"Blogs to me are really dated already. In 15 years, they'll be like Crystal Pepsi."
~Bradford Cox, frontman of The Deerhunter.
Considering I've never heard of Cox, The Deerhunter or Crystal Pepsi, I'm assuming I'm the one who's dated.
Two years and three months ago, when I started blogging, my thought was to just create good, funny writing. Many of my first readers were shocked that I rewrote every post a minimum of 8-10 times. First for content and time line, then interest value, then gramatically and after all that was in place, to punch up, which easily took three passes. Having written sitcoms and screenplays, I was aware of how much rewriting took place, with the final say dictated by a studio stooge or the star of the show, which is why so many movies go straight to video and why so many sitcoms suck. I did NOT want to go straight to video, although it pays more than blogging.
I did not post every day. I posted when I felt the piece was 'done.' And I'd like to believe that's how I got hired for other writing jobs. Now I'm posting pictures of gifts I got for Xmas. Or hundreds of pictures of my feet pre and post-op. Or my sister's dog. The only thing I'll be hired for now is to create the Jumbles for the local newspaper.
Some say Twitter killed blogs and cut down on readership except for the biggest blogs out there. Some say Facebook did. Some say they got bored blogging. A lot of bloggers have quit in the past year although I'm sure just as many started up. The beginning is a rush, you think your writing will CHANGE THE WORLD or at the very least, get you a book deal. How long it takes us to figure out it's verbal diarrhea is our gift to the Internet.
What makes you keep reading someone's blog?
A. Guilt; they read me.
B. Similar interests.
C. They're funny.
D. I'm a Mommy, she's a Mommy, wouldn't you want to be a Mommy too?
E. Their life is more interesting than mine.
What makes you stop reading a blog?
A. They don't post enough.
B. Like Oprah talking about her weight, they repeat the same topic over and over.
C. They swear and I'm Jesus's best friend.
D. It's a Mommy blog and that's all they ever talk about.
E. Their life is less interestng than mine.
My answers PART ONE:
A, C,
My answers PART TWO:
A, B, E
Your turn.
End of survey.
