Writing...we're all doing more of it, aren't we fellow bloggers? I am now halfway done (ok, maybe 3/8ths) done with the writing I need to accomplish by late next week. This past week's writing was tortuous. Really, really hard--the kind of hard where it takes halves of hours to write single sentences.
That kind of writing is difficult to get through. It becomes not fun. It threatens to engulf your sanity... and it really did engulf mine. Brain power was lost to the extent that I lost my PDA one day and only a few days later lost my wallet. These are costly tragedies for another post. (Wallet search swallowed up nearly a whole work day yesterday to no avail--PDA search will resume on Sunday when I return to the scene of the crime-of-memory).
As I start the writing for my last project, which is also my first serious seminar paper proper and I am hoping to have a different experience. I want to have some fun with this business because the subject is right for it (see below), the professor is open to fun-serious approaches to topi, and I really can't endure another week of brain wringing. I mean, it was my PDA and wallet last week, next week by this time I could very well be leaving the house without any pants on.
My writing project on the plate for the next 7 days, is really an extension of what I was trying to muddle through in this post a few months ago. Which means that it is about the very thing that I am doing right now: Blogging (specifically, genres of personal writing on the web)--and here's where you can help, dear readers!
I am interested in examining the following questions and your takes on them would be very (very!) useful:
1. Do you imagine your blogging to have an underlying theme?
2. What is it about blogging that is attractive to you? What makes it worth your while? What "work" does it get done? In essence, why do you blog?
3. How much do you worry about your posts--what you write, what not to write, who you might offend, etc. and connected to this question--do you think much about how others may perceive you via your blog? (this may be especially true when you think about people who you may not have ever met who read your blog and get a sense of the "you" presented there.)
4. How often do you read blogs of people you have never met? What attracts you to those blogs, for which there is no real "communication" factor involved?
5. Finally, do you use any kind of rss feed reader to view your blogs (do you even know what that is?--if not please indicate)? If not, do you use tool bar bookmarks--or just links from the blogs you read to the other blogs you read?
Sorry. I know that is a lot. Feel free to answer only those that you want--but the information that you doll out will be very useful to me so, if you have the time, put some thought into it!
UPDATE! Found the wallet this evening in the one place that we hadn't looked because...well you'll see why. I went in to Jonas's room to get him a belt, and saw something dark in the crib. Who knows how it got in there--just glad that it was and not in the hands of some, dark, dishonest stranger .
1. Not really. I feel like I write in a certain style, but there's no real theme.
ReplyDelete2. Blogging appeals to the vanity in me. It's attractive because we'd all like ot think that we say and think interesting things. Having a blog gives us the opportunity to showcase ourselves in a really safe environment. Real-life interaction involves other people, which is a huge uncontrollable variable. When you blog, you don't have the immediate reactions. This means you don't get positive reactions, but it's a small price to pay for that kind of control.
2a. I've been told to keep a journal since i was a kid, but i'm really lousy at it, so blogging is a way to chronicle what's going on in mylife in a fashion that makes it rereadable.
3. I think i've developed a pretty healthy relationship with my blogging self. Tina set up my parent's blog and linked my website from there. At first, it bothered me alot. I felt like I couldn't write about sadness or anger or anything without watering it down for my parent/their friends. So, I think a good deal about what I'm going to write, but for the most part, I'll write about everything. It's my site, and I can't allow who reads it affect the content.
I do think about what people who don't know me think of me from what I write. Everyone wants to be liked, appreciated. The trick is trying to not let it affect what you write.
4. Often. They satisfy some voyeuristic tendencies in me. There's also something so comforting in knowing that other people have full lives that are totally independent of me. Everyone likes to feel like they're a part of something. Blogs offer more transparency into stranger's lives than anything else I can think of. You can share in their joy and misery without any real investment.
5. I use an RSS feeder, but i read alot of links form other blogs as well.
1. Do you imagine your blogging to have an underlying theme?
ReplyDeleteWhen I first started blogging I wanted it to be a blog about the crazy life of a mom who had a million other things going on. It has maintained that theme for the most part but has branched out a little bit into my creative interests, like photography and scrapbooking, although I now have blogs set up for both of those as well.
2. What is it about blogging that is attractive to you? What makes it worth your while? What "work" does it get done? In essence, why do you blog?
I have a couple answers for this question. First and foremost, I started blogging because my journal keeping had gone by the wayside and since I spent so much time on the computer I figured I might as well try it. However, on top of that, I do love writing and it satisfies that in me, and I must admit I enjoy seeing how many people read and appreciate the things I write about.
3. How much do you worry about your posts--what you write, what not to write, who you might offend, etc. and connected to this question--do you think much about how others may perceive you via your blog? (this may be especially true when you think about people who you may not have ever met who read your blog and get a sense of the "you" presented there.)
Quite a bit, actually. I had a huge blogging gaffe this year, where I mentioned some situations that had to do with some people in my life and had a very negative blog post written in retaliation. This person totally misunderstood my intentions, and another one called to clarify because she also had misunderstood where I was coming from. While I appreciate the phone call vs. the nasty blog entry, I have now made a rule that I do not blog about anything but myself and my own family (ie children and husband) and experiences.
As far as what I write, I definitely edit my entries about 15 times each before I publish, and after I publish I will still sometimes go back and edit if I am not perfectly satisfied with the writing/grammar principles. Or if there is a spelling error. :)
I don't think too much about what people think of me, other than that I want them to enjoy what I write and I do try to inject humor into my writing as much as I can. Although it's probably not funny to some/most/all people, it's funny to me...and that's all that matters I guess.
4. How often do you read blogs of people you have never met? What attracts you to those blogs, for which there is no real "communication" factor involved?
Every day. I have over 80 blogs on my feed list. Several of the bloggers I know in real life, several of them I know online from photography and scrapbooking websites, and a healthy portion of them I don't know from Adam. I only read blogs that I find interesting to read. They have to be well written and entertaining or I will delete them off of my feed list. Unless they are a "real life" friend, and then I read them to catch up and keep in touch, which is just as enjoyable to me as a well written blog, and some of these are also well written, which is a double boon.
I am also drawn to other blogs of women in similar situations to me...the busy mom blogs are my favorites to read. But again, I don't just want to read a boring play by play of your life. I like essay style written blogs, much like I try to write my own blog, that are funny and entertaining.
5. Finally, do you use any kind of rss feed reader to view your blogs (do you even know what that is?--if not please indicate)? If not, do you use tool bar bookmarks--or just links from the blogs you read to the other blogs you read?
Yes. I use bloglines. And I can't stand it when someone decides not to publish their feeds. I have a few of those that I read, but I only remember to drop by a couple times a month. They are linked off of my blog which is how I get to them.
the ross family will be emailing you..for fear of letting other people read our replies. maybe people we don't even know. just kidding. maybe. :) I'll be interested in your findings, as I am quite taken with the whole blogging explosion.
ReplyDeleteOne more thing (and no idea if it's relevant to your research or not)...I choose to publish only part of my feed so people are forced to click through to my blog to read the entire entry. I do this because I have a sitemeter and I like to be able to see exactly who (even if I really have no idea), is reading and how many people are reading each day. It is also a way to see how many people have subscribed to my feed, since I can see if they came from google reader or bloglines or wherever.
ReplyDeleteBecause I don't ever click into a blog unless I decide I'm going to comment. I read them all on bloglines. So I guess that makes me super controlling, because I want to know exactly how many people are really reading, so they are so not allowed to just do it on their feeds. :)
Great comments so far!
ReplyDeleteLara, I have noticed this about your blog, and as a total rss-er myself (I use Google reader) it bugs me :)(but i see why you do it--can't blame you.
I have actually emailed bloggers that I read frequently and informed them of the fact that they have that setting in place and would they please rescind it so as to make reading their blog as easy as possible. They usually aren't so controlling. ;)
1. no theme, random events
ReplyDelete2. I blog when I think I have something interesting/funny to say, hence I enjoy reading them much more than I write them.
3. I don't worry about offending, only if mine is boring.
4 & 5. I usually only read blogs via my family's blogs and only of people I know. I like a face and connection to the blog. Although I have been know to link to a funny story on another blog.
In essence, I am more a reader than a writer! It is a very one sided conversation about day to day events. I love how it lets me stay in touch. Mom
This is beginning to become a long comment page, so I will be boxer, or brief- which ever appeals to you:
ReplyDelete1. No real theme- if anything, Ellena is the theme.
2. I started a blog under extreme from my sisters and clic of stay-at-home moms. All the s.a.h.m. blog- you should too!
3. I'm not sure I really worry about what I write to blog, but I do think about my audience at times. By the comments left, I can assume only friends and family read my blog. I admit I do try to write things that sound witty or funny. I've never really considered the idea that someone I may not know would read my blog.
4. All the blogs I read are linked on my favorites list, and everyday I scroll through them and check them out. Tina said I should set up the thing that says when someone posted something new, but I haven't yet.
5. I have no idea what that is, but I can only assume it is the thing Tina was talking about.
Hooray for the wallet! I blame Jonas. And Tina, please put up a checklist of clothing items by the exit door of your house so Jon can make sure he is wearing all the appropriate essentials. Although, I am sure Jon, you would notice a draft once you got outside.
Hey Jon, Sarah Thompson here.Ok, I tried to post a comment and it didn't seem to work. So, lets try this again and sorry if you get this twice! The reason I blog is for family history/ and journaling purposes. You know, as memebers of the church, we are encouraged to keep a journal and a family history. I am thrilled if people look at my blog, but I mostly do it for us. Every few months or so, I will print all my posts and then file them away. So that is why I blog. So that is my 2 cents! Please feel free to change any and all misspelled words ;) Good luck on your paper!!
ReplyDeleteBrandon says...
ReplyDelete1. Yes, 4netgood has a theme. I didn't start with a theme it just happen, and continues to evolve. Wait, I'm second-guessing my answer. I think that I did have a theme in mind from the start: "Ideas about the world and my place in it." Still, I am surprised where my blog has gone.
2. I wanted an active way of exploring and participating in the world. I enjoy sharing what I am learning. It is also a nice record of my ponderings. I would say that I am more motivated by sharing w/ others than recording for myself.
3. Initially I was really worried about the public nature of blogs. All bloggers are public figures in a way. Obscurity lends somewhat to security.
I am still a little worried about creating a permanent public record. Once you post something, it is almost set in stone.
4. I call it "blog surfing." I just click on links and see where it takes me. Although I generally find that blogs get less-interesting the further I get from my immediate friends and family. Reading other blogs is a diversion for me. I don't take it as serious as I do writing my own.
5. I don't use RSS. I do know of it.
1. Nope, unless "the various and sundry, sometimes dull, but occasionally interesting things that happen to c..." counts as a theme.
ReplyDelete2. I blog to share the inane things of my days with people - mostly i think of my audience as a small group of people that i mostly know IRL and the idea is that since life takes us in lots of different directions it's the daily stuff that we most miss and that keeps us most in touch. At the same time (I'll say this below, too), i sometimes enjoy reading the inanities of other people's lives, even when i don't know them ... so i imagine there are a smattering of people out there who could feel the same about my blog...
3. I worry about it a little bit - mostly in a sort of backwards way ... I'm not really anonymous on my blog, but even if i were, i'm constitutionally inclined to be cautious in what i write ... always hedging statements and not blogging about controversial stuff. But, i also know that bloggers who have bigger audiences are often those willing to say things that push buttons and take stances. So, to the extent that I crave readers, I fret about the fact that my style of blogging will never really attract much of an audience beyond people who know me irl.
4. Pretty often, though I'm more picky. There are probably five or six blogs that I read often where I completely don't know the person. I'm not counting friends-of-friends in that number, because there is something more personal going on in those. But, ahem, when i'm procrastinating on a project, I'll read just about *anyone* ...
5. Nope ... there's something about the habit of clicking through and around that is part of the experience for me ... I know what RSS is, but am not inclined to use it (like Lara, I'm hooked on sitemeter, so i'd be sad if people didn't actually come to my blog)
This is michelle after all:
ReplyDelete1. I think my blog is along the lines of a "here is what I'm doing every day" themed blog. This started when zane was born and I put up pictures on jonstone.com for the parents almost every day. kind of a "since you can't be here to enjoy us, I'll try and send some of us to you" idea.
Note, though, that I often WISH it was something cooler, something deeper than that. I really struggle with that, actually.
2. okay so I answered that in #1. It is a report for mom and dad, mostly. but also it's a way to "keep in touch" with the masses..faster than writing individual emails and attaching pictures to them all.
3.I find myself "censoring" my blogs often, because of who I think may read it. I actually think this is why it can't be the "deeper" or most personal account that I want it to be. Whenever I go to write, I remember that all sorts of people (like Jim and brandon's dad, and uncle dan, and grama bee, and maybe even professors and ward members) read it, and I have to seriously reconsider what I want to "publish" for the rest of the world.
4. Too often. it's intriguing, reading about people you don't know. I think because lots of blogs are people like me, writing an account of their lives, but only including the really cool or really happy things, it makes them really attractive. Their best pictures, most fun adventures, and most successful projects are made to look like their everydaynesses..
5.I don't have use a reader, and didn't know it existed until I spoke with you last week. I use my tool bar, for sure, but have people I look at THROUGH other people's blog rolls for sure. I have a funny story about one particular "nosy networker" that maybe I could expound upon in a phone call or something.
by the way, tonight we think of you and sing the beastie boys: "I think I'm losing my mind this time, this time I'm losing my mind...." hope the writing is going forward.
1. Do you imagine your blogging to have an underlying theme?
ReplyDeleteMaybe. I say maybe because, well, the title of my blog seems to encompass everything I write about. A little about my dissertation ("Diss"), a little about life ("Dat"), and a little about mommydom (that's the "Diapers" part: Was all that too obvious?). Of course, it's probably been a good month or two since I wrote about the diss, mainly because I am pretending I don't have to write one, but I suppose it's loosely themed around my dailiness, like many of the people who have commented.
2. What is it about blogging that is attractive to you? What makes it worth your while? What "work" does it get done? In essence, why do you blog?
I started blogging because my IRL friends were blogging and I wanted in on it. Along the way, I've made new "friends" who have similar life circumstances and that sense of community, even if it's virtual, is pleasing.
What does it get done? Not much, unless you count giving me a chance to step back from it all. I really like to journal but I sometimes have trouble keeping up with it. While my blog probably doesn't get quite so personal as a paper journal would, I find the opportunity to muse and get feedback cathartic.
3. How much do you worry about your posts--what you write, what not to write, who you might offend, etc. and connected to this question--do you think much about how others may perceive you via your blog? (this may be especially true when you think about people who you may not have ever met who read your blog and get a sense of the "you" presented there.)
A lot. I don't know if that comes across on the page. But I think that the blogosphere is, in some ways, so much less a tangible world than the real world and how people perceive me is difficult to gauge. I know there are people reading who don't comment and I don't know but I can't really know how I come across. In some ways, I'm not sure that I care. I like to think what I put out is fairly representative of who I really am, so even though I think about it, it doesn't control what I write about.
4. How often do you read blogs of people you have never met? What attracts you to those blogs, for which there is no real "communication" factor involved?
I often read blogs of people I don't know. Again, most of them are blogs by people who have similar circumstances as I do. They don't always blog similarly to me. Some of them keep it academic and post about intellectual issues while others post fairly personal stuff. And even though there's little "real communication," I like that sense of a (virtual) community exchanging ideas and commiserating with each other.
5. Finally, do you use any kind of rss feed reader to view your blogs (do you even know what that is?--if not please indicate)? If not, do you use tool bar bookmarks--or just links from the blogs you read to the other blogs you read?
I primarily use bookmarks, or if I am logged in, I use my blogroll on occasion. I (sort of) know what an RSS feed is. I also use links from the blog I am currently reading to go to another blog that I read, too.
1. Do you imagine your blogging to have an underlying theme?
ReplyDeleteYep - except for very rarely it has to be silly or funny to go on my blog.
2. What is it about blogging that is attractive to you? What makes it worth your while? What "work" does it get done? In essence, why do you blog?
It's a place to put all those stories I like to tell again & again anyway.
3. How much do you worry about your posts--what you write, what not to write, who you might offend, etc. and connected to this question--do you think much about how others may perceive you via your blog? (this may be especially true when you think about people who you may not have ever met who read your blog and get a sense of the "you" presented there.)
I used to worry about it a lot, since I'm a Sunday school teacher & teach at a religious preschool. But I've gotten used to it & don't worry all that much anymore - to the point where I accidentally forwarded my blog address to my Sunday school parents last weekend & didn't even lose a wink of sleep over the mistake. Oops. That said though, I have always operated on the assumption that my blog is public & eventually people I don't realize may find it. I've been surprised twice when a coworker mentioned it & when the friend of a friend mentioned reading it.
4. How often do you read blogs of people you have never met? What attracts you to those blogs, for which there is no real "communication" factor involved?
I think there is communication involved. I'm more likely to read the blogs of people who "comment back." I read blogs of people I've never met at least weekly if not daily. I like funny ones, ones that make me think and/or ones where the blog author shares an interest of mine (found yours through Lara/Overstuffed).
5. Finally, do you use any kind of rss feed reader to view your blogs (do you even know what that is?--if not please indicate)? If not, do you use tool bar bookmarks--or just links from the blogs you read to the other blogs you read?
I subscribe to a ton on bloglines. I try to keep up with all of them the best I can & do big catch up days when I can't.