Sunday, June 22, 2008
Blogging without Obligation?....... Eh?
Saw something recently on another blog that has me slightly baffled. Blogging without Obligation - this is a nifty little "badge" which you stick in the sidebar of your blog to declare to the world that you ... er... blog without obligation. It then goes on to list various "because's" - because it's ok to say just what I have to say, because they are probably not going to inscribe your stat, link and comment numbers on your tombstone ....... etc.
Various observations.
Firstly, no one is under any "obligation" to blog. There is no law about it, the blog police won't turn up at your house and say "madam, we've noticed you've not blogged for 2 weeks, I'm afraid you'll have to come with us ....". If you feel a "duty" to blog to the general public then I would suggest that perhaps you need to get out more and that you clearly see your blog as your only connection with the world. Surely, SURELY no one feels that much of a duty to blogging?!
Secondly, the "because it's ok to say just what I have to say" bit. Erm.... well, obviously. You want to update your blog so you go there and say just what you have to say. How could you say something you didn't have to say.
There are other bits but one thing that really got me wondering was the statement at the end about eradicating "blog pollution". Now, I've never come across this statement before but I'm guessing blog pollution is considered to be those little bits of "fluff" that people bung on their blogs. Links to places without any other post being involved, the short little posts along the lines of "went shopping, had hair cut, went to the loo" type things (ok, maybe going to the loo is a bit extreme as an example). Now, whether you consider these things to be blog pollution entirely depends on your personal viewpoint and it depends on why you blog.
My view of blogs is this - they are a form of diary (albeit a very public diary), they record the day to day going's on in your life. I blog because I want to (see! I don't have an "obligation" to the general public!), because I want to be able to look back in years and years time and "see" what we did when the kids were little and so on. There's also another way of looking at it which IS more about writing for others BUT still being entirely honest about it. I don't know about you but I absolutely adore reading an old diary, one that was written years and years and years ago - I find them fascinating. What I find the most fascinating is when the writer writes about their general day to day life - yes, it's great to read about some grand ball or fabulous dinner party or a wedding or whatever but the real "meat" of the diary is the stuff that really tells you how these people lived. So that's what I think ........... I'd like to think that in god knows how many years time, people can come across my blog on the internet and see how I, and people like me, lived. Blogs are history in the making, we have a wonderful opportunity to leave future generations a "window" on life now and that includes the mundane stuff as well as the high excitement goings-on.
However, this isn't an obligation - I don't feel I "have" to do this. I'm just ... doing it. It's for me, mostly, for my family, for future generations of my family. I choose to blog online rather than in a handwritten diary because it's safer and has far less chance of being destroyed in someway. It's still my diary though - good and bad, exciting and boring. It's just life.
So, here's my alternative stand on the "Blogging without Obligation" thing ....
- No one is "obligated" to blog. If you feel you are then you seriously need to take a long hard look at yourself and possibly get out more.
- So called "blog pollution" is, very often, the very stuff that makes the blog (and blogger!) real. If we only fill our blogs with the totally happy, great, exciting stuff we are not being entirely real. I fail to see the point of blogging if you are just going to present a false image of yourself. When you're old and grey, you want to come back and read about what REALLY happened to you, not some glorified, tarted up version. You want to read about that silly chat you had with your kid, or the weirdo you met in Tesco or the fact that the car broke down slap bang in the middle of a tiny country lane that was only car-width. These things will make you smile, laugh and say "aaah those were the days". Don't skimp on the small stuff - they're memory makers, not pollution.
- No, they're not going to inscribe your stats, comments numbers etc on your tombstone, but they're also not going to inscribe "this person blogged without obligation - PRAISE BE!!" either.
Another point. The idea of blogging when you feel truly inspired to keep up the integrity of your blog. What the hell?! From my dictionary, this is the defintion of "integrity":
1. adherence to moral and ethical principles.
2. the state of being whole, entire, or undiminished.
3. a sound, unimpaired, or perfect condition.
So, let's get this straight - only blogging wonderful, exciting, inspiring stuff, keeps your blog "whole" or "undiminished" or in "perfect condition"? Is that how you want people to see you? As some perfect, untainted, angelic person that has an utterly wonderful, gripping life ALL THE TIME? No, you have to blog "real" or not bother. I want people to see the real me and if that means I occasionally come across as immoral or less than perfect then so be it. Ok, this doesn't mean we have to blog every miserable thing that happens to us but it does mean that, occasionally, shit happens and it's sometimes good to get it off your chest. If that happens and it puts the "integrity" of your blog at risk, well, whatever.
That brings me neatly back to who the hell are you blogging for anyway? You, your family, and close friends or .... your "adoring" public?
The whole idea of "Blogging without Obligation" is ridiculous! Who, in the name of sanity, needs a badge in their sidebar to remind them to "blog without obligation" (if such a thing exists, which it doesn't). Who the hell needs to be reminded to ONLY post "inspring" things to keep up the integrity of their blog?
Picture the scene if you will:
There you are, about to blog an amusing story about a chat between yourself and your mother in law. This probably won't be of MUCH interest to anyone else unless they happen to know your mil, but it's an amusing tale so you might blog it anyway. THEN, you remember your Blogging without Obligation badge! You start to question your idea for a blog post - is this post inspiring enough or will it (gasp!) spoil the integrity of your blog?! Hmmm.... you decide you'd "better not" post the story about your mil after all. Thank GOD you had your badge to remind you! That was a close bloody call alright. You rest easy, knowing that the integrity of your blog has been preserved.
Blogging without obligation - total (blog polluting!) nonsense more like
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