Wank wank
Sort of in response to Ryan's post on the Calgary blog about blogs (and Jonathan's comment)... Have you seen the "Word of the Day" and the "Word Match-up" I added to my sidebar? Not quite content, more like the blue light people put to glow under their car, or the fuzzy dice on the rearview, or the I heart Aberta Beef bumber sticker. The idea that a blog is public and personal... Some people change the colours and font etc. (like I do) but it's based on a template... Changes accrue over time, however, so that you (if you're one of those people who likes to personalize their template) have an aesthetic performance of individuality. Or the performance of a yearning for individuality.
And what's my blog for, anyway? The content consists (so far) of a pastiche of poetry, open letters, reports, shout-outs, embedded in which are apologies, plugs, maybe the odd dig. Who do I think is reading this? Why do I think they care? The comments option (which you can remove-- I hate it when people remove the comments option from their blog-- I think it is arrogant and closed-- heh-- them's fightin' words) and the site meter (an add-on) give me a filtered view. With the site meter, I can find out what site people came from, and what point of entry they used. It's kind of like spying. Or at least peeking.
What's this blog for? What does it do? What does it perform? Not sure yet, except that it is growing organically (metaphorically speaking-- there are no fungi creeping over my computer) and the AMOUNT of content is a shortcut to making it worthwhile. Worth something. Like Jonathan's mention of a museum piece in culture.
The blogs that seem to work the best are the ones with a focus, a theme, a topic-- cheese, or news, or whatever. Right? Or is the disjunctive mish-mash of content alright?
I started this blog, called it semi-precious press, to encourage myself to start publishing chapbooks again. I figured this site would be a place to announce each new chapbook's completion and availability. So I was using the blog form to be a motivational tool, to be repurposed as a bookstore when that function was fulfilled. I guess it is still doing that, although its purpose (or at least what I expect from it day by day) is to be an oblique communication with my friends and colleagues. But mainly friends. It's doing that quite well. I almost prefer it to email, in that I can communicate news to friends without the necessity or expectation of a response. The problem with that is that I can't be nearly as gossipy and innappropriate as I normally am in emails to friends.
And what's my blog for, anyway? The content consists (so far) of a pastiche of poetry, open letters, reports, shout-outs, embedded in which are apologies, plugs, maybe the odd dig. Who do I think is reading this? Why do I think they care? The comments option (which you can remove-- I hate it when people remove the comments option from their blog-- I think it is arrogant and closed-- heh-- them's fightin' words) and the site meter (an add-on) give me a filtered view. With the site meter, I can find out what site people came from, and what point of entry they used. It's kind of like spying. Or at least peeking.
What's this blog for? What does it do? What does it perform? Not sure yet, except that it is growing organically (metaphorically speaking-- there are no fungi creeping over my computer) and the AMOUNT of content is a shortcut to making it worthwhile. Worth something. Like Jonathan's mention of a museum piece in culture.
The blogs that seem to work the best are the ones with a focus, a theme, a topic-- cheese, or news, or whatever. Right? Or is the disjunctive mish-mash of content alright?
I started this blog, called it semi-precious press, to encourage myself to start publishing chapbooks again. I figured this site would be a place to announce each new chapbook's completion and availability. So I was using the blog form to be a motivational tool, to be repurposed as a bookstore when that function was fulfilled. I guess it is still doing that, although its purpose (or at least what I expect from it day by day) is to be an oblique communication with my friends and colleagues. But mainly friends. It's doing that quite well. I almost prefer it to email, in that I can communicate news to friends without the necessity or expectation of a response. The problem with that is that I can't be nearly as gossipy and innappropriate as I normally am in emails to friends.
posted by Jill at 11:39 AM
3 Comments:
It's weird, because I never figured out why I started my blog until I had worked with it for about a year and a half (when I started, it was mostly a motivational tool as well).
One of the things that blogs are doing in culture is giving us, the masses, back the idea that what we say is interesting. Generally, and in some cases specifically. It is analogous to publishing chapbooks-- bypassing the permission-giving and validating publishing company, or even editor. Putting the power and reward of production in our own hands, and the surprise is that blogs are so popular-- not just for bloggers but for readers, and then there's that line between blogger/reader that is so blurred...
Also the power of an upright in your goddamn hands. Paul always says that, not sure what he means exactly. But I think it fits.
Try these religious nutters for a laugh on masturbation, Feminist or environmental issues.
http://handsacrossoceanministry.wordpress.com/2007/10/14/leaving-the-baby-to-die-on-the-bed/
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