This week’s LetsBlogOff asks a not so simple question; are blogs as important as bloggers think they are? Hmm, that really looks like two questions in one. For the first part, is one’s blog important; if one answers no, then why do it – if one answers yes, are they not being a little self centered & egotistical, or might the truth lie somewhere in between? While we are at it, how important do bloggers really think they are? In answer to that last question, I guess you will have to join me in reading all the other participants views on the subject. Not only are they listed on the website above, but we will also be listing them at the end of this article as per our custom.
In order to answer the question, let me ask you a few questions first… Is a newspaper as important as reporters think? Is the news you catch on TV or the radio as important as the anchors think? Is a book as important as an author thinks, how about a diary, or a journal? Is any of that important and if so what makes it important?
But wait, isn’t this the “New Media,” and can you really compare this to a newspaper, or the TV? Sure, because is it really a new media, or just a new means of disseminating information? Let’s take a step back in time and look at the cave painting above. Now whether it is an inventory of the animals killed, a news report of the hunt, or a how to guide for a one shot kill, one really does not know but they are disseminating some sort of information.
No matter what media is used; stone tablets, scrolls, paper, books, TV, radio or a computer screen, does it matter what the provider of the info thinks, or is it the one receiving the information that determines it value? While we could easily get into all the good bloggers / reporters Vs bad bloggers / reporters or how some think the world of themselves, there is one simple rule; something’s just never change…
Paul Anater’s Kitchen and Residential Design
Bob Borson’s Life of an Architect
Rufus Dogg’s Dog Walk Blog
Cindy Frewen Wuellner’s Urbanverse’s Posterous
Bonnie Harris’s The Wax Blog
Saxon Henry’s Roaming by Design
Hollie Holcombe Green Rascal Design
Nick Lovelady’s Cupboards Kitchen & Bath
Veronika Miller’s Modenus
Steve Mouzon The Original Green
Becky Shankle’s Eco Modernism
Ami’s Multifarious Miscellany
Betsy De Maio’s Egrgirl’s Blog
As a woodworker the woodworking blogs as been a source of information that as not only united and inspired woodworkers across the world it has also made the magazines stop and take notice of the resource and talent that is out there writing and producing blogs and podcast, that is why Popular Woodworking and Fine Woodworking are both now doing blog and promoting other bloggers. Their are a lot of blogger’s that blog for many reasons and I do agree that the value is what information or entertainment taken from a blog, and lately I seem to find more value in the blogs I read that the newspaper I get, unless you count lining the litter box.
Joey
I used to work at the Dayton Daily News and sometimes it seems the only time the newspaper was ever important to everyone was 1) you made a typo 2) nope, that was pretty much it 🙂
My section was Newspapers in Education and part of the job was to go out into schools and observe kids and teachers using the pages our team created. If all we did was write the page at the newspaper offices, the page would never have mattered. Bu you go out to the schools once and it changes how much your efforts really matter. And it inspires you to keep going.
Blogging without connecting to your audience is the same way. Bloggers who never get out never see how influential their words are to real people.
My editor’s NIE rant. He made me include it.
http://rivershark.com/brands/gerardmclean/quality-newspapers-in-education-nie-respects-the-intelligence-of-young-readers.html
Sean, did I read that right? did you really ask if the provider of info on the stone tablets matters? guess yr not talking about the Ten Commandments, eh?? 😉
I did this too, tearing apart the question… then I did it long enough that y’all took care of that for me. thank you! Agree, its at least two questions. Yeah, I like asking authors if they think writing is important too. We are the choir!
good post, cindy @urbanverse
Cindy, Rufus & Joey – thanks for all the comments.
Ahhh Cindy – don’t you just love how it can be left up to ones interpretation? I will say I was considering adding in at least a few examples. For example, one of them was about Anne Franks and her journal. I ended up dropping that idea as I hoped the article above conveyed the thought well enough & I just couldn’t get it worded right.
Cindy & Rufus, I must also apologize for not commenting on your blogs and many others as often as I like – I enjoy both of them quite a lot & hope you keep up the great work.
Cindy, Rufus & Joey – thanks for all the comments.
Ahhh Cindy – don’t you just love how it can be left up to ones interpretation? I will say I was considering adding in at least a few examples. For example, one of them was about Anne Franks and her journal. I ended up dropping that idea as I hoped the article above conveyed the thought well enough & I just couldn’t get it worded right.
Cindy & Rufus, I must also apologize for not commenting on your blogs and many others as often as I like – I enjoy both of them quite a lot & hope you keep up the great work.
I used to work at the Dayton Daily News and sometimes it seems the only time the newspaper was ever important to everyone was 1) you made a typo 2) nope, that was pretty much it 🙂
My section was Newspapers in Education and part of the job was to go out into schools and observe kids and teachers using the pages our team created. If all we did was write the page at the newspaper offices, the page would never have mattered. Bu you go out to the schools once and it changes how much your efforts really matter. And it inspires you to keep going.
Blogging without connecting to your audience is the same way. Bloggers who never get out never see how influential their words are to real people.
My editor’s NIE rant. He made me include it.
http://rivershark.com/brands/gerardmclean/quality-newspapers-in-education-nie-respects-the-intelligence-of-young-readers.html
As a woodworker the woodworking blogs as been a source of information that as not only united and inspired woodworkers across the world it has also made the magazines stop and take notice of the resource and talent that is out there writing and producing blogs and podcast, that is why Popular Woodworking and Fine Woodworking are both now doing blog and promoting other bloggers. Their are a lot of blogger’s that blog for many reasons and I do agree that the value is what information or entertainment taken from a blog, and lately I seem to find more value in the blogs I read that the newspaper I get, unless you count lining the litter box.
Joey
Sean, did I read that right? did you really ask if the provider of info on the stone tablets matters? guess yr not talking about the Ten Commandments, eh?? 😉
I did this too, tearing apart the question… then I did it long enough that y’all took care of that for me. thank you! Agree, its at least two questions. Yeah, I like asking authors if they think writing is important too. We are the choir!
good post, cindy @urbanverse