The Amazing Paper Weblog

I'm really at a loss as to what to say in reaction to this piece. While I know that there is a world devoted to the blogging community, I feel as if it's never really touched my world. And, even though I spend hours on the internet, I don't particularly have any interest in what goes on here. I like talking to people. Face-to-face.
Blogging is like masturbating on webcams to me: It's fun to do, and while for some it might be exciting and validating to be watched and encouraged, I don't care. I'm not getting off, and I don't care if a bunch of strangers are. Besides that, it's an activity that necessitates isolation, or a false sense of community and intimacy that has no real world meaning. And, as Spiers points out, it's an occupation that quickly loses its appeal. After a while, you grope away to pacify the public but you really couldn't care less.

(Funny thing, upon spellchecking this piece "internet" came up. Apparently, you have to capitalize it, like God.)

blogging

The closest thing I’ve come to blogging is my facebook and myspace accounts, which up until a couple of months ago, I was ashamed to even have.
Let me explain: I had this boyfriend and he and I had this thing for being Amish. We didn’t like wonderbread or T.V. We road bikes to bars and at those bars we only consumed beer that was around when our grandparents were young (knocking out all experimental and fun drinking nights we could have had). We smoked cigarettes but only when we were listening to Hank Williams. We wore flannel, but before it became it became an Urban Outfitters thing (or at least we liked to pretend we did), because we were Midwest. In Andrew Krucoff’s words, we were pretty ‘retarded’.
And then, he found out I had a myspace and faceboook profile and he reacted as if he found out I had some kind of S.T.D.
Because we was just too cool for that.
But here is the thing- I got both of those because everyone else had one. I followed. But I followed because I wanted to know what was going on that weekend- what party was going on- where everyone was at. Now I’m realizing, these networks are important in the same way gaining network/connections in college is important ( I mean isn’t that the reason why we go to school?)
I get something out of my myspace and facebook accounts by just existing on them- I don’t have to do much other then occasionally update my mood.
And this is exactly why I haven’t blogged. When a blog works, it takes a lot of time. It’s more then posting a bulletin about whatever party/bar you’re going to be at that night. It’s in it’s own world of writing. I think that’s why a lot of people feel blogged out.
If I ever get somewhere in my writing career I know a blog will be important. I defently think they’ll be here forever or they’ll be an important tool. But for better or worse, that’s a bandwagon I haven’t jumped on yet.

The Amazing Paper Weblog

I have to say, although it will probably make me look ignorant, I had no idea how big the blogging community was. The only blog i had ever really seen was pinkisthenewblog.com which is a blog stalking celebrities and dishing all the juicy gossip that i saw girls in my high school obsessing over. I had definitely never heard the term "blogging community". I know I know, and I'm a writer. I guess I can use the excuse that I'm a freshman and certainly none of the people at my snooty private high school in nashville were a part of such a thing. After realizing the truth about the popularity of blogging, I've been even more confused as to what the fascination is. (no offense to other bloggers, i think this is mostly because I have a very short attention span). The conclusion that I have come to is that it is an interactive way to promote yourself and others, and share ideas. So what then, is the benefit of having a "paper weblog"?

Although I'm clueless when it comes to the world of blogging, it makes me feel a little better that people who have been blogging for years have the same confusion. Pollack says "it's just so damn meaningless that it makes my teeth hurt." Hourihan says, "I just kept feeling like, 'I don't even think this stuff is important in the real world.'"

I actually find it kind of amusing that there is such competition between bloggers like Krucoff and Lockhart. Bashing each other back and forth via websites seems like a pretty safe way for a little man to talk a big game.

Spiers believes that "the blog as a shiny new thing, separate and apart from the rest of the media, is dead." I'm not sure how I feel about this statement. Has blogging become so mainstream from the media that it lacks what spiers calls the "other"-ness? Maybe so. Will it continue to grow because of this and simply attract more attention? Maybe so. I'm willing to bet that for every blogger who gets tired of it, and suddenly fails to see the point, there is another blogger in the making.

Bookmark Now: Blogging

I've never really been a follower of blogs. I've had a livejournal since I was a teenager and have read other people's but that's not really a blog, it's more of a journal. I don't really see the appeal of following blogs. Ones that are themed, sure they can be interesting, and even some about people's every day life, but I have so many other things going on in my life, that they just don't seem important.
In the article, it talks about how because these men are making their weblog a publication, that it has come full circle and lost some of it's appeal. I understand how a follower of weblogs would feel that way. The thing about blogs is the anonymity of it. You're on the internet and really don't know these people. You create an online community where maybe you chat back and fourth and read about either others lives. Taking it to paper does take away from the online aspect. It reminds me of how e-mail has taken away from letter writing. It's a different medium to do the same thing, but it feels different. Just like reading a book in electronic form.
Certain blogs, now that I think about it, I do enjoy. I enjoy reading blogs about some of my favorite authors, but that's about it. But it goes deeper than just the blog because I'm also reading their books. The blog is just another way to get to know the author. Those types of blogs, I think are a good thing for fans to have access to. But reading about people's lives that you don't know and don't put out anything that you read or watch, I just sort of don't see the point.
The blogs/journals that I've kept are more for me to have a place to keep my thoughts. I'm a faster typer than I am a writer, so it's easier to get all my thoughts out that way. But I could care less if other people read it.
To me, it just seems like blogs are a way of self advertisement, which I see nothing wrong with, I guess it's just not for me.

Dear Blog:

At the end of the semester, I think maybe we should take a break. I just don’t see where this relationship is going. I didn’t always feel this way. At first, I was enticed by your mystique, seduced by your interactivity, and wooed by your vast social network. You were so easy to spend time with, Blog. You were right there on my computer whenever I had something to get off my chest. And you always made me feel like I could let my guard down and open up to you about whatever was on my mind. But the more time we’ve spent together, the more disenchanted I’ve become with the terms of our relationship.

You should know that it’s not you, it’s me. Well, maybe it’s a little bit more you than me. Lately, I just get the sense that nothing is sacred to you, Blog. There’s no sense of intimacy or boundaries. Every time I tell you what I'm thinking, you share it with the world. And I'm not sure that I'm ready for that kind of exposure. I used to think I could bounce ideas off you, but now my ideas are bouncing all over the internet. Suddenly, complete strangers are weighing in on my posts. Everyone has an opinion. I know that what I'm saying isn't always right or true or even all that enlightening. The hope is that eventually I will get to something deeper, something maybe not even I know is there, something that will allow me to open my eyes and see a situation from a new perspective. But I no longer feel that same freedom of expression and exploration. My entries aren't just for me anymore--they're open to anyone who wants to read them--and with this broad of an audience comes a certain sense of responsibility, one that I'm not prepared to commit to just yet.

From the very beginning, you’ve always been very open and honest with me about all of the people that you interact with on a regular basis, but I’ve found myself really starting to dislike sharing you with strangers. At times, it feels like some of them don’t even value you, Blog. A majority of the postings are filled with poor spelling and grammar, scattered thoughts and sentence structures, and uninformed opinions stated as fact. Some of them don't even take the time to formulate clear and concise entries or reread to make sure there is some sort of clarity in their thought process. But I know you, Blog. This probably doesn't bother you like it bothers me. Your primary concern is that these people have a forum, making sure that everyone’s voice is heard, and I respect you for it.

But be careful, Blog. The empowerment that you have given to all of these people might one day be used against you, and I would hate for that to happen. I genuinely do wish you well, so please listen to me when I tell you that there are people out there, people like Andrew Krucoff and Chris Gage, who will use you simply to get reactions out of other people. They will exploit you for their own personal motives and endgames. All you ever really wanted was to create a community where people could connect and discuss and get a conversation going. But that openness and interactivity that you love so much will soon be distorted by someone like Krucoff and his isolative ideas involving password-protected invitation only blogs or subscription paper blogs. Can you imagine someone not being allowed entry because of status or social standing? These ideas are against everything you stand for, Blog. You would never think to deny anyone a voice or an opinion. In your world, there is no such thing as the cool kids’ table. Everyone is welcome and encouraged to participate, which is something you should fight to protect.

I do hope that we can stay friends. I really do think you have a lot of tremendous qualities to offer, Blog. And I’m sure you will go on to make many people very happy. But at the end of the semester, I think it’s best if I go back to my paper journal for awhile. I can’t say that I won’t regret my decision and that one day I won’t come crawling back to you. Maybe once I get some things worked out on my own, then I’ll be ready to give it another try and we can go back to sharing my random thoughts and opinions with the whole world again. But until then, I think this time apart will be exactly what we both need.

paper+weblog=mildly yummy

so i've blogged, who hasnt? maybe not on the internet but on paper (journals, diaries, letters) and maybe thats just my comparison but blogging just seems to be a technological brain fart. a form to express a thought, opinion, share information, idea, etc. blogging is just the latest way of connecting and sharing with others and in doing so people get to learn about others, places, events, etc. (lots of etcs, i know but i'm on a chocolate coma.)

I wouldnt blame Krucoff for killing it off, blogging became a trend and as many trends tend to do, it self imploded. remember when myspace was the shit? now they have this thing called twitter. remember when dvd players were like the must have? now they have blue ray. so thats how it goes, a trend pops up, people suck all the life out of it and it dies. then a new one comes out, people suck that up and when thats dead on arrival, the next rises, etc. vicious cycle of limited attention span.

i, personally, see nothing wrong with capitalizing on your work. if you establish a successful invention, show, blog, routine, assignment, whatever the case and you find there is an audience for it then why not sell it to those that want it? you can give it for free, sure but who would benefit from it? when something becomes so easily tangible it often falls into idle hands and you spend more to make it than you receive. but should everything that plops out of someone's ass be printed? god fucking no! we have enough of that with music, celebrity bios, and useless self-help books. but if its something constructed with time, dedication, with love, then why not?

no one person can kill a trend, trends arise. maybe bloggs where the shit at one point soon there will be a new trend and all those blogs converted to books, zines, magazines, whatever, will die along with the trend. so just let them ride the wave but realize nothing is eternal.

eat+computer=not yummy

I'm not a fossil but I am archaic. I do own books and i dont subscribe to online mags, I borrow my dads laptop for my homework and I do own an ipod not because its uber cool but because carrying thirty to forty cds is just not convenient and I am liable to bust a gutt. So i am aware of technology and do use it on occassion, for convenience and simplifying my life, though if you left me alone with an iphone im pretty sure i would end up throwing it up against the wall and pulling my hair out.

So the Rushkoff article talks about the good and bad aspects of the internet and how it has effected books, sales, readership, etc. And I understand the convenience of reading books, articles, and mags online. I enjoy the easy accessibility. that means i dont have to lug my behind to the store to buy a book, or drive to the library to do a report, or even have to call a million bookstores to see if they carry a certain title (but i do it anyways.) Why? Because Im archaic. Because as easy as the internet has made aquiring information it has also eliminated that physical connection with words. Yes i can reach out at the computer and slide my finger down the screen but i dont get to feel the printed word. I dont get to smell the fresh or stale pages, the dents between sheets, the soft or hardness of the covers. I dont get to flip through and feel the weight and density of someone's work.

This fossil remembers when book reports were writen by hand with books from the library, when huge computers rested on 3/4ths of a school desk, when screens consisted of yellow letters and black background.

The internet does make it easy to aquire quick information without the hasstle and inconvenience of a physical and spacial search but it kind of eliminates the journey and the fun of holding a book in your hands. I enjoy the trips to the library and bookstores, i enjoy picking up the one issue of valley of the dolls sitting on the shelf. I enjoy sitting on the floor of the bookstore and reading the last page of a book before i flip to the first page, just so i know how it ends.

I know this response is all over the place but scatterbrains like mine, tend to jumble at the end of the day.

Basically, what im trying to say is that i grew up with books instead of blogs, with pens instead of keyboards, with oral storytelling instead of texting. but the advantage of internet is that ability to transfer information from one place to another without a physical journey. I'm archaic but Rushkoff reminds us all that though the internet isnt going anywhere it seems it is the responsibility of us all to maintain a balance between the old and new. So take advantage of the accessibility but dont forget a screen wont give you that stale book smell.