A lot of people ask me this question, and now I’m asking you guys. Please vote and leave a commment to explaing your answer please.
I voted for tumbling. Here is why.
Revenge of the A-List
April 28, 2007 by 2 Comments
A while back, a small band of ‘rebels’ ganged up and tried to innovatively attack the system, attempting to use its structure to beat it. I am one of those rebels, and we are known as the Z-List. The system is the blogosphere. Since technorati values a blog according to the number of links pointing to it, the Z-List was an attempt to use this fact to popularize less known (hence z list0 blogs. Basically, you link to many blogs and many blogs link to you; everyone wins. Unfortunately, the rebels have, largely, failed.
Moreover, the technorati system also produces A List blogs; blogs that have a lot of incoming links making them very popular. The Z list was an attack on this, it was an attempt to steal the limelight from the A list. Now, the A List has struck back. The revenge of the A List started with Jason Calacanis when he wrote New Calacanis Link baiting Rules. Do you want a link from an A List blog? You are in luck, because Jason gives you a guide on how to get him to link to you. Basically, he asks you to massage his ego and suck up to him. I like his honesty. Though sarcastic and crude, Jason’s post is a perfectly crafted link-baited. It will give him hundreds more incoming links and cement him as an A List blogger. (Heck, I linked to him, didn’t I?)
A List blogs are just too powerful. Not only are they very good, useful and/or entertaining blogs(that’s why they became A List blogs) but they also have large amounts of readers. Some of these readers are bloggers themselves and they will occasionally link to their favorite (A List) blogs, even if just to fish for A List baclinks. Besides, when an A-lister writes, people read and respond. And the A list just keeps on growing.
This simple fact means that there will always be massively popular blogs and there will always be relatively massively unpopular blogs. The unpopular bloggers will always aspire to become popular, and some of them will achieve this. Most, however, wont. The popular blogs, on the other hand, will get even more popular.
None of us will probably ever get to be as popular as Darren Rowse. All we, or anyone, can do is blog our best and hope for the best.
Blogger Code of Conduct?
April 20, 2007 by 4 Comments
Tim Oreilly has come up with the draft Blogger Code of Conduct. I suspect this was due, to a certain extent, to the blogosphere turning nasty.
Blogging has certainly come a long way. From simple personal logs and diaries to serious money-making ventures, and a fierce competitor to the traditional media. But do we really need a code of conduct? I think that we do – we certainly cannot have death threats and whatnot. However, I think the Proposed Code of Conduct is a bit too much. No anonymity? Bloggers to take responsibility for comments? I think all bloggers should be all they can be, no limitations whatsoever.
I agree wholly with Jason Calcanis when he says, “The whole point of blogging is that it is free form, take no prisoners, and NOT constrained. Does that mean people should attack people and their ideas? Well, ummm…. if the idea is going to war under false pretense…ummm… YES!!! If the idea is to do covert marketing like PayPerPost… ummm… yeah!!! Blogs are about fighting for what you believe in!! That’s the point.” (Read More)
However, we should also be thoughtful and considerate, especially when viciously attacking other people or moderating our blog’s comments. Everyone should strive for a personal code of conduct: Do what you think is right and don’t forget your netiquette. Besides, going as far as making death threats is illegal and we don’t need a Code of conduct for that – we have the law.
What do you think of the Bloggers Code of Conduct?
Alternatives To Blogging
April 7, 2007 by Leave a Comment
Sometimes it gets to me. Blogging can be tough. So tough that sometimes I wonder, is there an easier way to do it than write consistently and continuously? There are probably very many reasons why people abandon their personal blogs or never start one in the first place. I bet you’ve heard, “I don’t have that much time” or ” I don’t have anything to write about” before.
I think nothing can beat the good old variety of blogging (in which this blog falls) that we know but here is an interesting alternative: Tumblr. “Tumblr is your friendly and free tool for creating tumblelogs. What is a tumblelog? To make a simple analogy: If blogs are journals, tumblelogs are scrapbooks. You can also look at tumblelogs as slightly more structured blogs that make it easier, faster, and more fun to post and share stuff you find or create. You can find more information on Wikipedia. ” (from site)
Lifehacker gives a very detailed guide to tumbling.
Happy tumbling!!
When Blogging Gets Too Tough
April 6, 2007 by 4 Comments
In my opinion, blogging isn’t for the weak-willed. Before one decides to go into blogging, one should think clearly on whether he/she can take the challenges that the blogosphere brings.
I admit, if approached in the right way, blogging is mostly fun. Therefore, before you start to blog, examine yourself and your intentions and figure out whether you can have fun blogging. If you cannot, then do not blog. Blogging is basically about writing – can you write consistently over an extended period of time? Take a look at Erick’s reasons for not blogging. Is blogging still for you?
This post isn’t about discouraging would-be bloggers. In actual fact, I’m aiming to address blogger’s block: a condition of blogger disillusionment where you feel ‘tired’ of blogging and, obviously, your blog suffers. My reasoning is simple: if you got into blogging for the right reasons and understood what you were getting yourself into, blogger’s block won’t hit you so hard.
It does, however, hit everyone once in a while. Here’s how I recommend dealing with it:
- Take a break. Go for a long walk, do some gardening, go on a date – do anything to get you off the computer.
- If this doesn’t work then go to a library near you and just browse through books you find interesting (you can do this on the net but I recommend getting off it). Alternatively, go crazy with the papers and read to your heart’s content. If you cannot do either of the above or you just can’t pull away from the computer, try stumbling aimlessly for hours and hours (and get a check up for cannot-get-off-the-computer-syndrome).
- If, by now, you haven’t got blogging back into your system, consider taking an extended amount of time off blogging. Go on holiday.
Useful links on combating blogger’s block:
Battling Bloggers Block
Hack Your Way Out of Writers block.
Why I don't Blog
April 4, 2007 by 8 Comments
This post was written by Erick, a regular reader and commenter on this blog. I wanted a guest blogger here because I was inspired by I Help You Blog’s “101 Great Posting Ideas For Your Blog.”
Many thanx to my host Kayliz for this guest post, which is in response to his question on a previous post. I read ‘somewhere’ that lists are good (see number 11, second bullet), so here’s my blog on why I don’t blog 🙂 :
5.Originality
It goes without saying that a blog has to be original. But apparently Archer came across a deliberate act of plagiarism. I’d rather not blog than feel the need to copy others.
4. Time Management
In order to write a good blog, time needs to be managed so that other parts of your life don’t suffer. Blogging less than once a month would seem “too little” for me, and would discourage others from coming back for new content (see number 8). A lack of effective time management is one of my many weaknesses.
3. Planned Blogging
Readers come back for more content when a blog is interesting, and that takes planning and research (see number 9). Even then, I wouldn’t want to sound like a ” know it all” 🙂 . How does one balance expressing accurate knowledge with conveying humility? Still figuring that out.
2. Comment Envy
People are generally social creatures, so the more the connection between blogger and commenter(s), the more dynamic a blog is. But it takes time to develop a good “comment base”. Even Aco admitted that he used to blog for himself a long time ago. I would probably look at my “0 comments”, then go over to tHiNkEr’s rOoM with 20+ comments, and think “How much longer??” 🙂 .
1. No Vision
As already stated in my comment, Aco posted something on blogging some time ago. A lot of it is personal opinion (as he stated), and he has valid points. Others don’t agree with him and I see their point too. One statement that sticks out is:
“I think that part of the problem is that when many people start their blogs they don’t have an idea where their blog is going.“
I would want to continue blogging even when no one comments, because I know what the goal of the blog is. Comment Envy or not 🙂 . I’m still waiting for that Vision, so will continue enjoying others blogs in the meantime. Thanx again Kayliz!!
The Blogosphere turns Nasty (we're talking death-threats)
March 27, 2007 by 1 Comment
“I have canceled all speaking engagements. I am afraid to leave my yard. I will never feel the same. I will never be the same.” Kathy Sierra
She said this in a blog post explaining why she is leaving the blogosphere, among other things: “I do not want to be part of a culture–the Blogosphere–where this is considered acceptable. Where the price for being a blogger is kevlar-coated skin and daughters who are tough enough to not have their “widdy biddy sensibilities offended” when they see their own mother Photoshopped into nothing more than an objectified sexual orifice, possibly suffocated as part of some sexual fetish. (And of course all coming on the heels of more explicit threats).”
Things such as this make me lose all hope for humanity. Why is it that certain things have to happen. Why do always have to seek confrontations, to attack others? Can’t we all just get along? Probably not. Man will always be man, online or offline. This has been true for eons and we should all find way s of dealing with conflicts brought about by the insecurities, greed or just plain evil of other people.
This does not mean I condone attacks against other people. No. I abhor them. I am just admitting that there is always going to be those among us who will not want to respect other people. Death threats, of course, are another matter altogether. Last I checked, making a death threat was a crime. Therefore, those who made such threats to Kathy Sierra must be brought to book. What they did is unacceptable and unjustifiable.
If you look at the threat closely enough, you will get the all-too-familiar feeling that the threats against Kathy were made partly (or precisely) because she is a woman. This is just sad. I mean, this is 2007! That some men still think its okay to demean someone just because she’s a woman is just ineffably disturbing and wrong. It only says this much about the perpetrators: they are insecure, feel inadequate and probably even jealous of Kathy’s immense success in the blogosphere and picked on her because they perceived her to be an ‘easy’ target (again, because she’s female). This can only mean that these people are also cowards.
As bloggers, we should attack any and all forms of such behaviour in the blogosphere. Such people cannot and should not be let to get away with anything. Attacks of this kind simply must stop, especially those tinged with the foul odour of gender-based aggression and/or discrimination.
To Kathy: my thoughts are with you and I offer my support in any way. I hope you decide to blog once again – the blogosphere is not all bad. Don’t let them win.
Finally, a word to the anonymous death-threat maker: if you’re going to threaten me with death, at least be man enough to do it face to face (or at least not anonymously) so that I can smack your foul mouth and see what you have to say about that.