know what people like, what makes a blog good or bad for someone and how, without compromising my voice or what I feel *my* blog should/could be about, I can make it interesting for the few people who read it.
Like Whoopsadaisy and Jo there, I’m not blogging long enough to know what a good blog used to be like. To be honest, when people talk about “navel gazing” or overly sentimental posts for the sake of comments, I’m not really sure what they’re referring to, because I don’t pick up on it. I write what I want to write both because I think people would be interested but also because I am. I just assume everyone else does the same. While I may be a less anonymous and more personal blogger than most, I also feel I have nothing to hide. The very personal posts I’ve written – adoption, sexuality, biological father etc have prompted some startling comments and thank you emails from people who have been genuinely touched by the words I chose to share. I’m sure that’s true of everyone – I mean, K8 is still getting great comments on her “Secret Fire” post.
We do have to face though that blogging is changing, that people are moving on from sharing on bebo to sharing on blogs, that it is becoming easier and that more people are doing it. There’s a younger crowd who are more at ease with “let’s go for a pint or to a gig” and who, again to quote Whoopsadaisy, don’t take it as anything more serious than a hobby.
That’s great too, because they have their voice. I’d love to see something like the post you had recently where an American blog critiqued yours (sorry to be vague, but I think you know what i mean) happening in Ireland, where people could say – genuinely and without malice – to someone “that’s good, but if you like, it could be better and here’s how”. There are courses for business bloggers, why not one for people who just love to blog?
I can see what Jo means here and it’s worrying that she is, in a way, right.
Im saying the cliques combined with the nature of blogging makes for one very self-referential stew, Jo.
Im not criticizing, as I quite enjoy reading and commenting on some of the cliquey blogs.
I guess it’s just a different perspective – perhaps people who just lurk without commenting might view the entire blogosphere as one giant clique…
Hey Grandad – this was interesting to me. Mainly because I hardly read any blogs, except friends and family. And my blog – well – it would definately be considered boring to most, because it’s just a place to share my life and children’s lives with aunts, uncles, cousins, friends and the like. (I hardly ever get a comment, because most of the people I know don’t know how to leave one! ha ha).
However, your blog was sent to me by my sister who lives in London. She knows that I love writing and thought it would be of interest to me. And it is. It’s funny, it’s different and it certainly makes you think. You are probably the only blog that I read most days that is not related to motherhood and children. That’s a refreshing change. I enjoy what you write. Sometimes I disagree with it, but that’s half the fun and point of good writing. I learn something from your style and wit.
That’s my two cents worth. I do not spend much time on the internet at all and like to enjoy the things I spend time on when I do. I’ll have to start branching out a little more!
Also, as an Irish girl living in the USA, it gives me some hope that I am not the only one who struggles with certain things and the politics of the USA. Thanks for that 🙂
Film reviews is the only thing on your list that surprises me. Top of my list is blog posts about blog posts. Meeeiow.
As a matter of interest – Where are all these posts complaining about other blogs? Where is all this reminiscing? I have only seen a couple in the last few months so it’s hardly a new fad?
Jo – No snot taken 😉 Of course there is a place for everyone on the web, and it seems like nearly everyone is there. As Darragh nearly implied, the blog scene is in danger of becoming a Bebo type scene though, and that is in my opinion, not a good thing. Incidentally, I’m not trying to be snotty about film critiques – I just find them boring. I nearly abandoned the whole scene when Dark Knight [or whatever it’s called] came out, as every fecker in the world seemed desperate to give their opinion.
Darragh – I think in a way, you have nicely put your finger on it when you refer to Bebo. Bebo always struck me as being the epitome of the ‘dumbed down’ generation, and I would hate to think that the same thing is happening to the blog world.
With regard to comments, I think we all agree that without comments, life would be a duller place. I also think we all agree that we sometimes word our stuff to encourage comments. There is a fine line though between leaving a point open to debate, and blatantly asking for comments. Not that there is anything wrong with the latter, but it can be overdone, and gives the impression that ‘I don’t give a shit what I write as long as you comment on it’? I’m not pointing the finger at anyone in particular incidentally!
Whoopsadaisy asks for samples of the ‘old blogs’. I have some of the old ones on my blogroll, as I tend to add to that rather than subtract. Quite a few though have gone to the great Web in the sky, which is a shame. I won’t say which are which, but all the sites that I really like are there, and maybe there are a couple on my feed reader that I have forgotten to add [I must do a bit of work on that].
Tricia – Thanks for the compliment! I am not fishing for compliments, by the way. I like constructive criticism though?
I will not rehash old jokes.
I will not rehash old jokes.
I will not rehash old jokes.
I will not rehash old jokes.
I will not rehash old jokes.
I will not rehash old jokes.
I will not rehash old jokes.
I will not rehash old jokes.
I will not rehash old jokes.
I will not rehash old jokes.
I will not rehash old jokes.
Anymore.
Much.
I’m with you on film reviews, especially on those mornings when Irish Blogs is stuffed with them after a first screening. If I lived within a zillion miles of a cinema or had the money to go to one, I might feel differently…dunno.
Now you’ve got me thinking and looking back at my own reader, trying to measure what makes a blog interesting or entertaining to me even after weeks or months, or in a rare case, years.
On the other hand, when I stop by a new blog, what makes me hit ‘subscribe’ or just move on? God I don’t know. Mostly I want to come back if I somehow feel a connection with the blogger, but I’m not clear yet on how that happens.
More thinking ahead…
Tish tosh!
Looks like a beautiful morning out there.
Well, I have to admit this is all very new to me and only came about because my son was worried that I wasn’t ‘networking with people’ when I had a breakdown earlier this year.
I have read blogs that made me cry with laughter and some that have gone straight over my head! Some that I was so in tune with and others where I couldn’t have been farther away. For ages I didn’t leave comments because I found it to be a bit of a clique and didn’t know how my opinion would be received.
When I write on my sites I don’t really think about what people think – I kinda gathered that if they found it boring they would move on. So far everyone has been pleasant towards me – I don’t know who reads me but as long as I’m getting it out of my head I don’t really care.
Enuff rambling… in short.. I enjoy the choice of reading material out there – yours especially Grandad!
No way Kate, I think you’ll find most of us are comment whores, just weigh in!
Grandad,
to be honest there are ‘clicks’ out there and the opinionated are becoming morelike boybands in a sense. Not all. But some. Clicks do have a role to play but – a sense of individuality is what is important with relevance to blogging in my opinion.
I think it honestly comes back to that. A sense of individuality. A direction. A sense of humour. A sense of what *you/ we/ I* believe in. I believe one must be steadfast, honest and open – if people disagee -fine but in certain cases the bandwagon often rolls and those of the clicky sticky type jump on and that is unfair – that i dont mind fodder aside – but it is also bland, banal and boring.
I can say ‘I think Brian Lenehan is an eejit’ but here’s why. One can retort – i disagree and here’s why. Fine.
Thats why the sex pistols, led zepp, hendrix etc are legends… they were [its very simple] different, unique and at that time and for that reason a revelation.
Love me or hate me – but for Gods sake inspire me!
peter
i must be feeling the same way. as of late i’ve gone to just deleting all the new posts on the igoogle reader(daily upwards of 500). if it makes it to the regular reader attached to my email box then i usually read it. I have also been “managing” my reader as of late and have cut down considerably. i think i’m about down to 20 or so. it is a shame though that i haven’t found much to replace the deleted ones.
I should have said, Grandad, you clearly didn’t catch my groundbreaking post on soya milk the other day. I’ll be winning awards for that one, oh yes!
Grandad, you’ve just described my blog down to a tee. Nearly.
I would feel guilty but I realised awhile ago that it isn’t my fault, or others, that more people don’t blog in a style more accustomed to the style of yore.
But of course, everyone is entitled to their opinions (isn’t that what blogs are for?!) and while I do respect yours, it just feels a little like the older generation of bloggers (in terms how long they’ve been blogging) are looking down on the newer blogs. I think it’s actually quite condescending to ask ‘where are all the good blogs gone’. As far as I can see, with a bit of clicking around, there are plenty of ‘good’ blogs around that aren’t youtube, meet-ups, reviews etc. and there also are plenty of blogs that are.
I personally wouldn’t dismiss all newer blogs out there because they don’t suit a personal style. Opinions are opinions i.e. not fact.
But that is of course, Just My Humble Opinion and I’m in a grumpy mood. Blame it on the budget.
Dammit, I meant to clarify that blog is not incestuous however. I do not swing thatta way thank you very much.
I am not a blogger, just a browser of blogs, and been here less than a year.
I treat this like the tv, if I don’t like, I turn it off/don’t read it.
Good blogs, or blogs to your own preference have to be sought out, they don’t come a-knockin’. It is the same with all “entertainment”, there’s a lot of shite out there.
BTW Grandad, I have 5 blogs in my favourites, you are in there.
I agree with your criteria for a “lazy blog.”
I search reguarly for new blogs – I found one and two posts later he quit. I felt personally betrayed. I was pissed!
For those who are looking for new things to read try http://Alltop.com.
It’s a blog of blogs but they have live editors (might be oxymoron) who review blogs before adding a feed to their list. It’s not a popularity contest ranking either.
For me with my super high speed dial up anything more than a passport photo on a blog and I have to switch off or lose sleep.What is you tube?
Fuck. So that’s where I’m going wrong.
You’re on thin ice here! See it’s hard to knock a blog because technically none of them are betraying any standards, because there are no standards. A blog is just a blog.
I’m getting a sense from yerself and Twenty and a few other voices, that perhaps because there are so many blogs out there, perhaps they should be standardised, or at least graded, named differently somehow, so to save a lot of trawling for quality. This would be pointless, however, as none of us can really put our finger on what a good blog is!! There are always exceptions to the rule, so there really isn’t much point in having rules or grades. Instead!!! Someone should write a list of unwritten rules (as it wer) or suggestions as to what does make a good blog, or at least a personal blog more interesting… this is more constructive than focussing on the bad points.
In the words of the Gimme: “Yeah. But he could have left us the ball.” Seems a pity to disappear without imparting some wisdom.
I can’t really talk, though. I love trying to start fights for the craic, but no-one takes the bait 😉 Excellent post, Daddyo.
Standardised blogging? Great idea! I’ll write some rules.
Seriously though, no one is suggesting any kind of grading or anything like that. All I am saying is that… aw fuck! I’m getting confused myself now.
There are a lot of good blogs out there and a lot of not so good. What I am saying is that the former are becoming more difficult to find.
I have received a few private emails about this post. One said [and I quote] “I think you’ve made a lot of people think today“. Great! That is what it’s all about. Too many posts don’t require any grey matter. Am I making sense?
You certainly are!
I’m just not sure why the good blogs are so hard to find though, I can think of lots off the tip of my noggin. If those ones aren’t the ones that you’re talking about, then what are?
I don’t agree,
some blogs are good all of the time, I visit often and read
some blogs are good some of the time, i visit infrequently and weed out the good
some blogs are bad all the time, I stop visiting
I discover new blogs through witty, clever or outrageous comments left by bloggers on my blog or other blogs I read.
in my opinion the “original” blogosphere you look back upon with rose tinted glasses was inhabited mainly by geeky nerds, with the very odd exception, whereas the current crop are a much more vibrant assortment, the sheer quantity makes discovering the jewels more difficult but they’re out there
Granddad, this is my first time commenting on your blog, but I’ve been reading for ages. I gotta say, aside from the blogs of my “real” friends (ie the ones who call to my house on regular basis to inconvenience me), yours is the only one I read. Oh, wait, there’s also the one about getting over my sex addiction, but that’s another story for another time.
Um, what was I getting at? I kind of distracted myself. Um, I’ll have to get back to you with the other half of this comment.
Oh, now I remember. I was going to bark at Roy for implying that there’s something wrong with geeky nerds, and tell you I agree with you about “lazy” blogs. If I get it forwarded to me in an email at least once a week, I don’t feel the need to read it again on someone’s blog.
I am finding that it is difficult to get straight to the ones I want to browse due to the chaotic site changes. There are now no categories to click onto quickly which was much easier than trawling through a load of……whatever. Those headliner blogs come from …where? Or whose brain? My blog certainly will only appeal to certain folks but will be tagged to catch that groups attention. Think site needs another overhaul perhaps? I agree re cliches…never liked em..
“When I started a couple of years ago, this was a vibrant place.”
And now it’s not vibrant is it? That is more than a little insulting to those who are finding their way today.
Blogs are popping up all over the place, for every taste and topic, specialist, general, hilarious, personal, fictional, and God knows what else. It’s more vibrant today than it ever was back in the “good old days”.
Blogging is open to everyone, if you’re hooked up to the mains and can smack your face off your keyboard you can write a blog, and more power to you.
It’s possible too that people get lazy in going out and finding new blogs to read. I know I have from time to time. We get cozy with our regular route and there’s nothing wrong with that unless you happen to wake up wanting something different now and again. If you’re not finding what you’re looking for try looking in some different places, in some different countries. The blogging world is huge and we anglophones are are incredibly lucky that so much of the world blogs in English. If you’re not finding what you’re looking for somewhere, go blog travelling and broaden the old horizons a bit. You will find wit, attitude, incredible stories and brilliant writing. It’s everywhere.
While I love my regular reads, it’s great fun just to go wandering about via link clicks and some of my best times blogging have been spent doing just that.
Roy – I would agree about the rose tinted glasses except that it wasn’t that long ago. Also I would hotly dispute that they were geeky nerds. [One of the good bloggers I like is a techno-wizz-kid, and writes very funny, non technical stuff. He is around the same age/vintage as myself too. I’d give a link, but that wouldn’t be fair on the others].
Kaz & Greenboil – Welcome in from the cold!! [Greenboil! What a name. I love it 🙂 ]
Kaz – It looks to me like you should have a blog of your own. Or maybe you do and you’re shy? Anyone with any kind of addiction or fetish [preferably fetish] is welcome here.
Greenboil – Site changes? Are you referring to Irishblogs? I confess I am not exactly jumping for joy at their latest changes. As someone commented [somewhere] it looks like they are more interested in making cash than in providing information?
Xbox – It isn’t intended as an insult to all newcomers. There are a lot of very good sites coming on line, but there are also a lot of poor ones. I think you’ll find that some of the sites on my blogroll are quite new.
Problem[ChildBride] – You could have caught me there. I do visit quite a few sites that I find on IrishBlogs, and also follow back on any commenter. I also follow back on referring links that I find in my stats. I could search a bit harder?
Blogging is a bit like yoga. It doesn’t matter whether you do it well or badly. You still get the benefit of doing absolutely nothing around the house.
35 comments, now look at what you’ve gone and done, stirred it all up 🙂
I’ver just read “We think” by C Leadbeater and this is one of the points he is raises but thankfully doesnt go all judgemental on. Unlike, say, newspaper editors, there is no quality control for blogs. Whether the output is good, bad, boring, interesting, lazy, industrious, funny, snotty, intelligent, intellectual, cringe-inducing, political, apolitical, etc, etc is totally open to interpretation of the multitude of readers. The blogging community decides what it likes and doesnt like and things evolve naturally and where they end up is anyone’s guess.
Looking at your own archives, some of your posts garner a plethora of comments (like this one ironically!), some don’t. Blogs disappear off my reader on a regular basis, some never re-appear, some do, some are replaced by brand new ones, some last a long time. Natural evolution of the blogging community and its readers, commenters and posters.
There were no bad blogs back in the good old days….
There’s not a whole heap of quality control at some newspapers either.
I suppose my intention at the start of this was to start a wee debate, and to that end, I was a little intemperate in some of my wording. It seems to have been reasonably successful though?
Yep its cold out there! In fairness don’t want censorship but easy accessibility to stuff I want to bother my ass reading. Not particularly into another face book type thingy which is being done already. By the way while I’m here being charged to park ur car at work when no viable transport exists is an amazing Green idea… NOT. Greenboil came from Bob Geldof’s calling Ireland a green pimple. Now we just festering.
Here’s to dumbing upwards people
Heh. Welcome to my experience. At least you did it better. 😉
blogging eh……..never a dull moment.
unless you’re reading this new bunch of bores that are about…
Darragh – “At least you did it better.” Very debatable.
Manuel – You obviously haven’t read some of my recent posts.
Xbox – Any more of these childish remarks and I’ll remove you from my reader. 😉
Bock: How could you compare blogging to yoga? Can you or have you ever done a shoulder stand whilst blogging? Do you own a leotard and is it pink? Can I have a photograph?
I’ll send you the fuckin leotard if you like, but you’ll have to wash it yourself.
What about the handling charges?
Your blog for me is interesting, insightful and gives me a different perspective. I respond, seldom do I initiate, but then I am still a neophyte and just love to here other perspective and as I said previously, sometimes little comments speak volumes. William Butler Yeats I’m not and never will be but I can still be inspired! Keep up the good work and to hell with the gobshite’s that are out there trying to pollute and are unable to carry on a meaningful conversation
Oops guilty of film reviews, you tube, banal subject matter and the odd cross-reference and link to sites I like etc. Better delete me from your blogroll!
My work here is done…
;0)
I’m going to get something off my chest here. From what I can see everytime this debate starts recently, is that a lot of people have an allegiance to ‘words’. Some of my favourite blogs are very light on words: zoomdoggle, Wooster Collective , Photoshop disasters, Gingerpixel, Scamp.ie, etc etc.
I also love a good bit of writing but whenever this debate comes up, I always sense an air of ‘word snobbery’ and often think… in the context of this discussion…that words are over rated. Not relying on them so much isn’t lazy. It’s just a preference. For bloggers and readers alike.
John Ongena – Could you change your name by deed poll please? I’m getting confused with all the Johns and John Os. You say this site is insightful? It’s only a rant with the occasional brain fart. Huffington Post it ain’t!
Baino – You are assuming you are on my reader to start with? Actually, you are, and you’re staying there. So there!
Xbox – Don’t go away. I’ll let you play with my Glock 27?
John B – I agree up to a point. There are a lot of excellent sites that are based on photography and the like. You have listed a couple of my favourites, in fact. As to words being overrated? Is it possible to overrate words?
“As to words being overrated? Is it possible to overrate words?”
Just in this context. Whenever this disucssion comes up. It’s like blogs are only for writing and nothing else. And it’s all about the quality of the writing etc. Think it was more prevelant on Rosie’s post that time.
Christ I don’t want to start sounding precious. Not like I’m deeply offended or anything. I just wanted to stick my boot in for the… erm…multimedia bloggers.
I’ll be very disappointed in you John if you don’t have a papier-maché animation post in response to this.
I like to think mine’s pretty individual.
Doesn’t mean it’s any good though.
B’ – You changed your name again? You left out the link to your blog, but being a sneaky bastard, I have put it in. This is no place for false modesty.
dang, had to scroll for a full minute to get to the bottom of these comments.
posted a post just for you last night, ganddad….three videos and three or four links…yep, i still am that naughty headstrong child that, come hell or high water, will do what they are told not to do just because she can 🙂
oh, and no tequila was involved…
Prin – Are you back on the Moonshine then?
i’ll have you know, i have always been way to classy for moonshine. everclear, now that is the classy rednecks drink of choice 🙂
I thought I was being arrogant,, left out the link so it wouldn’t be a plug
Grandad,
sorry, somehow my name was included in my comment with the full spelling of my last name. I am John O and will use this heading only. Hope this l clears up the confusion.
By the way, what a response, you sure know how to tickle the keys and hit the nerves!!!
B’ – Arrogance and modesty aren’t allowed on this site. I’ve added your site to your last comment too. Stop making all this work for me.
John O – I thought it was a coincidence! I should have checked email addresses and I’d have uncovered you [as I did with B’]. There is nothing like a bit of a ‘debate’.
This is like The Good Old Days 😆
Grandad,
thanks for taking the time to notice, with all of your responses the tips of your fingers must be as sensitive and the tip of your….. oh never mind, I digress, I think I just landed a gollier! Slainte’
but most people that know me know B’ is the same as B’dum and all, just admit it’s all arrogance!
B’ – But how many people really know you.
Hello Granddad,
I am iammary. That’s me, but, it’ll also help ya keep all your Marys straight.
I’m headed to the ocean today just so’s I can get some expanse to pull this team of horses in my gut to a halt. One month to the blog world, already in the undertow. Geesh….. We each have to decide what we want here, then leave or go at it, one or the other.
The main thing’s baffling me in this conversation is, well, where’d the ‘good ole days’ folks go? I’m hearing lament, but, then y’all kinda had a first one on the prairie clique phenomenon, your ownself, and now, if the blogs have quit, then this unique voice went ‘somewhere.’ I can’t imagine all these voices just went silent. (seems some went to book) And. The mode itself has mutated perhaps by the very fuel that they/y’all produced. Seems they mighta paradox’ed themselves right outta their own mode. For them, into their ‘next’ medium. For the blog world, its own emerging ‘next.’
I hear a lot of gratitude as well to the ‘good ole days’ folks. They were a propelling force. Literally. High octane fuel propels, but ultimately a rocket is propelled and it’s in orbit. Views from space might not seem provocative to some, but, to me, ‘it makes me think.’ The Larger keeps getting larger. I have loved debate, still do at times, but it ain’t the only delicacy I desire. It’s only one style and mode of inspiring creative thought.
@ whoever said ‘Jimi et al were legends’ (I’m not lazy, I just get plain overwhelmed, geesh, been up there 3 times lookin, lol.) I feel most of us here didn’t show up to become a legend, altho, like any other medium, legends will emerge. Jimi Hendrix was indeed a legend. I don’t think he analyzed or critiqued his readership in the heat of a chord. He just played his passion and ‘his readers’ found him by sheer magnitude. By a blessing of fate or what have you, I had the very real privilege of meeting, visiting with, some of the great blues men and women who Jimi and Eric and others learned from and emulated. (Worked for a blues mag in Mississippi) Most every last one of them were wholly gracious to sit and share what of their art and craft anybody in the room desired to ask. They also were inspired to watch what the younger ones did with the wisdom shared. They were true elders.
@ Maxi. I tried my best to do something with your old joke, lol. Coulda said, ‘Ah… the 2 minute eggs I have know.’ lol
Granddad, I’ve read your blog a couple of times in my just getting here. I like your voice. I saw a goodly group of young folks commenting. I personally love the mix of ages that conspire to bring a totally new energy into being. I personally could neeever keep up with the task of addressing the commenting to be a blogger. Keep up the good work, don’t go away. Now to my horses.
Thanks for letting me comment.
Okay, it’s all my fault. I leave the scene for a bit (for the most part) and everything has gone to pot.
Seriously though…it’s the medications! I swear it is or at least one hefty pain killer is. I couldn’t even get through all 66 comments on your post (at last count) because my head’s so fuzzy. Well fuggit! Surgery finally comes at the end of the month and if they don’t muck it up, I should be back on my blogging feet well before the end of November minus a whole lot of pain if not the problem itself (surgery won’t cure the problem unfortunately but I’ll settle for getting off the damn pain med).
In the meantime and more to the point, there’s a lot of us good ol’ bloggers still out there and a whole bunch of new “good ol’ bloggers” out there as well…you just haven’t found them yet…or they haven’t found you as the case may be.
Take heart, Grandad. Despite all the old jokes, FluTube videos, bore-camps, meat-ups, movie and (shudder) prime-time TV reviews, there’s still some quality content out there as reflected by all of the comments and commenter’s here. And I like the idea of writing up some blogging “standards”, rules and regulations. Perhaps I’ll do the same thing, then we can argue about which set of rules is better than the other or just throw both lists together and say good enough.
Kirk M – For God’s sake, don’t stop blogging! The standard of the World Wide Web would drop by 50%. As for blogging standards? How do they work? We might draw up some purely for the laugh. I’ll have the fingers crossed for the surgery [and let’s hope the surgeon doesn’t?]
Oh hell, I wouldn’t want to contribute to the degradation of the WWW any so unless I become seriously demised or worse, I won’t stop blogging (50%??!?). Besides, WP 2.7 is looking mighty fine.
Sure, let’s make up some rules for a laugh. The WWW and blogging in general are a complete anarchy anyway and completely unruly. Don’t think I’d want it standardized, no fun that way. I’ll definitely have to do a blog post about this.
You could even setup some sort of silly poll here seeing as how you have more commentator’s than I do. Didn’t Automattic just acquire PollDaddy or some such nonsense?
Welcome Iammary!! Sorry you got trapped in my moderation thing and I missed welcoming you.
If you want to meet a blogger of the Old School – meet Kirk M [Kirk M, meet Iammary]
Kirk M – What do you want me to ask in the poll?? I’m sure there is a plugin or something that would work?
Well hello Iammary. You truly have a unique voice in your ideas and way of presenting yourself. I look forward to seeing more of you ’round here.
Grandad: Yah, like I said, Automattic acquired PollDaddy (PollDaddy’s an Irish company by the way) and there’s a plugin for the PollDaddy service that’s sitting on the WordPress Plugin Directory if you wish to try it out. You have to sign up with the service first by what I understand.
And questions? I’ll have to wait until tomorrow for that kind of thinking cos it’s time for bed (med’s kicking in–ugh). You’re an over-imaginative kind of guy, I bet you could think up all sorts of wonky “Blog Standards” to stick in a poll. Set them up in polls of 3 or 4 possibilities and you can run a poll a day/week/month/whatever. At the end of a specified (or not) time period, we can go over the results of all the polls and list the most popular “standards” picked by your most wonderful, insightful and creative (thinking) readers.
Man…I really need to hit the sack.
Kirk M – You’re making life very difficult! Bloody polls?!
Now, now, Grandad, the term is ‘Bloody non-nationals’…
Xbox – I believe in calling a spade a coon.
Okay,okay, forget the bloody non-nationals, Just a idea and all. 😛
Almost enough to make me want to give up just as I’ve started Grandad if I’ve already missed the goldean age!
Maybe it’s just easier to get readers doing the things you don’t like?
I’m just writing, things for myself and some days there are only 9 or 10 people stopping by. I know I’m new to all this but maybe the appetite isn’t there any more?
Still not going to stop me writing of course.
Gray – Rubbish. Let’s build a new Golden Age! Anyway, you have one of the best blog designs I have seen yet! I’m jealous. If I talk to you very nicely ……………??
I have every intention of continuing to churn out nonsense, don’t you worry.
I didn’t think of the design much to be honest. I liked the 4 column thing and I didn’t see it much elsewhere and the header is just from one of my favourite photographers.
Reminds me a bit of me!
Great stuff, Grey. I have been doing a bit of a sniff around in the theme world. Keeping things in the family? 😉
Looks like a lot of irish bloggers use “Twitter” among themselves at the moment…. micro blogging during the day and not really posting full articles like before…
Kieran – Micro blogging? Jayzus! That sounds awful!
Oh are y’all still at this? I was away somewhere nice. Now that revolution is in the air,why doesn’t some genius start an alternative Irish Blogs site? Those who wish could all defect. It could be called Politics and shite for people who write type thing….or whatever