Every time you blog
What's the point of attending a congress for bloggers? Many people have said that when they meet other bloggers, they end up talking about - you guessed it - blogs.
What is there to talk about blogs? (Besides the most obvious and polite I only read your blog once and fell asleep while doing so your blog is so very interesting!) I know very little about web design (am not really that much into knowing more, because so long as I make good muffins I hope to get an excellent design for free - or for muffins), much less about web 2.0 (besides the fact that a whole lot of blogs are dedicated to this very interesting topic). I have no interest in listening to a lecture on how to write a successful blog, because I already know that when I posted my photo in my new push up bra along with some very detailed descriptions of my sex life, I'd be number one on Slo blogi in half a day. Much less do I want to get to know more about politics. And no, I'm not that much into earning money while blogging, either - although a stash of money would come handy right now. (In my view of things all personal blogs should be devoid of any sort of ads, commercials and "favours" to friends. Unfortch, such blogs are hard to come by these days.)
I like reading certain blogs, but I have no idea what I would talk about with these bloggers if I met them in person. I'd probably gorge myself on cookies.
(Actually, a couple of questions come to mind... I'd ask Hirkani what those other secrets to her weight loss are, I'd give a heads-up to Afrodita and I would pout my lips every time I accidentally found myself in the vicinity of Lilit - which would happen very often. Then Ill-advised would get asked where he works, because I have this predetermined notion about him and his job - although I might be totally off - in which case I don't even want to know. And Ambala should just reserve a bed for me, because we have a lot to talk about.)
But, anyway, I'm not going to attend Blogres for several reasons:
1) I have exams at that time and cannot afford to miss a whole day (right now I don't think I can miss two hours),
2) I have VERY important exams in that same month,
3) Apart from the "creative writing" workshop I don't really find anything interesting in the programme,
4) I'm not really very sociable (or a lot of fun when I try to be sociable - have just never fully mastered the "circulate the room" hard core rule of social events; but then again, perhaps Bridget Jones isn't the best source of advice in that area of life),
5) I'm awkward around people - and a fresh new reason:
6) I have exams at that time.
So, why are you (not) going?
Labels: blog business, random ramblings
13 Comments:
Mostly, I have the same reasons as you have. Firstly, I have the matura exam. I'm also not really interested in designs and as my sister, her boyfriend and my boyfriend all study computer sciences, I'm really not going into this! :)
The truth is that on my every-day reading list there are only few blogs and these are blogs of people I'd also like to meet in person. I don't think the Blogres is the best opportunity for that.
However, I am not interested in the programme either so I have very little reasons to go there. Perhaps I could meet Hirkani there :) But I think she'll be busy enough even without me :)
A variation on 1, 2 and 6, definitely 4 and 5 and possibly 3 (didn't even take a look at the programme). Blogres is definitely too low on my list of things that I have to / would like to do to actually find the time for it.
I am not going, because this is a top down approach to things - there will ba a lot of people, not to mention blogstars (if that is possible here in Slovenia?) who will lecture how everybody should write. As if anyone needs advice on that. As if this is some kind of sport, a competition who can get more crazy or get more hits before 2 p.m. or who can get the worse kind of comments.
Anyway, I also don't like this 'we are family' kind of approach'. We should all get to know eachother and other nonsense. Afterall, this is the virtual world, a place where finally those who are not good in company can get heir own little space and be left alone, except for people who share the same interests.
Mitja - seems like we're in agreement here.
Belgothiel - I think there are many other ways of getting to know Hirkani in person. Maybe you could babysit her children during summer? ;)
Jin - Thanks for reminding me! I wrote the post in a hurry and forgot to mention that the whole events seems to be a promotion of Blogos and very little else.
And indeed, having someone tell you how to write a blog canot do harm if you then forget everything the person said and write it your way. Then the blog becomes yours and is interesting and personal.
I could not agree more with what you said in your last paragraph. :)
Maybe we should meet! ;)
I had one very very bad experience, so no thank you! But I met Domen Savic and his girlfriend was my classmate on FDV and they both seem pretty normal :)
Jin - overexcited fan girls? But I thought those count as good experiences! ;)
No they don't!
Anyway, such things can be annoying. Imagine your long term penpal from the other side of the world asking you for a job. Hopefully I won't get a visit soon :) That wold be a pain in the ass. Internet can be so demanding one would shut oneself from the world and read fantasy novels all day long.
Hey, I might just do that!
Jin - maybe you could ask him if you can marry his girlfriend. You know, he somehow does have to pay you back for providing a job for him.
But seriously - I do get what you mean. It can definitely be unpleasant when the other person reads too much into an online "relationship".
Whoa, she is a girl, so. And I wouldn't want to live in Indonesia.
Anyway, so you do penpaling? Not that I'm asking you because I have exotic tastes regarding that :), but it is funny with all this bloging going around not hearing anybody doing penpaling.
Jin - sorry, sorry, sorry! I just completely forgot about your reply. I hope you can forgive me.
Yes, I used to have a few pen pals, but none of them lasted much more than a couple of years. Nowadays I don't even have one. I used to love writing letters, but my feeling is that my pen pals didn't like that as much or weren't as dedicated and then I just gave up on trying to resuscitate the friendship. Maybe it wasn't meant to be. Yeah, I don't hear of anybody having a pen pal, either. Though I sometimes miss having someone to write to. :)
Hm, so you really feel sorry about not replying to comments? :) Funny, I think it is not very smart to try and reply to all and so I do not do that anymore on my blog or even in discussions. I know it is terribly important for getting more traffic to be in touch with ones readers, but I found out it simply takes to much time and involvment. Better use that time for writting new posts.
Anyway, I know how it is with penpals. You must find someone with similar interests, othervise discussion is allready dead after few mails. Then it come to how interested you and the other one are in continuing writting.
In my opinion most of the folks on thenet in SLovenia are more concerned with showing themselves to as many people as possible. The real internet generation, people who are a bit alienated from society, are mostly alone, have not many friends, see no need to show of their personal life, are probably hidden away, not found on siblog. There must be many such people, who have their blogs, probably in English, write important stuff or just personal stuff, but are invisible to others. Such people also do penpaling.
Yes, I am sorry and I do regret it if I forget to reply to a comment. Especially one that asked me a question. I do get e-mail notifications about each reply, but I often delete them thinking I'll get to replying later in the day. Often later in the day amounts to several days later.
If the discussion fails to bring up new valid points, I would say like: I agree or disagree with you and that would be it. But I do think it is polite to let the readers know I follow their comments, because that stimulates them to give me more feedback. And communication (feedback) is what I like about blog. Otherwise I'd be writing solely for myself, disabling comments etc. And yes, it does take quite a bit of time, especially when the coments are longer than "you have a good blog".
Anyways, I'm sure certain people still have penpals, but on the whole it's not so popular as it used to be.
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