A Blogging Commentary

Blog:  ˈblȯg, ˈbläg\   Function: noun  Etymology: short for Weblog  Date: 1999
a web site that contains an online personal journal with reflections, comments, and often hyperlinks provided by the writer; also : the contents of such a site

When I started my first blog, AOL Journals had a nice blogging community that we called “J-Land.”  For some unknown reason (I have my theories) AOL decided to go a different route, and deleted the whole kit and caboodle.    J-Land was then dispersed throughout the web, and I landed here, finally.

I have started and ignored so many journals, I can’t even remember where they all are…WordPress, Blogher…blog names and passwords long forgotten.    When I first started blogging, it was because I wanted to write.   Then came the comment craze…it was so fun getting comments and feedback on what I had written.   It seemed the more I visited and comment on blogs, the more people came to visit me.   I am way-yonder too AADD to read journals that don’t interest me….I’m usually too AADD to read long entries on stuff that does interest me!  

I noticed a phenomenon.   Bloggers just wanted comments, and in order to get them, they would hit 100 or so journals…or blogs, if you will…and say such things as, “Have a great day!”  or “Good Entry.”   Very generic things like that, or they would ask a question about something that you had thoroughly covered in the entry, so you knew without a doubt they weren’t reading, just fishing for comments.

To me, writing is not about how many comments you can get, though comments are very nice.   Blogging…writing…is about expression.   A blog is a place where the blogger should be able to freely be herself (or himself).   I don’t always do that, I must admit.   A blog reflects the writer, their ideals, beliefs, morals and yes, biases.   Yet there are times, I don’t say all I think, for various reasons.

I do like comments, but they aren’t necessary for me to read someone else’s writing.   Usually the blogs I read do mirror my own beliefs and morals; every now and again I keep up with someone who is vastly different than me, but still interesting, often interesting to me because their belief system is so different than mine.   I do, however, think interaction is necessary.   I hate to be ignored.

Things that will stop me from returning to a blog:

Excessive cursing:   I started to say “excessive and unnecessary” but I can’t really think of any necessary cursing, even when *I* get mad enough and let one slip. 
Bashing:   God bashing, denomination bashing, people bashing…
Rudeness:  there’s never an excuse.
Politics:   When their ignorance shows.
Stupidity:   Same as above.
Extremely poor grammar.   Spelling.  Punctuation:  My biases, I know.  
Excessive typos:  It looks too much like extremely poor grammar.     Spellcheck!!
Boring:   Loooongggg and boring entries…kinda like this one.  Of course, I realize that long and boring is in the opinion of the reader. 
Lack of interaction:   If I ask a question or make a particularly insightful (in my own mind, that is) comment, or if I’ve commented on several entries and don’t get the courtesy of at least email, I probably won’t return.   It’s rude.

::::Stepping off of my soapbox::::