Thursday 6 July 2006

Blogging

I was reading the Guardian online today and decided that since blogging has become mainstream it has lost some of its in-the-club appeal. I liked it when I had one but other people hadn't really cottoned onto the fact that blogs existed unless they also had one. It felt sort of alternative. I've introduced many non-bloggers to the concept - community, somewhat cliquy, referential. I liked the fact that it took quite some time to be discovered by anyone but eventually I had this group of regular contacts who I had never met but I sort of felt I knew. Many have long since stopped blogging. There used to be activities to take part in which got you more in the gang - not just memes or blog quizzes but sort of themes or linked posts.

Proper bloggers ... let me clarify, perhaps. I'm not a superblogger, what used to be called an A lister (massive readership, daily posts, huge numbers of comments), I'm not a political blogger who is quoted all over the place by others, I haven't a proper theme (guardian blogging awards always seem to think you need a proper single defined theme to be any good), I'm not a journalist, I don't get paid for blogging. Proper bloggers have become altogether too serious. Its less about the community now. And I miss that. I don't find it easy to fill the gaps left by those who have stopped. I don't feel like I know my fellow bloggers as well anymore. Maybe there are too many of us now. Or maybe I don't make enough of an effort. It feels like specific blogs don't last as long anymore either.

Someone should think of a community-based team building activity that can take place on multiple blogs so we can get to know each other again. Get your thinking caps on! (I'm a bit brain dead at present so I'm relying on others).

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