Blogging for the Beginner

Wow, I just found a terrific article on blogging. It starts out with a very basic definition of what a blog is, then goes into how blogging is changing the world of communications. A must read for the beginning blogger. Linda Zimmer, CEO of MarCom:Interactive has another blog that is also of interest. Check it out!

Small World

Over the last few weeks I have been reading various articles written by tech-geek personalities, apparently the A-List bloggers, in what I can now comfortably refer to as the blogosphere (the world of blogging). In the articles and in my conversations with hubby, the same names seem to come up over and over again. I don't know what all these blogs/companies are about, but apparently they are pretty important to the tech-geek nation (to which I am only a visiting foreigner still trying to learn the language). Scobleizer, TechCrunch, PardontheDisruption, Digg, Del.icio.us, Flickr, NetVibes, YouTube, Techmeme, Blogher, Jason Calacanis, Nicholas Carr (my personal favorite), and the list goes on.

The feeling I have so far is that tech-geek nation is a very very small place. All the A-Bloggers are reading and writing comments on each other's blogs. All the start-up companies are targeting the same set of tech-geek users. I suppose it's the same in other industries where you have a few large entities "running the show". My task now is to figure out who and what all these entities are.

To Blog or Not to Blog?

I have found plenty of evidence that I am not the only one asking the question, to blog or not to blog? The underlying question to ask yourself is this: Would you rather be unread or unwritten? The jury is still out for me, but I am attempting to make sense of the tech bubble in the meantime. I guess you could say I am still trying this whole "bloggin' thing" on for size.

In a sense, blogging seems to be all about instant gratification. Instead of going through the traditional route of becoming published, one can instantly post writings on the world wide web with an audience of potentially millions. (In reality, of course, the blogosphere is much smaller than that). Needless to say, it's not very gratifying if no one actually reads your blog, is it? I ran across an interesting article today by Nicholas Carr that speaks to the question of the unread blogger. In Carr's tale, the common blogger, or "peasant", represents the "powerless" while the A-list bloggers, or "royals", are the "powerful". Carr suggests that the idea of the blogosphere being

"open and democratic and egalitarian... in contrast and in opposition to the controlled and controlling mass media,"

is an "innocent fraud" perpetuated by both the powerful and the powerless alike. For those of us who are not A-bloggers, just one comment on a post is enough to keep us going. Pathetic, isn't it? Perhaps there are those that use blogging as a means of personal expression, a creative outlet so to speak, that does not necessarily seek a response from a reader. However, aren't we all looking for personal validation in some way? And have we, the peasant boys and girls, found it?

Here's a funny cartoon I found on Geek and Poke that highlights Carr's article...

Only What's Written Can Be Unread

By the way, I've found there is at least one down side to automated syndication (aka blogging). Since the process if so fast and easy, almost too easy, the blogger may not go through the same editing process required by the traditional method. The end result is rushing into a post without proper proofreading, editing, mulling over, etc. The end result of that is saying something stupid you can't take back.

I'm Back

I had taken my posts down with the intention of ending my short-lived career as a blogger (much to hubby's dismay). But everyone has the prerogative to change his or her mind, right?

To blog or not to blog? This has become an internal struggle for me. On one hand I think to myself, “Why should I bother taking the time to write down my thoughts when no one is going to read them?” On the other hand, my inner self asks, “Oh my gosh, how can I possibly write down my thoughts when everyone is going to read them?” I’ve never considered myself a particularly private person, but the idea of even ten people I don’t know having access to my ideas and thoughts (which are, by nature of my vocation, incomplete) is somewhat unsettling. Do other bloggers experience this same dilemma?

For the sake of the experiment, I will continue to write, which by the way is something I have always wanted to do, until/unless it becomes too uncomfortable again. Aside from the issue of public humiliation and embarrassment, there is also the question of time (did I mention I have three small children and one on the way?) . I will try to post at least twice a week, but only if the sun, moon, stars, clouds and kids' moods are all properly aligned.

Back to the humiliation factor, I knew from the beginning that I was ignorant about everything tech (is that an oxymoron, knowing you are ignorant?). Perhaps I just didn’t know how ignorant I really was, or that I would have to go back on my own words so soon. In the time since I started Skeptic Wife I have become slightly (and I do mean just barely) more informed. Already I can see that I may have been a bit simplistic in my understanding of bloggers, their purpose and audience. There are perhaps more than just a few that are not simply “random ramblings” that I don’t really care to read. I have actually learned quite a bit from (and dare I say enjoyed?) several of Chip Griffin’s posts, all of which were sent to me by hubby (I must give credit where credit is due). I certainly related most to the Bubble article, since I am a classic example of the person on the outside of the bubble and hubby is undeniably on the inside. To further the analogy, I think I deserve at least one brownie point for peering inside the bubble to see what all the hubbub is about instead of just walking by without so much as a glance. Still, the following facts remain: I didn't know what a Gmail account was until a few days ago, most of my girlfriends have heard the term blog, but don't really know what it is, I don't subscribe to any RSS feeds, I don't care about being able to tag my photos because I don't even know what that means, and since leaving the corporate business world I prefer to use an old-fashioned day planner that I can take to my playdates instead of an online calendar. Oh yeah, and I really don't care about the Windows Vista startup sound. Is there any hope for me?

Short-lived Blogger

I tried it. It's not for me.

I've never really considered myself to be a private person, but sharing my thoughts in the public forum of the blogger world (no matter how few read them) just didn't work for me. Thanks for stopping by.

Disclaimer

Everything I know about the tech world I learned from my husband. Everything I don't know is not his fault. Therefore, he cannot be blamed for all my ignorant comments (and I'm sure there are many). Afterall, I don't know what I don't know.

My Second Post

Thank you for your comments, most of which were sent to me via email since, apparently, I didn't make it easy for you non-bloggers to post comments. Sorry. The tech geek husband has helped me fix all of that. Although he doesn't have his own blog, he is sure to make sure his wife's blog is set up correctly and even switched to the "latest and greatest" beta version of the new blogger. He is always on the cutting edge. Maybe I will be there someday too. By the way, for you non-tech geeks, I should mention that I was honestly surprised at how easy it was to start my own blog. The homepage advertises "less than five minutes" and I actually found that to be true. Perhaps one good reason to hop on the Web 2.0 bandwagon and set up your own blog instead of sticking with the traditional Web 1.0 (is that a real term?) version is the ease of use. Of course, that is probably a fairly ignorant statement since I'm not even sure what is involved in creating a "traditional website", if there is such a thing.

Most of you agreed that you just don't have (or choose to make) the time to sit in front of the computer monitor reading other people's blogs or creating your own (with the exception of my brother who took the time to set up his own blog titled, "I Suck", just so he could post a comment - gotta love it!). Among other non-blogger friends, I think the exact words were, "reading someone else's crap, especially someone that you don't know, is a weird use of time for me." My sentiments exactly. I think I'm back to the idea that using a blog to keep up with friends and relatives (i.e. posting pictures of family, for example) makes sense to me. Beyond that, I don't feel I have the time to read the "random ramblings" of people I don't even know (so you're probably wondering why anyone should be reading mine?).

I believe hubby's fascination with blogging is that it is a simple, cheap and fast means of becoming "published". It is a way of connecting, potentially, with many different people in many different places that you otherwise would not have access to. While the majority of users are like me, there are the chosen few who have gained a huge audience or even made a business out of their blog. For example, the old British gentleman on YouTube became famous when he received 8,000 comments in response to his very first vlog. Personally, I just don't get it. I guess what makes him a unique YouTube user is his age. I'm sure he is a very nice person with an interesting personal history. However, I certainly don't feel I'm missing out by not viewing every single one of his vlogs (I have viewed one on hubby's suggestion). No offense, but what is the big deal?????? I'm glad the guy has found a personal hobby (and I'm sure YouTube is too!), but I just don't understand the phenomenon.