"Blogging Conceptuals"

[Shivvenfist]

Blogging, a phenomenon that has taken the web by the ballsack, has come to encompass every facet of our society, and the nuances therein are astounding.

What I am wondering is, how many of you out there have ideas for a blog that you either implement, or plan to, or have seen that really sounded off the beaten path? I mean, anyone can post a political diatribe or post erotica.

For me, I have done the audioblogger thing in the past, using my cell phone to call in random comedic things whilst in traffic. I have used a blog as a platform for an online ezine. I have used a blog format in telling serial, episodic stories, conducted interviews, etc.

My next idea is to blog my trips to the shitter.

What else is there for you all out there?

[Morning Glory]

no, no one ever did anything worthwhile with a blog. and even if they did, no one would care. that may sound a bit harsh, but think about it in terms of other media.

Why would you watch a TV show or read a book? probably because you allready watch TV and in doing so will see a commercial on a network showcasing an upcoming show and it will get your attention. You might be shopping and see a bookshelf with the latest best sellers on it, or your hero Opra will tell you what to read.

there are three things present in these mediums that blogs lack.
the first is marketting. It's pretty self explanitory. the people that make these things come up with ways to get people to see them, they don't just put them out and then hope that people will come to them.

the second thing is a spin off from the first, it's called standardization. you may know it more familiar as Brand Name recognition. This appeals to several aspects of the consumer, but I'll keep it simple. there may be 500 channels, but most people only watch ten of them. ABC knows that you are going to watch Desperate Housewives and Lost, so based on that, they figure the likelyhood of you watching another show on thier network is pretty high.

the third thing is talent. to write a book or make a tv you have to create something that people will actually want to see. and even if you have that ability, you still have to convince someone else that it's worthwhile before you can put it out. this is the one that really counteracts the other two. since this is not a requirement, anyone can make a website and that's why there are 5 billion of them.

[Morning Glory]

even If I did want to read your blog, how would I know about it? I only know about it now because of this website, which I know about because it utilizes those three things. Suppose at that point that I'm interested? Then what? I don't know you, how am I supposed to go about seeing your blog? Am I going to go to Google and search for "blog + shit"? It's not gonna happen.

see my point?

[Lady Alias]

You put into words what I had jumbled all up in my head. Thanks for that perspective, Morning Glory.

[One Eyed Cat]

no, no one ever did anything worthwhile with a blog. and even if they did, no one would care. that may sound a bit harsh, but think about it in terms of other media.

Why would you watch a TV show or read a book? probably because you allready watch TV and in doing so will see a commercial on a network showcasing an upcoming show and it will get your attention. You might be shopping and see a bookshelf with the latest best sellers on it, or your hero Opra will tell you what to read.

there are three things present in these mediums that blogs lack.
the first is marketting. It's pretty self explanitory. the people that make these things come up with ways to get people to see them, they don't just put them out and then hope that people will come to them.

the second thing is a spin off from the first, it's called standardization. you may know it more familiar as Brand Name recognition. This appeals to several aspects of the consumer, but I'll keep it simple. there may be 500 channels, but most people only watch ten of them. ABC knows that you are going to watch Desperate Housewives and Lost, so based on that, they figure the likelyhood of you watching another show on thier network is pretty high.

the third thing is talent. to write a book or make a tv you have to create something that people will actually want to see. and even if you have that ability, you still have to convince someone else that it's worthwhile before you can put it out. this is the one that really counteracts the other two. since this is not a requirement, anyone can make a website and that's why there are 5 billion of them.

I disagree. Bloggers broke the Dan Rather story and forced him to resign. Big name bloggers get millions of hits a day. I have an information site which I really haven't marketed. Despite this; it has shown up on Frontline PBS, Slate Magazine, and a bunch of other sites. In a number of countries, blogs are the only means of free speech. Are most blogs worth reading? Probably not. I think you underestimate their impact tho. Blogs are just a means of information. If you have a topic people want to know about, they'll come. If you update from a wide array of sources, they'll stay. You find a niche and stick with it.

OEC

[Morning Glory]

I see your point, but I think I don't think we will be able to agree on a middle ground of impact. People who live in western Europe, and North America have a tendency to forget that there really is no such thing as free speech. They have leased speech. For someone to think that the Internet offers anonymity they are really quiet a skilled technician, or else they underestimate technology. There's an old rebellious statement that says If voting changed anything, then it would be illegal. Likewise, if weblogs challenged the authority of power structures that quelled free speech, then they would shut them down. That just goes to show that they don't consider it of any significant threat, and not worth bothering with.

Obviously the use of Internet tracking, like cell phone monitoring, plays a huge role in the war on terror, they just don't talk about it because it that's the entire point of espionage, for people not to know about it. In other words, all the information that's exchanged has someone's hand dipping into it. From military Intel, to local news, it's all political (albeit, on varying levels of seriousness).

blogs may be useful for entertainment, but I just can't imagine them having any serious credible journalistic potential. the point of all this is that there's far more that goes on behind the scenes in intelligence and broadcasting then simply point, shoot and publish. it's not a job of the layman and anyone who already is connected, would be playing it in the big leagues, not buying a 29.99 dot com

[Shivvenfist]

Although I really appcreciated the reply to the thread, and I learned some things I hadn't hashed out in my melon, neither post had absolutely NOTHING to do with the original post. I find that happens here more often than not.

LOL!

Thanks, though

[Morning Glory]

yeah, sorry, that happens to me a lot. I guess i'll stick to the semi-witty smart assed one liners.

[One Eyed Cat]

Although I really appcreciated the reply to the thread, and I learned some things I hadn't hashed out in my melon, neither post had absolutely NOTHING to do with the original post. I find that happens here more often than not.

LOL!

Thanks, though

Sorry bout that. Go audio. The main thing is to find a little niche for yourself. There's a lot of blogs out there. I have an audience due to targeting ukrainian-american folks. Find your peeps and do it

OEC

[One Eyed Cat]

I see your point, but I think I don't think we will be able to agree on a middle ground of impact. People who live in western Europe, and North America have a tendency to forget that there really is no such thing as free speech. They have leased speech. For someone to think that the Internet offers anonymity they are really quiet a skilled technician, or else they underestimate technology. There's an old rebellious statement that says If voting changed anything, then it would be illegal. Likewise, if weblogs challenged the authority of power structures that quelled free speech, then they would shut them down. That just goes to show that they don't consider it of any significant threat, and not worth bothering with.

Obviously the use of Internet tracking, like cell phone monitoring, plays a huge role in the war on terror, they just don't talk about it because it that's the entire point of espionage, for people not to know about it. In other words, all the information that's exchanged has someone's hand dipping into it. From military Intel, to local news, it's all political (albeit, on varying levels of seriousness).

blogs may be useful for entertainment, but I just can't imagine them having any serious credible journalistic potential. the point of all this is that there's far more that goes on behind the scenes in intelligence and broadcasting then simply point, shoot and publish. it's not a job of the layman and anyone who already is connected, would be playing it in the big leagues, not buying a 29.99 dot com

It's not about individual bloggers. I should mention, however, that there are a lot of "big name" bloggers. What happens is as follows: Someone gets a scoop on a malfeasance in govt. This creates a "blog swarm" which gets noticed by the big sites. The mainstream media eventually has to pick up on it. As far as credibility, it is all about sources. I only use primary sources and mark up op-eds. From there, you slip in a little rhetoric. You'd be surprised who will pick up on it.

OEC

[MistressJennifer]

I want to do a blog about aura colors... Like dude, and my astral projections...