The Silver Spring Penguin Editor-in-Chief Jennifer posted a link to this New York Times article, “Blogs Falling in an Empty Forest” by Douglas Quenqua, on Facebook.
Quenqua writes, “…many people start blogs with lofty aspirations — to build an audience and leave their day job, to land a book deal, or simply to share their genius with the world. Getting started is easy, since all it takes to maintain a blog is a little time and inspiration. So why do blogs have a higher failure rate than restaurants?”
In this article, a lot of former bloggers share their disappointments about blogging; many people began to blog with lofty hopes of fame, riches, and book deals, only to realize that their blogs attracted an audience of…Mom.
(Pictured at left: Blogs and blogs and blogs, by Schlüsselbein2007)
I am no stranger to abandoned blogs. I maintained a Xanga-hosted blog from January 21, 2004 – August 25, 2005. In this blog, I copied selections from poems that I liked, posted my own original poetry, wrote about college/friends/roommates, and I uploaded pictures from my random adventures. Looking over this blog now, I am amazed by how much I had to say, but I can’t remember why I stopped updating.
The height of Xanga-hosted blogs occurred before the age of blog stardom. I updated my Xanga blog simply because I liked my roommate’s Xanga blog and because I had something I wanted to share. Is it possible that bloggers have lost interest in blogging because they held unrealistic expectations?
Of course, if you start a blog for any reason besides the fact that you want to write, you will be disappointed. In the future, will no one blog? Is blogging a trend that will eventually fade completely?
Too Shy to Stop is like a blog and unlike a blog. We are like a blog because we post almost-daily updates.
However, we are more than a blog because our content is heavily-edited, and it passes through a peer-reviewed editorial process. Most of our content is not a first-person account. We are more than a blog because we are a media outlet that allows many would-be bloggers a collective voice; a group with a common motivation and goal is more powerful and stronger than an individual voice.
I was surprised that, in the article, many former bloggers complained about the lack of anonymity in today’s blogosphere. They admit that it used to be easier to remain anonymous. This assertion and the desire for privacy defines blogging for me; blogging is a personal endeavor that, by its very definition, reveals intimate information about the writer.
I use this blog as a way to promote my ideas and opinions, and I am not concerned about anonymity. Does that mean that Comma ‘n Sentence is not a blog? Should we redefine the definition and purpose of a blog?
I believe we need to revisit our definition of “blog”. To me, the blog is not a genre so much as a medium. Its content can be anything: original news articles, personal opinion, daily diary, whatever.