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The state of blogs today

by Alice Gnodde

2007/05/08

A mention in a recent blog by HEADLINE payoff’s Paul White on MySpace claimed that blogs about “personal things” are effectively “emotional masturbation” and that he generally shies away from the term ‘blogging’ as a result. The thought behind it is so obvious; I wonder why I had never thought of this myself.

Blogs still have a lot of stigma attached to them, often considered to be the tool used by masses of youngsters to voice their teenage angst. But to a certain extent, the only time that these blog does get any significant media attention is when they've been used as a 21st century suicide note, expressing what the media like to call an ‘unanswered cry for help’. It’s no wonder that companies are dubious about Blog Power.

Personally, I don’t t mind happy blogs, but whinging blogs that have no structure, storyline or point, annoy me. They’re almost like the spam of blogs, even though the intention behind it actually makes it something completely different.

I’m not saying it’s not good to have an emotional outlet, but surely by putting something out onto the public sphere, you are insinuating that you think that it is of public interest? The fact is that most people can’t write stimulating content about how they are feeling. What is so real to them becomes contrived and melodramatic to the average reader.

The fact of the matter is that blogs certainly have turned into a legitimate means of conveying opinion. And those blogs are blogs that try to distance themselves as best they can from ‘feelings blogs’. I suspect that feelings blogs actually need to be somehow distinguished from opinion blogs; they shouldn’t share the Blog name.

Admittedly, this differentiation isn’t feasible because opinions are based on feelings so it gets difficult to draw the line. That said, I’d consider opinion blogs (and I’d hope for any blog, for that matter) to be written with, at the very least, the intention of providing some benefit for the reader.

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I concur.

With myself.

Posted by Paul White on 2007/05/08

The issue at stake is not the topic, but the quality of the writing. No matter what one writes about - whether one's own emotions or politics - there is the good and the bad. While there are millions of examples of bad writing on blogs about X or Y's personal life, there are many examples of such blogs that bristle with wit and comedy. And there are blogs about everyday life that reach a literary pitch where one cannot deny the writer's ability. Fush and Chips's post _http://fushandchips.blogspot.com/2007/04/travel-bits.html_ for instance, is sublime.

But name a topic, and one will find the good, the bad and the ugly.

So your division between 'feeling' blogs and opinion blogs is a false distinction. Most people cannot write well, whether - as I've said - about their feelings or whether expressing an opinion about something 'out there'.

But readers can and do make that distinction. A badly written tech-blog will struggle as much garnering attention as a badly written 'emo-blog'.

Posted by RK on 2007/05/08

I don't agree with you RK. Yes, writing skill makes anything readable, but I think you are leaving out the need for personal opinion. There definitely is an intangible "something" that makes something appealing or not, no matter how well it is put together.

The blog by Fush and Chips is great - becuase it doesn't wallow in self-pity, it is entertaining.

What the Internet has done is to allow everyone to have a voice, everyone gets a pedestal to shout from. I personally prefer blogging that involves creative stories, that is: not straight recounting of someone's life. This means I am more a fan of writing and less a fan of blogging.

Alice is not saying that all blogs about personal issues are bad, she is saying that for something to be entertaining, a reader has to be kept in mind. Should a blog touch on personal issues, in a way that engages the reader - it is acceptable.

Blogging is not diarising. Diarising implies privacy. Therefore, should someone write a blog, they are expecting someone to read it. If you are expecting something to be read, you have to keep the reader in mind.

Posted by Paul White on 2007/05/08

What Paul initially said in his blog made me realise that there really isn't a point to half of what people blog other than self-fulfillment. I've been guilty of it. If it's in the public domain, it should be there with some kind of intention to the reader. Nobody wants to read drivel, it ends up being offensive to people's sensibilities. Much like span.

Posted by Alice Gnodde on 2007/05/08

Paul, I think you get my point but are a bit coy in admitting it:

1. You prefer 'writing' not 'blogging' ('straight recounting of someone's life'. And autobiography?)
2. If it's personal, it should keep the reader in mind. (You also say this in your summation of Alice's post.)

Wouldn't you say that that (keeping your reader in mind) is one aspect of good writing? An awareness of audience is one of the foundations of good rhetorical skills.

So, again, no matter the topic, there is good and bad. If we're talking about preferring certain genres - I like biography; I don't like fiction, say - then it's a different matter. But then we have to agree whether we are talking about writing that is bad (which is not so difficult to point out in somewhat objective manner, as Alice does - 'no structure' etc.) or whether we are talking about what we like and dislike. But you can't dismiss writing as bad simply because it's in a certain genre. Nor can you dismiss a genre because of bad examples of the genre.

And it's a bit disingenuous to make a distinction between writing and blogging, a form, after all, of writing. Writing is writing, while there are different genres of blogging - autobio, tech, politics. I like several across a range of genres, and I don't bother with most, also across a range of genres. I don't bother with them because they are badly written.

And some blogs are like diaries, yes, but here I differ from you. A diary is only putatively private; I think that anyone who ever writes a sentence 'privately' in a diary, desires that one day it will be read, even if they are dead by then. The written word always wants to be read, no matter how private or shy the writer of such a private diary.

And, yes, some diaries are boring, but some are also fascinating. In fact, the story of an individual life is a strong trend in South African literature at the moment - so autobiography (which, for argument's sake, one can see as a mild form of diary) and memoir is riding a wave. And there are many bad ones, and perhaps a few good ones. Blogging in SA seems to be part of not only international trends in new media, but also part of a cultural trend in literary SA.

Don't get me wrong. I don't care for the bad stuff and am certainly not defending it; I just think it's bad for reasons beyond genre.

And the Fush and Chips post is good not only for the reason you point out Paul (there's lot's of self-pitying stuff that also makes good reading - i.e. is still entertaining); it is also good for many other writerly reasons. But this comment is long enough, so I won't start on what the mechanics of good writing entail.

Posted by RK on 2007/05/08

Not to get into any battles or anything because I think fighting over the Internet is like trying to eat a brick, but I don't think Paul needs to be taught what 'the mechanics of good writing entails.'

Once again, this is just an opinion, not a punch thrown.

Hope you all have a nice day.

Posted by Rudi on 2007/05/08

Erm, sorry, I thought we were having a 'conversation'. Alice writes a post, I commented, Paul and Alice responded, and I responded again.

Since we are talking about writing, my 'mechanics of good writing' comment was to suggest that perhaps that is what we should be talking about, certainly not to imply that Paul needs to be taught.

And isn't this what the comment facility is all about in any case. A post on a topic, a reader's critical response, a developing critical conversation?

Posted by RK on 2007/05/09

Very interesting topic. I have to say that agree with RK, though I think everyone is getting to the same point in this discussion, just taking different routes to get there.

A 'feelings blog' if well written can be witty, amusing, and allow the reader to connect via shared experience.

An 'opinion blog' if badly written can be dull and self indulgent.

Unfortunatle self indulgence is not limited to 'feeling blogs'.

Posted by Lachlan on 2007/05/09

As previously stated, I don't particularly enjoy eating bricks. Breakfast, lunch or dinner.

RK, I have to apologise. I misunderstood your comment.

Valid comments from both sides though I have to admit.

Maybe you'll understand our viewpoint better if you go and read one of the blogs at www.myspace.com/headlinepayoff.

We're kind of over people who don't engage.

H-peace.

Posted by Rudi on 2007/05/09

Now I'm puzzled and not quite sure who is eating bricks.

Rudi, I went to headlinepayoff and don't quite get how that will make me understand your (plural) point of view better. All I did was point out a category error: blogs aren't by definition bad writing simply because 90% of blogs are bad.

Also puzzled by your last comment. What do you mean by 'engage'? I thought I was engaging with a post here, on the merits of the post itself.

Sorry for being critical, then.

Posted by RK on 2007/05/09

Fuck, my comments just aren't making sense now that I'm reading them again.

So here goes...

By we I meant myself and Paul.

I take it you didn't read that it says that we are the authors of that blog.

On the engaging comment: That was aimed at you in a positive way for actually being someone who enjoys engaging in a civilized manner. Which we enjoy/like/love/promote.

I do understand what you mean with 'blogs aren't by definition bad writing simply because 90% of blogs are bad'

Posted by Rudi on 2007/05/10

Thanks Rudi. Yeah, I guess commentsation is difficult without facial expressions, hand-gestures, etc. Easy for confusion to creep in.

I did get that you are the authors at headlinepayoff.

Regards.

Posted by RK on 2007/05/10

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