Am I alone in the opinion that it's over? The bloom has faded. The shine is off the blogging rose. To be frank, aside of a few well-written and entertaining blogs I follow because I like the sensibility of the author (hello Don, Wendy and Gynomite), I can't stand reading them anymore.
Go back a couple of years. Blogging was new and undiscovered country and anything you wanted to try *could* work. Or it might not, but at least it was for you to try and fail and learn.
Watching "Julie & Julia" last week reminded me of those days. The Nora Ephron film recounts one Julia Child fan's obsessive and - eventually - career-defining effort to cook all 500+ recipes of the French Chef in 365 days. Watching the story unfold was exciting - but the whole time I kept thinking, "What's wrong here?"
I felt that you'd never get an audience for that blog today - as Julie Powell did back in 2003. It wasn't that long ago, but the fact is, not THAT many people were actually blogging then. Not like now. Cutting through the clutter now, starting from scratch as a blogger, is tough. Unless you've got a daily entry, one on a topic on which you could be challenged, but can't be dismissed, you're contributing to the clutter and noise.
And there's a lot of that now, so much so that I won't even follow new bloggers. I have my couple of favorites and leave the rest in the ever-growing, massive pile of outpouring on minutiae including what you ate for lunch, where you went on the weekend, and what you're doing now.
I'm also deeply discouraged about being another contributor to the pile of brain droppings. The more you read others blogs, the more you realize that we're less alike than we'd want to believe. A wonderful realization, but god, does it have to be such repetitive and boring trip through self-obsession to get there.
Anyone else experiencing anything different these days? If you are, I want to know. I want to know about the exciting, intelligent challenging blogs that aren't about their authors.
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Oh - and Rupert! Mustn't forget Rupert's excellent insights on movies. Him, I'll read.
ReplyDeleteJust blog about yourself. Drink the Kool-Aid! Okay, this is the thing with blogs---they are simply ridiculous.
ReplyDeleteI entertain myself, a bit, by writing thoughts and musings. And sometimes, others enjoy them. But really? They're for the future. They are time capsules. And it is okay if the time capsule only reveals to future generations, "Man, those people back in the 21st Century were just as self-obsessed while being bogged down with unimportant tasks, while trying to pretend it's all so important, as we are today."
Fuck Blogs. Long live Blogs. Fuck Blogs.
LOL! Just checking in on your blog as I sometimes do and find your rant....and a compliment, which I very graciously (and gratefully) accept.
ReplyDeleteAs for the kind of blogs you're basically talking about, I agree. But for blogs that have focus and heart (both of which I try VERY hard to incorporate), I think there still may be hope. My blog celebrated its 6 month anniversary this weekend. A millenium in the blog world I dare say. My readership has grown steadily with consistency and minor promotion.
bill7743 had eggs with his coffee? Who the hell cares! But a thoughtful and introspective personal tour of the Emerald Isle? I'm there.
Thanks again John B, and I hope you won't abandon you're own well written thought provoking blog.