The Most Brilliant Words On Blogging
Courtesy of Rebecca Blood of rebecca's pocket circa September 7, 2000 here (thank you, Wayback Machine, and the 82mhz.net's Linkdump for re-reminding me of the blog rebecca's pocket) :)
So, some commentary (from me) on her (sincere, experienced, and pioneering) views on the subject (blogging). First an excerpt, then some comments following it. Enjoy and love to all!
Starting, she sort of gives a rough definition to blogging (what blogs are, how they are updated) at the start of the entry..
Rebecca Blood: [Their..] editors present links both to little-known corners of the web and to current news articles they feel are worthy of note. Such links are nearly always accompanied by the editor's commentary. An editor with some expertise in a field might demonstrate the accuracy or inaccuracy of a highlighted article or certain facts therein; provide additional facts he feels are pertinent to the issue at hand; or simply add an opinion or differing viewpoint from the one in the piece he has linked. Typically this commentary is characterized by an irreverent, sometimes sarcastic tone.
Comment/response from me: A+ and +1 for the sarcastic note, as I've felt a huge PC-ification of online writing, especially blogs, since the renaissance of blogs came online in 2020. But, less filters means more people saying/writing what they feel, and expressing it in any means necessary. With more self expression online, more blogs, more journal entries, and more independence through owning/controlling one's site, the more at liberty they are to just say what they want. To BE their true selves online!
Rebecca Blood: While weblogs had always included a mix of links, commentary, and personal notes, in the post-Blogger explosion increasing numbers of weblogs eschewed this focus on the web-at-large in favor of a sort of short-form journal. These blogs, often updated several times a day, were instead a record of the blogger's thoughts: something noticed on the way to work, notes about the weekend, a quick reflection on some subject or another. Links took the reader to the site of another blogger with whom the first was having a public conversation or had met the previous evening, or to the site of a band he had seen the night before. Full-blown conversations were carried on between three or five blogs, each referencing the other in their agreement or rebuttal of the other's positions. Cults of personality sprung up as new blogs appeared, certain names appearing over and over in daily entries or listed in the obligatory sidebar of “other weblogs” (a holdover from Cam's original list). It was, and is, fascinating to see new bloggers position themselves in this community, referencing and reacting to those blogs they read most, their sidebar an affirmation of the tribe to which they wish to belong.
Comment/response from me: I more or less re-discovered this “by accident” or “happy coincidence”, however one would want to put it. I started with Write.as(/tmo) in mid-2017, and it was less than a year before me and several other bloggers were sort of talking through blogs, as our responses to/from one another came in the form of a blog entry. A link, or links, or a passionately written post usually spurred the exchange(s).
Rebecca Blood: But the influx of blogs has changed the definition of weblog from “a list of links with commentary and personal asides” to “a website that is updated frequently, with new material posted at the top of the page.”
The blogger, by virtue of simply writing down whatever is on his mind, will be confronted with his own thoughts and opinions. Blogging every day, he will become a more confident writer. A community of 100 or 20 or 3 people may spring up around the public record of his thoughts. Being met with friendly voices, he may gain more confidence in his view of the world; he may begin to experiment with longer forms of writing, to play with haiku, or to begin a creative project—one that he would have dismissed as being inconsequential or doubted he could complete only a few months before.
Comment/response from me: Right, blogging is equal parts forming a community and finding one's (writing) voice through daily entries. Confidence comes along with these things (although, caution about ego – it's a killer!)
Rebecca Blood: We are being pummeled by a deluge of data and unless we create time and spaces in which to reflect, we will be left with only our reactions. I strongly believe in the power of weblogs to transform both writers and readers from “audience” to “public” and from “consumer” to “creator.” Weblogs are no panacea for the crippling effects of a media-saturated culture, but I believe they are one antidote.
Comment/response from me: This last part is my favorite part of the entire entry. Not just foretelling how things became, but how things in fact were in the year 2000. The “audience-to-public” part is most notable for those who may be hesitant to start a blog. It's important to let one's thoughts/ideas out onto paper (Internet) as no media outlet, channel, or pseudo-authoritative outlet, or person, is allowed to be a “gatekeeper” for knowledge or opinion. YOU count! Get your ass online and say it! :)