Presence takes the blogging case to it's marketing conclusion by putting me in the middle of nowhere.
Mesh has his blogging theory. I have mine. I think we are both right in how our theories work themselves out. However, I believe mesh to be wrong by his motivation.
I see too many people finding guilt in their blog. "I'm sorry, it's been so long since I last posted. . .", etc.
First, this assumes some audience that cares, which doesn't always exist (especially in my case).
Second, and more importantly, it puts the act of personal publishing (blogging) in the realm of work, ordeal, skedule, oppression and/or uncomforatable discipline. I think this is where mesh is wrong and I am right.
The middle of the road isn't always the safest place to play. My Philosoblog
Posted by McKormick at October 20, 2003 05:18 PM | TrackBackFirst things first:
Mesh has an audience who cares, pretty much a large group of his friends n' family, including a group of people he's never met who stumbled onto his blog.
But I'll get back to that.
Sadly, the "medium" of blogging has no set of rules with which to govern it. There aint no objective way to go about doing it, other than general Christian principles.
Hence, how one blogs comes straight down to how one wants to blog and if he's trying to do it in a faithful to Christ fasion.
Now Mesh is a writer. Mesh wants to be a better writer. Mesh wants to keep practicing writing to become a better writer so one day people will look at him and say "Hey, that guy Mesh is a writer." So Mesh, when I talked him into getting a blog many months ago, went into blogging slightly unaware of what he was getting himself into (like all of us) or even what the medium was all about (again, like all of us), especially in light of it being a very NEW medium in once sense or another.
And it's a very "free-for-all" medium, both from lack of historical precedent and in the very fact, like stated above, that there are no "objective" standards for how one blogs.
So Mesh, self-conciously decides to make his blog a bit more professional. Which is his perogative, and ours as his audience to like or dislike at our leisure. It's not right or wrong, it's just what he wants to do. It may though, be right for Mesh to do for himself. As one gets progressively "closer" to Mesh in terms of friendship n' whatnot, one sees why this might make sense in Mesh' case (like I do).
plus, I welcome regular posts from Mesh, far more than I do the infrequent nature of his current blog. Damnit, he owes me something. I told his parents it's my job to help him get his butt in gear and be something great. So I heartily applaud "my old friends" decision to get a little more disciplined about it all.
As for me, and I supposed you too, we'll stick to our more informal, off the cuff style of blogging. Heck, it's our perogative. Given that, one might think it's our perogative to support the blogging perogative of others. Mebbe.
Posted by: JosiahQ at October 20, 2003 05:48 PMbut why the popularity of guilt associated with blogging (or the absence of regular blogs).
Posted by: McKormick Astley at October 20, 2003 05:56 PMSorry about the marketing bit, if I misunderstood what you were saying.
I'm not sure why there is so much guilt associated with not posting. One of my other blogs is fairly popular, and there is a sense of responsibility you get with your readers that you begin to feel like you are neglecting them if you dont post. I think that is where Mesh is coming from.
Not sure if I'm following.
Posted by: Greg at October 20, 2003 07:04 PMi was joking about the marketing. you actually directed me to feed demon which i now think is great! thanks.
Posted by: McKormick Astley at October 20, 2003 07:44 PM