Like most bloggers in Second Life, I have been guilty of creating more blog space that I can physically manage. Hence the slow-down with this blog and the sporadic postings elsewhere.
Over at SL Bloggers I managed to crank out two introspective (or possibly omphaloskeptic for the more pretentious among us) comments on blogging and the use of blogs.
The first, The Irony and Moribundity of the Second Life Blogger, bemoans the tendency to want to be all things to all people by setting up, and then neglecting, blogs - or as one writer labels them, "mogs" for "moribund blogs."
The second, Blog or Ad, simply observes that a fair number of blogs are simply advertising pieces for someone's latest SL venture; clothes, shoes, clubs, malls, in fact anything that people create. I'm not sure whether this is a criticism or just a legitimate form of blog.
Meanwhile, I am currently working on a profile piece on the SS Galaxy sim. This will appear in Prim Perfect magazine later this month. As I write, 2000 words are done and I'm slated to add another 1000 before submitted. So, I'm about to slip in world and track down some interviewees.
Showing posts with label blogging. Show all posts
Showing posts with label blogging. Show all posts
Jun 6, 2009
Feb 17, 2009
A Blog to Read: Second Life Shrink
One of the reasons I suspect my blog is not wildly popular - other than it being generally crap - is that I don't indulge too much in the "you link me your blog and I'll link you mine" thing. Some blogs seem to have blog rolls that are longer than the contents of the blogs themselves. Apparently, if you make lots of these links between blogs, you can fool the search engines into thinking you are important and noteworthy, regardless of what you write.
My list, therefore, of folks to read is rather small. Miniscule. Tiny. So when I say that I am adding Second Life Shrink to my list of recommended reads it's because I think it's worth reading. The blogs are wide in scope and tend to be analytical from a psychological perspective - well duh, it's called Second Life Shrink!
But after reading on and off for some months, I thought it was time for me to add it as a link. The good news is that I haven't been paid, bribed, or offered sex to do this; it's simply that sharing good stuff is always a good idea.
My list, therefore, of folks to read is rather small. Miniscule. Tiny. So when I say that I am adding Second Life Shrink to my list of recommended reads it's because I think it's worth reading. The blogs are wide in scope and tend to be analytical from a psychological perspective - well duh, it's called Second Life Shrink!
But after reading on and off for some months, I thought it was time for me to add it as a link. The good news is that I haven't been paid, bribed, or offered sex to do this; it's simply that sharing good stuff is always a good idea.
Jan 5, 2009
Who Do I Have To Fuck?
After a year of blogging, the number of people who actually read my stuff appears to be so small that there is talk of a new word being used in Physics - the Sig, which is defined as "a number so small that current technology has no way of measuring it, and which makes zero fucking huge."
Of course, I'm willing to accept that what I write is crap and unreadable, but then again so is 99% of what passes for blogging. It may also be that I am tragically useless as self promotion, missing all the important parties and not shouting load enough to tell folks how truly wonderful I am. Or maybe it is the opposite - people don't like me because I tell them how truly wonderful I am.
What to do, what to do.
I know that I don't have a blog roll. This seems to be the usual way of cross promoting; a mutual appreciation society whereby I scratch your blog, you scratch mine. But then nobody - and I can quantify the "nobody" as being at least 3 sigs - has every asked me to do any cross-linking, so I can only assume that (a) no-one is reading, or (b) nobody is interested.
That said, should I stop the blog? After all, if I spent the time I blog freely writing things I get paid for (thank you, at least, to all of you who hand over lindens for my efforts!) then I'd at least have more money, even if I have no blog readers.
I will go on the promotion offensive. This does NOT include taking my clothes of for the Herald, taking up escorting, or becoming a male model - although the later does appeal to my shallow ego. No, I'll just work a little harder at convincing people that I can... well, do something that is interesting!
Oh, and the other possibility: shorter but more frequent blogs. Some bloggers write maybe a couple of lines, toss in a picture, and call it a blog. they do that five times in a day and folks seem to love it. Must be something to do with short attention spans.
On that basis, this blog is too long. It's over. Move on to my next one - please!
Of course, I'm willing to accept that what I write is crap and unreadable, but then again so is 99% of what passes for blogging. It may also be that I am tragically useless as self promotion, missing all the important parties and not shouting load enough to tell folks how truly wonderful I am. Or maybe it is the opposite - people don't like me because I tell them how truly wonderful I am.
What to do, what to do.
I know that I don't have a blog roll. This seems to be the usual way of cross promoting; a mutual appreciation society whereby I scratch your blog, you scratch mine. But then nobody - and I can quantify the "nobody" as being at least 3 sigs - has every asked me to do any cross-linking, so I can only assume that (a) no-one is reading, or (b) nobody is interested.
That said, should I stop the blog? After all, if I spent the time I blog freely writing things I get paid for (thank you, at least, to all of you who hand over lindens for my efforts!) then I'd at least have more money, even if I have no blog readers.
I will go on the promotion offensive. This does NOT include taking my clothes of for the Herald, taking up escorting, or becoming a male model - although the later does appeal to my shallow ego. No, I'll just work a little harder at convincing people that I can... well, do something that is interesting!
Oh, and the other possibility: shorter but more frequent blogs. Some bloggers write maybe a couple of lines, toss in a picture, and call it a blog. they do that five times in a day and folks seem to love it. Must be something to do with short attention spans.
On that basis, this blog is too long. It's over. Move on to my next one - please!
Nov 23, 2008
Critical Blogging - or "I am NOT an Elitist!"
My friend Seikatsu Koba commented a few days back that I was an "elitist" when it comes to blogs. I hadn't really thought that this was the case, but I suppose I can see her point. On a number of occasions I have been openly critical of the standard of writing on the Internet, and that includes blogs.
What I would rather admit to is being critical, in the same way that a music critic or a film critic is. I used to worry about being a critic because I imagined that one has to be "better" than the people you criticize. But many music critics can't sing a note, play an instrument, or download something from iTunes. And a movie critic doesn't have to have won an Oscar, written a screenplay, or brokered a deal between Lionsgate and Disney to create the cartoon version of "Saw 6."
No, all I have to do is appreciate good writing and bad writing. Or point out bad writing masquerading as good. In fact, I just need to have my "Everyman" hat on, because if something is badly written, 95% of people will see it. True they may not be able to pin-point the specifics but bad writing is like porn - I know it when I see it.
I have been a good boy really. So far I don't think I have named any names - well maybe one or two. But my criticism will, in the long run, benefit the whole blogosphere by challenging bloggers to put-up-or-shut-up.
And I don't claim to be perfect. Some of my stuff may have flaws. Tell me. Some of it may be boring. Point it out. Some of it may be wrong. Tell me what's right. But I promise that I will learn from folks who criticize me, just as I hope people can learn from my being critical of them. Nothing personal.
Oh, and as of today, I have still not been approved to join the Second Life Bloggers group. Hmm, how should I interpret that one! I'll give it a few more days - then I'll start the rant.
What I would rather admit to is being critical, in the same way that a music critic or a film critic is. I used to worry about being a critic because I imagined that one has to be "better" than the people you criticize. But many music critics can't sing a note, play an instrument, or download something from iTunes. And a movie critic doesn't have to have won an Oscar, written a screenplay, or brokered a deal between Lionsgate and Disney to create the cartoon version of "Saw 6."
No, all I have to do is appreciate good writing and bad writing. Or point out bad writing masquerading as good. In fact, I just need to have my "Everyman" hat on, because if something is badly written, 95% of people will see it. True they may not be able to pin-point the specifics but bad writing is like porn - I know it when I see it.
I have been a good boy really. So far I don't think I have named any names - well maybe one or two. But my criticism will, in the long run, benefit the whole blogosphere by challenging bloggers to put-up-or-shut-up.
And I don't claim to be perfect. Some of my stuff may have flaws. Tell me. Some of it may be boring. Point it out. Some of it may be wrong. Tell me what's right. But I promise that I will learn from folks who criticize me, just as I hope people can learn from my being critical of them. Nothing personal.
Oh, and as of today, I have still not been approved to join the Second Life Bloggers group. Hmm, how should I interpret that one! I'll give it a few more days - then I'll start the rant.
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