Joshuaink: How do you feel about your blog?

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How do you feel about your blog?

Wednesday August 31, 2005

With Molly saying it takes courage, with Erik not too long ago mulling things over and me having a tendency to get a bit emotional about it, I began to wonder how blogging makes you feel.

Do you get jitters, or excited before making that controversial post you know is gonna stir things up? Do you feel disappointed when a post you thought would be popular only gets a few comments? Do you have little traffic and if so what keeps you motivated? Do you have a lot of traffic, how does that affect what you write? Is your style to stick to work issues only, or do you get personal and why do you do it that way? How do you feel when someone posts a comment you'd rather delete? Or in the grand scheme of things do you really, deep down, not give a flying fuck about any of it? Are you really able to be honest about how you feel about your blog?

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Abel Rios

1828 days ago

Actually, I think it all went down hill after mentioning you in a thong. HAH!

I still like to blog, and I feel I take it way too seriously sometimes. Notice the crickets chirping as I write this! At the moment though, I want to write more, because I feel I’m not keeping up with it at all. Which is a really bad thing. To be honest here, sometimes I feel that what I have to offer has either already been said, or not worth mentioning. Who knows, maybe that will soon change, eh?
Jon Hicks

1828 days ago

Blogging makes me feel like buying cheese.
Matt Robin

1828 days ago

I.........DO NOT HAVE A BLOG......(but I’ll post on plenty!)

Posting stuff on the web doesn’t take nerves of steel ‚Äì you rarely see a person reacting to anything that’s posted...I mean physically witnessing the way their face screws-up to look like a pitbull chewing on a wasp whenever the words ‚ÄòInternet’ and ‚ÄòExplorer’ are used in the same sentance! Okay, you get to read their volatile hate-filled responses....but these are only words. When you submit your post on the controversial theory of sheep-interbreeding (with goat) and counter-breeding with a whippet topic....you are submitting it to a machine, a screen, and interfacing with a keyboard (usually)....but not actually viewing the face and facial expressions of everyone who’s about to read your post*......so there is nothing directly intimidating about it and consequently the Web has witnessed some VERY colourful (and sometimes just pot-smoking crazy) ramblings that otherwise might have never been shared in a conventional forum involving voice....and perhaps fists and maybe loud-american chat-show hosts too.

(*Of course this would be weird because some of those people could be in a lift at the time, or in the toilet, or asleep, or whole load of other stuff ‚Äì so I really mean ‚Äì seeing their facial expressions at once, but on a delay of sorts)

Of course ‚Äì this is all bollocks!

#Sees John reach for the ‚Äòdelete post’ button #
Faruk Ate?ü

1828 days ago

I just blog, I use my site to inform and help others with their website endeavours, and I use it to learn more myself, learn about what works, what doesn’t, etc. etc.

That’s all I do with it, and I feel happy about that. It’s sometimes a bit of a pressure, to y’know, make sure I update about once a week, on average. Beyond that, though, I love it. I love having a way to publicly think about stuff, think about what works, to publicly try and educate others and see how well I succeed (or how pathetically I fail ;-)) etc.

I think I can just take the heat or something ;)

Shit, did I just indirectly say I think of myself as couragous??
Andrea

1828 days ago

I blog because there’s stuff thats in that wants to come out. It’s a bit like taking a big crap, really. Not to stretch that metaphor too far, but it usually feels like a relief for me to push that submit button.

I don’t worry too much about whether folks will read it or not. I’m happy when they do, and then blogging a lot of fun. But when they don’t, I’ve still written something that a felt a need to express, and that is satisfying.
Richard Dunlop-Walters

1828 days ago

I try to convince myself that I post what I want, when I want, and I don’t care if no one else likes it. But I always end up editing what I write in some fashion, because thoughts like ‚Äúno, no one cares about that ‚Äì hello, backspace‚Äù constantly work their way into my mind more stealthily than a greased up cat.

I deleted a 600 word draft this morning because I managed to covnince myself that there would not be a single person in the world that would find it interesting.

Though I get very little traffic to my blog at the moment (maybe because of what I write ‚Äì now you’ve got me thinking, damn it.) anyway, so I don’t really need to worry too much what anyone other than myself and the three or four other people who might read it think.

It’s very rare that I write anything of particular note anyway, it’s generally just stuff that a million and one other people have alerady covered better and in more detail then me.

If I did get a considerable amount of traffic, like you do, I imagine I would take a lot more care when drafting posts, and think more about what I was writing.

In the long run, though, I think more about what I want to post than what others would want me to post.

Excuse the essay.
Chris McLeod

1828 days ago

Sometimes (well, quite often, actually) I do wonder ‚Äù...what’s the point..?‚Äù and ‚Äúdoes anyone care if I blog or not?‚Äù.

I go through phases where I don’t feel a lot of enthusiasm for my blog. Usually, I find this is an indicator that I’m fed-up of the design... strange as it may sound, I find the design of my site dictates the type of thing I want to/feel I have to write about. When I launched the current design, I went through a phase where I felt that I had to write ‚Äúprofessional‚Äù-style posts on web development techniques... but that’s not really something I can write about for long. It’s like taking your work home with you ‚Äì you soon get fed-up and pissed off.

I guess my point on that is that a design can not only influence a visitors perception of your site, but your own. Yeah, something like that...

The other great enthusiasm killer is keeping a constant supply of interesting things to write about.
Kev

1828 days ago

Anyone whos taken slightly more than a casual glance at my posts and commenters will be aware that its a fairly contraversial place on occassion.

I have to have integrity and not delete comments that piss me off because I think its important all sides are heard. Even the kooks.

I admit to a certain pleasure at posting something I know will torpedo another argument. I admit to seething at comments I disagree with whilst hovering the cursor over the ‚Äòdelete’ button but you have to have a pretty thick skin in this game and I graduated with honours from Usenet flamewars and Fark political threads so I cope reasonably well with the odd nutter.

Comments to a thread are nice when you’ve really worked hard on a post but the important thing is, as Andrea says, getting that which is in , out .
Colly

1828 days ago

I get scared before writing something that I know will upset people, but actually rather enjoy whatever happens afterwards. The only thing I hate is being accused of ‚Äúarrogance‚Äù, because I’m not arrogant.

I grew a thick skin back when I was writing about art, so it’s a bit ‚Äústicks and stones...‚Äù really. John, I know you understand that.

Otherwise, it’s mostly empty and vacuous, and I think I’ll give it up one day. Or I’ll just write about silly things, or family. Writing about the web makes you lots of friends, but many jealous, bitter or nasty enemies.

The clever ones will start writing about normality very soon ‚Äì anyone left blogging about XHTML and CSS will be gradually losing their audience over the next couple of years. Too much saturation and not enough clarity.
Daniel

1828 days ago

Do you think we are reaching the ceiling when it comes to blogs anyway?

I always wonder if anyone actually views my ‚Äúblog‚Äù, or if anyone actually gives a shit as its another blog on the web, with content and some random text from an invisible, yet vocal, person.

What makes a difference is when people actually take time and put something good up, like some of the shit you come out with John (which im sure you know will cause a reaction and thats what makes the difference)
Glenn

1828 days ago

It’s been a month now since my blog has been up. I just write stuff that comes to mind when I have insomnia. I generally worry about my grammar because it is horrible. I start my posts in Word and then once I spell check it I will put it in the textpattern window. So far I haven’t had a comment posted but I do want to thank the six people who have subscribed to my rss feed. I’ve been religiously checking up on feedburner for new subscribers.
Pierce

1828 days ago

I blog because I like putting words together to make sentences. And it’s more fun than just writing it into a notebook. Writing for oneself causes one to become melancholic and introspective. Making it public pushes away from that. More focus on the entertainment value of writing.

I wouldn’t run a controversial blog for love nor money. Much too stressful. I’m looking at Kev here. God. All those opinions...
Sean Sperte

1828 days ago

I agree with Andrea. It’s like taking a big dump.
Tom

1828 days ago

I write a mix of stuff really, some about web, music and personal. ‚ÄúIts my blog I’ll post what I want‚Äù

I’ve started doing some keyword reasearch to help with me review articles, it helps a bit because it show you what people are searching for and you can write content to fit that. I do wish I could press ‚Äúpublish‚Äù and then not go back and edit something later.

I do wish I had more regular readers, because it would probably a) motivate me to write more b) finish the design c) spend less time with shortstat but I guess that will come in time.

I get excited about stuff before others (not very often) and also about new projects, althought they often get unfished. Just liike the rest of the site!
nortypig

1828 days ago

Well I blog because its an addiction and I used to be a writer of sorts ‚Äì got forbid even an angst ridden poet ‚Äì and its second nature to me. I also have a great interest in web development and related issues but I do admit that I’m only winging my way along in life. Riches, fame and controversy generally avoid me like well Riches and fame and controversy.

But blogging is a hard sell to the uninitiated and what can you say? Its like offering legal heroin to the local bank teller and they can’t work out what a good time they’re going to have ‚Äì blogging is my heroin.

Of course the anonymity of a Tasmanian suburb isn’t the most glorious place to work out but I just blog on. Blogging for the sake of it I guess, hoping to inform. I still can’t figure out why anyone visits but what the hey! I’ll probably get sued someday and regret every controversial fucking word ‚Äì there I said it. Bugger!
Ben Ward

1828 days ago

I think it’s a community thing for me now. When I started my blog I knew very little about blogging. I’m young (21) and still have a fair bit of ‚Äòstupid childish impulse’‚Ñ¢ flying around inside. It’s that which kinda defined the ‚Äòphases‚Äò of blogging for me.

At first, I think I kinda wanted professional levels of respect, all at once, despite being quite young and not really having the expertise to earn it.

Then there was a brief patch after discovering the existence of the ‚ÄòBrit Pack’ where I thought ‚ÄòThey’re so cool, I want to be cool’. I think I actually let that slip out in a comment on Malarkey’s blog once, and whilst I don’t recall any follow up, I felt immediately embarrassed for such a bizarre and out-of-character desire as to ‚Äòbe cool’. Such aspirations of ‚Äòcoolness’ left me almost immediately. Strange how the human mind works.

Now I think I’m out of the ‚Äòblogging adolecence’ and I’m happy just to post a bit here and there, combining it with posting to Flickr quite a bit too, since that can spark more interesting discussions than my recycled thought process.

Whether I will actually try to focus on something post-redesign remains to be seen, but ultimately I’m now involved with a huge number of very friendly people I didn’t know 6 months ago as a result of just having a Blog. I can’t grumble about that at all.
Chris

1828 days ago

I quite enjoy it actually. I have a small site, a few regular visitors (but they’re quality visitors), a few comments now and then.

Some folks seem to like it, no one bitches and the spam is manageable.

And every now and then someone you don’t know will link to you and you get all warm and fuzzy inside.

There are more plusses than there are minuses.
keri

1828 days ago

I have mixed emotions about my blog.

90% of the time, I feel that I can rant and rave about what I need to. I seldom worry about what people think about what I have to say. I suppose that’s partly because I have few readers (or at least, few commenters), and partly because my life is pretty much an open book (even in ‚Äúreal life‚Äù).

On the other hand, there are times when I feel like I want to blurt out things that I just really shouldn’t... things that my readers wouldn’t (or couldn’t) appreciate.

I don’t get spam, so that’s not a problem.

I do wish I had more readers. I often wonder how I could attract more.

And then it occurs to me:

If I have to pretend I’m someone I’m not so that my blog is more appealing, it’s not worth it.

Also, I LOVE the visual part of blogging. Presentation is everything...

I just hope my coding is well done, too. 99% of my readers have no clue what css, html or xhtml is so I don’t normally worry about being scrutinized in that area...

Although, now I’m thinking I should check validity. Haven’t done that in awhile...
Prabhath Sirisena

1828 days ago

The primary function of my blog is to say bad things about my clients. A cooling vent for the overheated.

But now it seems that some of them are reading my rants, so now I have to come up with a purpose for it’s existence. Shutting it down is not an option ‚Äì they’ll think I’m copying you or something.
Jay

1828 days ago

It never occured to me that people post or don’t post based on what others might think of the writing or the topic. I write as regularly as I do because it serves as a warm-up to the writing I do during the rest of my day. It’s like my first cup of coffee; it gets words going, hopefully a little creativity. Of course, I don’t post anything important. I usually just post little nothings that amuse me. I also don’t get oodles of traffic, and I can’t say I’m sad about that. I like where my blog is at, and the friendly comments I get...but I honestly don’t know how attached I am to it.
Hayo Bethlehem

1828 days ago

wow. all these noble thoughts about webblogging.

Usually when I post an article, I get bored with it halfway through the article. But I post it anyway, because I really just don’t care.
Michael Heilemann

1828 days ago

Going on my third year of blogging now, it’s become something of a lifestyle really.

These days I’m facing something of an odd problem; my site is receiving a lot of traffic every day, and as a result I’ve become more and more conscientious about the stuff I throw up on the site, so much so that I now go days without blogging, where I previously would have thrown up several non-sensical entries.

So I feel empowered, but with no discernible mission just yet.

as Chris McLeod (related to Connor McLeod by any chance?) said:

bq. ‚ÄúI go through phases where I don’t feel a lot of enthusiasm for my blog. Usually, I find this is an indicator that I’m fed-up of the design... strange as it may sound, I find the design of my site dictates the type of thing I want to/feel I have to write about.‚Äù

And I couldn’t agree more; blogging may be primarily about content, but the packaging really means a lot to what I can write.

As for trolls in my comments, I have little patience. They can yell and scream bloody murder and freedom of speech on their own blog(s) (and have done so many times). My blog is not a democracy, it’s a benevolent dictatorship.
Max

1828 days ago

Writing up that Post That Will Change Everything, The Post That Will Surpass All Other Posts In Terms Of Insightedness And Well-Thought-Outness... and then getting no reactions. Or just one, 2 months after the actual post (after the pain and feelings of being unloved! and rejected! have faded away), inviting you over for a quick round of a certain card game...

Why, sure, happens to all of us, right? =]

I’m nowhere near the top-10 of traffic-generators, but I do have a little audience of regular commenters. Every now and then, a new face pops up, and that’s just fine.
Jared Christensen

1828 days ago

Eh, I used to be all self-conscious about what I would write. I had this ridiculous expectation of myself that every word on my blog had to be thought-provoking, insightful, and intelligent. Ha! That formula makes for a very dull blogging experience. After all, it’s my blog... I should be able to write whatever I want! So now I do. My only goal now is to make the topic interesting and use correct grammar. Beyond that, the sky’s the limit!
Robert Nyman

1828 days ago

I wrote about why I do it in Why I blog (http://www.robertnyman.com/2005/07/27/why-i-blog/)
Matthew Pennell

1828 days ago

I think Richard comes closest to describing my relationship with my blog ‚Äì I’d like to think it represents my inner monologue, but in reality it is often fairly heavily self-edited (quite often to add in Americanisms, ick) (like that one, what the fuck is wrong with me?)
Mark

1827 days ago

‚Äòcause I could, and Dad was happy to be ‚Äòin touch’, even if some of the things I wrote got him a little ticked off at times.

Found that ranting about capitalism and war is fun and sometimes profitable too, how ironic is that ‚Äì at the least it blows some steam off at perceived injustices.

Same five categories over time, Dad skips the web dev stuff and goes for ‚ÄúDaily Life‚Äù and ‚ÄúPolitics‚Äù, we’re Canadian eh :-)

cheers
maratz

1827 days ago

My posts were almost always related to web design and development. I’m usually very passionate about what I do.

I don’t think that the number of visitors has something to do with the way I write, but I’m also aware that if I would be eloquent in English, like I’m in my mother tongue Croatian, I’d write much more often. Regarding the motivation for writing, despite often very poor response form the readers ‚Äî if I helped just to single someone, I did a lot.

I’m not particularly fond of writing too personal stroies. Not that I think bad about the people who like that, au contraire, but I myself don’t feel confortable about that.

joshuaink

How do you feel about your blog?

Abel Rios

Jon Hicks

Matt Robin

Faruk Ate?ü

Andrea

Richard Dunlop-Walters

Chris McLeod

Kev

Colly

Daniel

Glenn

Pierce

Sean Sperte

Tom

nortypig

Ben Ward

Chris

keri

Prabhath Sirisena

Jay

Hayo Bethlehem

Michael Heilemann

Max

Jared Christensen

Robert Nyman

Matthew Pennell

Mark

maratz

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