Friday, December 12, 2014

Hhmm...


A couple of posts from blogger-in-arms Rev Paul (here and here) got me to thinkin'.

(Not always a good thing mind you...)

You went and read both of those. Right? (Otherwise much of what follows may or may not make sense, 'kay?)

Now Roberta X postulates that "blogging is essentially dead...", the reasons she gives are pretty valid when you factor some of the tweens, teens and 20-somethings into the mix. A lot of those folks can't pay attention for more than the length of a Tweet. They think they're being fast paced and all. Very hip and with it, I guess.


But what do I know?

Roberta cites declines in the numbers she sees on her blog based on Sitemeter statistics and something called Technorati. Nope, I have no idea what the latter is. Okay, I Googled it (how come no one ever "Bings" something?) and it is a real thing.

The name alone puts me off. I despise computer techie talk, even though I am a computer kind of guy. Not that I'm all up in one's grill with technical savvy vis-à-vis the various Windows operating systems, Linux, Unix or the guards of the sultan's harem. Nope.


Quite honestly I hate that shit. Not to put too fine a point on it.

I use computers. I force them to do my bidding. That's it. Though my livelihood is based upon computers, there are days I really hate them. Really.

But all that aside, Sitemeter is as reliable as reading goat entrails. Ask Buck, he knows.

Why did I start blogging? Well, you need to go back to my very first post, I kind of mention why. I did expand on that over time.

I do this for me, primarily. But hey, you guys reading this are important too. Really. I love you all.

In a masculine, non-threatening kind of way...

Now lately I have thought about throwing in the towel and doing something other than blog. I mean I have a Twitter account and everything. (I've Tweeted 15 times. Yup, 15. Not exactly a whirlwind of activity there.) I am on Facebook under my real name. No, I won't tell you what that is. Some of you know anyway.

I am semi-anonymous. Whatever that means.


But neither of those things give me the same pleasure as blogging. Besides which, The WSO gets a kick out of it. If I stopped, she'd be miffed. (I think...)

(Hhmm, this is rather a rambling, stream of consciousness post innit? Not possible to digress I suppose. Though I think this is a digression. Maybe.)

So for some, blogging is kind of dead. But I read a lot of blogs and most of those seem to be doing just fine. I get Roberta's point though, if you feel like no one's reading your stuff, why bother?

For me, I do it because I enjoy it. If only a couple of folks read my ponderings, rants and raves (avec the occasional dérouter) then je suis content.

Whoa, I just tweeted three more times. That makes 18. Man, I need to sit down.

Isn't life fascinating?

I tell ya, it's time like these...


Uh-huh-huh.

My blog, my music. (You will, no doubt, see more Foo Fighters here. No, not today.)

わかりますか?


どうぞ...

30 comments:

  1. Blogging may not be DEAD but it's certainly on life support. Me? I blame Facebook, pure and simple. (Note I was straight up on the title of that miserable platform, foregoing the usual F-bomb addition that ALWAYS precedes it, otherwise). Twitter is a rather different medium and I like it. I've been on Twitter since the beginning or very nearly so; my total output is 245 tweets. The thing that amazes me is I have 63 followers, which is rather amazing since I don't tweet much, if at all. Go figure...

    Like you, I blog for me. And the grandkids. And for the friends I've made over the years, some of which I've met in meat-space, some of which I hope to meet, if time and circumstances allow.

    In re: "わかりますか?" 理解した。

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think we're on the same page in many respects.

      I actually enjoy Facebook but it isn't for everybody. I find Twitter amusing but there is too much re-tweeting. Bogs me down it does.

      Oh well. (I knew you'd get a kick out of the 日本語.)

      Delete
  2. The shipping lanes of history are choked with the hulks of certain failure and demise.

    私はノルウェー語での快適な、しかし、不快成長が求められます。

    Did I do that right?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Vi kan gjøre dette i norsk hvis du foretrekker det.

      Google Translate is our friend.

      Delete
    2. I'm not sure about that last part. My initial attempt did not meet the family friendly standard. Good thing I went back and forth English, Korean, English.

      Delete
    3. I should have mentioned that you do need to check your work by translating back to English. Sometimes the results are pretty funny (if not downright weird).

      So perhaps, Google Translate "can" be your friend.

      Delete
    4. Dette synes heller mer levende enn nær døden.

      We live in remarkable times.

      Delete
    5. All I know is that I have a lot of fun with Google Translate.

      Then again, I'm kind of a language geek. YMMV

      Delete
  3. Replies
    1. Well played Juvat. Well played.

      Englisch, wenn Sie darauf bestehen.

      Delete
    2. Angla estas tiom dudek -unua jarcento.

      Okay, I'm done messing around.

      Delete
    3. Oh no, you didn't go all Esperanto on us did you?

      Why yes, yes he did.

      Hahahahaha.

      Delete
  4. My abortive venture into Facebook, which lasted less than two years, bears much of the blame for the decline in quality of my blog. Okay, my perception of the decline in quality, etc, etc. I found that I couldn't keep up with both, and the Book of Face was easier: shorter posts ... just random thoughts, really ... and a great deal of plagiarism. Going back to just a blog felt cumbersome, thereafter.

    Even though it's been over a year since I deactivated my account, I've never really recovered my previous blogging equilibrium.
    Keletą dienų ji vargu ar verta. Tačiau skaitytojai ir toliau reikalaus, kad jie gauna naudos iš savo ribotų raštuose.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Lietuvos! Labai gražus.

      I had some very good friends in my youth who were of Lithuanian extraction.

      I get the ease of Facebook, I really do.

      As to your blog? It's my window into Alaska, a magnificent place. Don't ever quit Rev.

      Delete
  5. I found F/B is my blog's friend... as long as I don't link too much.
    I blog solely for my own edification.
    The fact that it may inform others is a bonus.
    Sometimes what I post is pure sputum and is best avoided.
    If I didn't blog, my phone would probably be ringing off the hook from family members.

    ReplyDelete
  6. The day of the solo blogger being able to turn it into a money making full time job are certainly over. Ace, Allah, guys like that. Indy bloggers are bleeding traffic. In 2009, I averaged around 7k hits a day. Now I'm bouncing between 3-5k.

    Now rather than indy bloggers competing against the online version of various DTF newspapers and magazines, we're competing with Web2.0 platforms like Facebook, Tumblr, Buzzfeed and its million clickbait clones, and online collaborative blogs hosted by Web2.0 companies.

    It's easier than ever to get published. All those platforms need constant content.

    As to Facebook, yes, it has largely killed the single author blog. Now people just post that stuff to Facebook. And it's very easy to build readership there, either through your friends list, or by joining various groups. On the other hand, Facebook is also a good tool for finding material to write about, and publicizing what you've written. I do that all the time.

    I like Twitter. I use it to keep abreast of the news. I see a lot of headlines. I also publicize the blog on it. And if you follow the right people, there are some folks that squeeze a lot of funny into 140 characters.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm glad you chimed in, you do ads at your place (which are not intrusive, something I really appreciate) and have a team approach. Do you guys actually make any money over there?

      I've never considered blogging for cash as I figured the returns would be minimal.

      I didn't really consider the "blogging as a living" aspect. That I think is pretty much going the way of the dodo. Too much competition.

      I get a kick of Twitter, I just don't go there that much.

      Facebook is for interacting with my kids (mostly) and of course the Lexicans.

      A blog for profit I shall never be.

      Delete
    2. I make a couple hundred a month. The coauthors get squat. Well, I send them a Christmas present, but that's it. There's not really any easy way to break down what they contribute in terms of traffic. And if I were to pay them, it would open up all kinds of taxation issues. As it is, I'm the one that gets the 1099 and pays the taxes.

      For blogs with a certain level of traffic, Wordpress.com has a system that makes it very easy to accept ads and generate modest income. I have no idea how blogger does it.

      Delete
    3. Blogger has a similar system from what I understand. I don't intend to use it. At least not any time soon.

      A couple of hundred, I'm guessing a BMW is not in order, at least not right away. OTOH, Spill did get that really nice flask.

      Thanks for the input. Your opinions and thoughts are, as always, welcomed and appreciated.

      Delete
  7. I seem to follow a lot of almost everyday bloggers. It still seems to be thriving from my point of view.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think it's the blogging for dollars crowd that sees the problem.

      I prefer (normally) the everyday bloggers. I mean my blog list has grown, most of those folks are still active.

      Delete
  8. I don't do facebook or twitter, too much straw. I like the pace of blogs. It might have something to do with age. NOW GET OFF MY LAWN!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hey Mister! Can we have our ball back?

      (I too like the pace of blogs. And it's definitely my age!)

      Delete
  9. Dead? I just found out about it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The reports of blogging's demise have perhaps been exaggerated.

      Delete
  10. Well if Blogging is dead, what am I supposed to do all day? Go back to sitting around watching my old VCR tapes and playing records on my stereo?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We don't want that!

      I think even Murphy and Belle don't want that.

      Delete
  11. Since I began writing for my living - about two years ago - I've been less inclined to blog. Mostly, it's because writing now seems like, well, work. And I feel bad about this because without the encouragement and input from my fellow bloggers I don't think I would have attempted making writing my full-time job.

    The other thing is most print outlets won't consider submissions of anything previously published. That even includes stuff that saw the light of day on a personal blog. I've been blogging for nine years now, so many of my very best stories were on the blog and, thus, may be seen as unsaleable by some. So now I'm somewhat reticent to put out on the blog those things I think might be able to sell. Again, I feel bad about that because I wouldn't be the guy receiving the low-to-middling bucks without some previous reading and compliments on same.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. As long as you keep providing links to your excellent work in the blog, I'm content.

      Besides which, if it's your livelihood, why give it away?

      (Oddly enough a Red Hot Chili Peppers song just popped into my head give it away, give it away, give it away now, with that nice bass line...)

      Delete

Just be polite... that's all I ask. (For Buck)
Can't be nice, go somewhere else...

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