A question of ethics. 9/20/2005
What prompted you to start blogging? What makes you continue to blog? But most importantly, why do you blog?
A local blogger, who has achieved a certain amount of fame and notoreity, messaged me yesterday, asking my opinion on a piece she had just written. Specifically, she wanted ten reasons why she shouldn’t post it, which I gave to her. Admittedly some of the reasons were a little thin, except maybe for the one about throwing a hissy fit. So she went ahead and posted it anyway, albeit in a rather more toned down form. Those of you who know who I’m talking about, will know. If you don’t, then Google is your friend. And if you’ve read her post, and think it was a little thick on the sarcasm, you wouldn’t want to read the original post. Trust me on that one.
How did all this come about? Well, it was a case of someone asking this ‘femes’ blogger, about the how-to’s of blogging. Nothing wrong in that, except that this someone was blogging with the intention of getting hits, and gaining fame. Which, in my opinion, is entirely the wrong way of going about things. Most of the ‘famous’ local bloggers, didn’t start out with the intention of doing so. Recognition was shown to them because they put up quality posts, not because they wanted to increase their hit count.
O.K., all bloggers, at one time or another, have wanted to increase their traffic. It’s a natural human emotion, where a measure of your popularity becomes a gauge of your self esteem. “Look ma! I get 6000 hits a day!” But does that mean you are a good blogger? Does it mean you produce work of good quality? Probably not, if your hit count decreases tremendously after people find out you’re just a flash in the pan, and your work is basically of a mediocre standard. Good bloggers have the ability to engage their reader, and leave them wanting more.
But, and this is the thing, they didn’t set out with the intention of becoming famous. They don’t blog because they want to boast about hit counts. They blog because they can. Because it is a release, a record, an outlet, a way for them to perfect their craft. And don’t fall under the illusion that blogging is easy. Like any other hobby, the more you practise, the better you should get at it. If you don’t, then you’re doing something wrong, and should seek advice on how to be better at it. Not on ways on how to increase your readership. If what you’re writing is good, the readers will come.
Entering the blogging world is easy enough. A blog account, and away you go. Which is where I started, after getting to know some local bloggers and reading their blogs. It was not a case of, “Hey, I can do that and be famous.” It was the fact that I enjoy writing, a skill which is somewhat lacking in my chosen profession. And so I blog. And I was quite surprised, during the last PPS bash, as to how many people actually read my blog. It was a pleasant surprise, but it was never my intention to get hits. I was using this blog as a way of recording my thoughts, and experience, and hobbies. And along the way, it turned into something else.
I have a bunch of readers who eagerly await the Girl Friday. Others who read it for my biking experience and adventures. Others who wait for my work bitching. Still others who use it as a way of keeping track of my life (You reading this Bill?). But a traffic whore? Nope, at least not intentionally. In real life, I’m slightly more famous than most, in a very select group. At a certain place involving speed and two wheels, everyone knows my name. But I did not actively seek it. I gained it by being good at what I do. And sharing what I know. And helping others to be as good as, or better than me, at what I do.
So, if you want fame, you’d do better at taking your top off and getting your picture posted. Nudity always sells.
For a while.
- Posted in : General
- Author : thesnark
Comments»
if he was female, i’d have suggested a “SPG” thing…but since he’s a guy, the closest seems to be kennysia’s april fool hairy legs joke.
I want more Girl Friday! haha
Being femes is being well-known, being popler is being well-liked. Being infemes/nottyrius is being well-known and dis-liked. Regardless, fame is overrated, make ur head grow big-big like balloon, then inside mostly just hot air.
But recently hor, noticed a lot of blogs about other blogs or bloggers, and most seem to be quite unkind. Come on la, everybody blogs for their own reason, and nobody has to agree, disagree or conform. To some, a blog is a simple tool. To others, the blog is their life and as such no desecration of the sanctity in their holy ground shall be tolerated.
Bah humbug. Nobody respects common courtesy these days (or people who may be older than them), nor do they bother with the consequence of their actions.
Lainie : Yeah, well. Somehow I think he misses the whole point of blogging.
Eyeris : Ask, and ye shall receive.
Totoro : I agree with you. The recent orgy over Xiaxue, and the Kenny Sia/SPG thing left a bit of a sour taste in my mouth. But I sincerely hope the people concerned have learnt a thing or two about the world (blog or real) being bigger than their individual selves.
Oh he definitely missed the point, no doubt about that…he’d be better off setting some “inspirational website” or something.
Damn.
I wrote something about roughly the same thing, but somehow, it didn’t come out sounding this good.
Need. More. Practise.
Excellent post, by the way.
good piece there dude. actually i love your blog for what you write and think … and the Girl Friday is a bonus
keep up the good work. cheers.