Bloggers and blogging and stuff
Posted on | January 25, 2008 | 81 Comments
With all the recent talk about blogs v traditional media I think it’s probably time to chuck my two cents in.
People accuse blogs of all kinds of things, such as being reactionary, aggressive, hate-filled, cruel, cynical, bitter and probably a little bit twisted. And they’re right. Sometimes blogs can be some of those things, all of those things in fact, and I don’t think too many bloggers would disagree. If John Waters had said “Lego is stupid and everyone who ever used Lego is stupid”, I bet he’d still have gotten a load of grief from bloggers. Lego is fucking cool, after all. It’s the ability to counter what is peddled in the media that makes blogging so interesting to me. All we had before was the letters page in a newspaper where your brilliant 2000 word riposte was cut down to 150 words making you look like a chump.
Now anyone can set themselves up in minutes and start responding to the stuff they hear on the radio or read in the newspapers. It gives a voice to anyone who wants one and yes, some of it is OTT and not always as considered as it might be.
It’s the ‘instant’ part of publishing blogs that gives rise to it. You see a story, it gets your goat or grinds your gears, and you can bash out a thousand words, call a few people ‘cunts’ and it’s up and running and there for the world to see in moments. There’s no question many bloggers could do with ‘count to 10 before you blog’ philosophy. I’m sure I’m one of them but the very nature of blogging is that you can publish and be damned straight away. There’s no sub-editor to say ‘Erm, you might want to reconsider this particular section where you talk about this politician/famous person/crook’. There’s no deadline which has you reading over your work again, wondering if that wasn’t perhaps a bit harsh.
You write. You publish. You blog.
On the other hand you don’t as often hear people talking of blogs being funny, witty, entertaining, well-written, informative, investigative, emotional and honest. Which is a shame, because a lot of blogs are. Blogs give people a chance to showcase their talents as writers, it gives people a chance to read the writing of people they would never have had the chance to come across in print form. Magazines, pamphlets, rag mags etc, all cost money to produce which means your average Joe or Joette doesn’t get involved.
There are, without question, some really shit bloggers but then there are some really shit journalists too. Being in newsprint does not make any guarantee of quality.
Do some bloggers take themselves too seriously? Unquestionably. But then some amateur footballers take themselves too seriously, it’s just human nature.
Blogging is a medium which, in Ireland at least, is slowly becoming more accepted as something that does have merit and isn’t just a tech-nerd’s pastime. Newspapers, like the Irish Times, have seen that having quality blogs on their site adds value to their service. The two things can compliment each other, they don’t need to be directly opposed. I managed to wangle a book deal, for fuck’s sake, so for people to still consider blogging as a irrelevance is wrong. Without the blog I’d most likely never have been on the brink of having a novel published (it’s in shops soon!!!!), nor would Grandad or any of the others who, through their blogs, have convinced tradtional publishers that what they write can make the jump to paper and ink and a more traditional audience.
Now, I’m not suggesting that blogs are the future and the greatest thing since sliced bread. If you like writing, why not blog? If you like reading stuff, why not read blogs? If you don’t like blogs then all you have to do is not read them. It’s fairly fucking simple. You don’t like the Sun, don’t read it. Buy a different paper instead. You don’t like Cecilia Ahern, buy a different book. Don’t like all the sex on TV, switch off, but don’t fucking be Mary Whitehouse.
The last thing I’d say in defence of blogs v traditional print is that all this great content – once you’ve sifted through the crap – is, for the most part, being produced and handed to you for free. People take time and effort every day to write something for their audience, they do not expect to be paid for it, most of them are writing just for the pleasure of writing or engaging with their readers in the comments. You’re not being asked to shell out €2 every time you want to read a blog.
And that’s the incredible thing. That people are so willing to spend so much of their time producing original, innovative and interesting content for absolutely no reward on a financial level. How many journalists/columnists would spend as much time writing for free? So, all these blogs are there for you every single day and all you have to do is click around and read the ones you want.
And even still, if you don’t like a blog you can leave a comment saying ‘This is shit’ or ‘You are a fucking cunt’, if that’s what you’re into. And most likely the blogger will engage with you. Probably to tell you to fuck off, quite rightly, but that option is there for you.
I completely and utterly understand people who may not like blogs, who don’t like blogging, but to harp on constantly about the negative aspects of blogging, or anything else for that matter, without even trying to see the positives is a blinkered, short-sighted view.
The bottom line is if you like something, read it. If you don’t like it, don’t read it. It’s not like blogs are going to take over the world, is it?
Well, not yet.
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81 Responses to “Bloggers and blogging and stuff”
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January 25th, 2008 @ 9:38 am
Isn’t it all frublicity (free publicity) anyway?
January 25th, 2008 @ 9:39 am
This is shit. You are a fucking cunt.
January 25th, 2008 @ 9:45 am
Fuck off, John.
See, it’s so fucking easy!
January 25th, 2008 @ 9:48 am
Blogs are gay and so are bloggers and anyone that reads blogs or consistently comments on them.
Rim me.
January 25th, 2008 @ 9:49 am
You got a nice number of posts yesterday. Some good brain trainig exercises thinking of all those films. Completely wasted a day in work
January 25th, 2008 @ 10:02 am
Isn’t it all frublicity (free publicity) anyway?
It is if you’ve got something to publicise.
January 25th, 2008 @ 10:03 am
In a world where so much is censored, and the media is controlled by huge multinationals , I would venture that blogs are the last bastion of free speech. I would argue that even if you disagree with a blogger, what they have to say is as much value as anyone elses. I for example do not agree with the American Citizens right to bear arms, but thanks to blogging I now have an idea of what goes on in the NRA mind, I may not like it but I know I feel more informed.
I am doing this from an airport Internet cubicle and the ….ers are censoring my language. Un….ingbelievable. Free speech my arse
January 25th, 2008 @ 10:10 am
People who don’t like blogs are the kind of people who probably don’t appreciate anyone elses opinion. I can understand not liking the medium of communication but not necesarily the content, because the breadtg of content is so huge. I don’t like the Daily Mail but that doesn’t mean I don’t like newspapers. Some of the best political commentary is availble through reputable journalists blogs, also comments allow you to gauge a general feeling of how people react to a subject. For instance I know that some of the people reading this feel quite strongly about the attractiveness of Trailertrash, yep thats you Maggot, and Johnny 5 is a closet homosexual who fantasises about doing a Richard Gere on himself
January 25th, 2008 @ 10:17 am
Please stop talking trupe Pish
January 25th, 2008 @ 10:17 am
Tripe even
January 25th, 2008 @ 10:43 am
Fantasises?
OK then.
January 25th, 2008 @ 10:51 am
Who are you and what have you done with Twenty Major.
January 25th, 2008 @ 10:59 am
Given all the coverage recently, I wonder what the outcome of this boss/employee discussion would be?
Geraldine Kennedy: John, can you come into my office for a quick chat please?
John Waters: Offices are stupid, but since it’s you Madam Editor, of course I will.
Geraldine Kennedy: Thanks John. Have a seat there. Great piece there last Monday. What was it you were talking about?
John Waters: Oh, you know, this and that, and how most people are stupid.
Geraldine Kennedy: Anyway John, the reason I asked you in. You know how we’re trying to broaden our online presence, and how we’re under increasing pressure to remove the charges on our website?
John Waters: The internet is stupid, but charging punters to access our own part of it isn’t.
Geraldine Kennedy: Indeed. As part of our decision to make the Irish Times free on the web, we’re going to expand our range of blogs that we provide on the site.
John Waters: But blogs are stupid. Bloggers are stupid. People who read blogs are even more stupid.
Geralding Kennedy: That may be so, John. But as one of our key columnists with the newspaper, I now want you to begin writing a blog on our website. I want you to write maybe three times per week, and about things that you don’t write about in the newspaper.
John Waters: But Madam? That would be stupid. And if I had to do that, that would make me stupid, and I most certainly am not stupid.
Geraldine Kennedy: Then John, please leave my presence immediately!
January 25th, 2008 @ 10:59 am
Nice post, Twenty. Vive la (blog) revolucion!
January 25th, 2008 @ 11:01 am
I haven’t found many blogs worth reading but for sheer amusement, edification and a bloody good laff nothing beats Twenty. Keep on bloggin’ or I’ll have nothing to read. Most journalists are controlled by politicians in some way so what they write has to be bullshit most of the time and the rest of the time it is sensationalism to create wealth for the paper owner isn’t it?
January 25th, 2008 @ 11:02 am
Well, I got beaten to the ‘you are a cunt’ line, so I guess there’s nothing to do but go off topic and tell you all that I’m going to have a number of pints of guinness this evening for the first time in 25 days.
I guarantee that I am happier than ALL of you right now.
January 25th, 2008 @ 11:10 am
Only problem is that you have to read the shit before you can tell it is shit. But finding the diamonds is worth sifting through the dirt.
January 25th, 2008 @ 11:29 am
I’m with Dermot above… this noble blogger schtick is way out of character. Did John Major write it?
January 25th, 2008 @ 11:36 am
Well said/written Twenty, and as BC says above, keep blogging and amusing. Nice one.
January 25th, 2008 @ 11:46 am
MMN;
Bald Devil knows that you are happier at the moment. Bald Devil beat you to the having a large number of pints of Guinness last nite. He now feels terrible, just like you will this time tomorrow.
Try adding a Jameson for every two pints and see how cheereful you will be.
John W must be loving all the attention, you know the old saying..
“The one thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about”
Bald Devil loves you all.
January 25th, 2008 @ 11:48 am
Blags – On-line scrounging
Flogs – Sickly marshmallow confectionary
Blots – Inky stains
What?
Are you sure?
Fuck that then.
January 25th, 2008 @ 11:52 am
haha, don’t start…
January 25th, 2008 @ 11:54 am
Start? I can’t stop.
January 25th, 2008 @ 11:56 am
Nice one Twenty, keep at it.
January 25th, 2008 @ 12:07 pm
Permission to go off subject?
January 25th, 2008 @ 12:08 pm
We face an invasion from Planet Lego.
No need to panic though, they come in pieces.
January 25th, 2008 @ 12:10 pm
Spot on Twenty. I think that as a medium, newspapers have as much faults as they do advantages over blogs. For example, remember Kevin Myers’ bastards article. He was reduced to having to retract his opinion under the weight of so many threatened subscription cancellations. Surely opinions are opinion and cannot be retracted. I may not have agreed with everything he said, but he regularly gave the other side of the arguments, which is needed in an open debate. But to the chagrin of editors and subeditors, newspapers have to allign themselves with a moral code and try not to overstep the offence boundaries. Charlie Brooker had an article recently saying that his previous one was rejected due to its offensiveness. If censorship is the enemy of free speech, then blogs hold the key to true freedom.
As for that Waters wanker, what would he say to those bloggers who write about political oppression in those fucked up countries where there is no free speech. They must be just stupid. Fucking ignorant cunt.
January 25th, 2008 @ 12:14 pm
Bloggers are gay.
Once Mr Major’s book gets published you won’t see him for dust. He’ll be sucking off great big bears of men in Central Europe. The big gay.
January 25th, 2008 @ 12:16 pm
OK then.
Lego.
I read on the Lego website that there’s 52 pieces of Lego for every person in the world. I find that hard to believe.
Ehm…
January 25th, 2008 @ 12:20 pm
So when are we doing books with a letter changed?
January 25th, 2008 @ 12:21 pm
71% of all stats are made up on the spot.
39% of the population know that already.
Never name drop. Rod Stewart told me that.
Bald Devil loves you all.
January 25th, 2008 @ 12:29 pm
Bald Devil, I just checked, and it’s actually 72% that are made up on the spot, since this morning.
Still, 92% of what you say is true.
January 25th, 2008 @ 12:29 pm
Booya Twenty !
Just need to post a reminder somewhere and remind that Beardo Cunto Waters as to just how fuckin shite his Eurovision Song was ! And the fact that an extremely talented Trad. band such as Dervish were duped into peddling that fuckwit’s shit pen makes me sick.
YOUR A TALENTLESS CUNT WATERA !!!!!!!
January 25th, 2008 @ 12:34 pm
Thanks Monkey Balls.
I will spend the rest of the day wondering just what the other 8% is… Hmmmm?
I gather you were very busy yesterday?
January 25th, 2008 @ 12:35 pm
“The bottom line is if you like something, read it. If you don’t like it, don’t read it”
I agree but how would you know you like it? I mean unless you read it you won’t really know if you like it or not. So you could read something then get to the end and be like, “Well, you dirty shower of muff diving cunts, that was utter shite”, whereas if it had never been published in the first place you would never have had to read it. Emm interesting conundrum.
January 25th, 2008 @ 12:39 pm
Don’t mention it Baldy, and put your mind at rest; That 8% is also true.
And yes, I was extremely busy yesterday. Busy today aswell, with about 4 more machine-loads to get through. I just hope it doesn’t rain
January 25th, 2008 @ 12:40 pm
Im doing an activity up in Vietnam soon …Ill be cutting vietnam/cambodia/laos off from teh internet for a couple of hours each day over a week or so …
the guys up there have a collection of firewalls and theyve given me the configs … they block preety much any political/religious/porn stuff …so enjoy the freedom that you have in europe and thank christ you live in a developed country .
Oh yeah twenty your sites not blocked up there …but I can easily add it to the list :)
January 25th, 2008 @ 12:41 pm
The thing about it is most blogs are completely shite.
About 1% are worth reading, the rest are all like….
Got up this morning. Wore my black wilson socks. thyink mum has taken the white ones for washing. lol. there was only a dribble of shower gel left in the bottle so i had to rip the lid off and mix the remnants with water in order to get them out of them bottle. Dried myself with a soft white bath towel. Mum got it in Marks and Spencers when she was in dublin last year. walked down the stairs two steps at a time for a change. it was fun. i might do it again tomorrow, then again I might not. lol. no breakfast as i had no time due to the fiasco with the shower gel. there were 5 people at the bus stop this morning as opposed to the 4 that were there yesterday and the 6 the previous day. it seems to have avergaed out. lol. the bus took 48 minutes to get me into town. I passed by Michael from marketing in the hall. he was wearing a blue hat. I have never seen it before. I had a bagel for my breakfast which I ate at my desk. lol.
I have to work now. I will be back on later though to tell everyone about my day. lol
January 25th, 2008 @ 12:43 pm
Nonny, I’ve just read your comment, but I skipped the boring stuff in the middle. Would you mind repeating some of it? I haven’t a clue what the “Interesting Conundrum” is.
January 25th, 2008 @ 12:55 pm
Interesting, Johnny. Never considered blogging?
lol.
January 25th, 2008 @ 1:02 pm
We had another bomb today, Bombs are shite and all bombers are stupid. Sucicide bombers are the stupidest of them all as they can only do it once.
Todays was a car bomb , a big one I have pictures , tonight I will go drinking and try to convince my self this is a safe place to live.
By the way twenty good post.
January 25th, 2008 @ 1:31 pm
Monkey Balls, he did have a blog for a while. Didn’t you J5? A fine blog it was too, all two posts of it.
January 25th, 2008 @ 1:47 pm
Does it matter? It’s the most fantastic defense of blogging that I think I’ve ever seen!
January 25th, 2008 @ 1:47 pm
What?
January 25th, 2008 @ 1:51 pm
Monkey Balls, he did have a blog for a while. Didn’t you J5? A fine blog it was too, all two posts of it.
It was going very well till I realised blogging would get in the way of my doing absolutely nothing so I gave up.
I’ve often considered starting it up again but it would be shite because I’m a lazy prick.
January 25th, 2008 @ 1:55 pm
“Newspapers, like the Irish Times, have seen that having quality blogs on their site adds value to their service. The two things can compliment each other, they don’t need to be directly opposed”
Compliment each other? Well, maybe they do sometimes, if they’re written by sycophantic, back-slapping pals.
Seriously though, excellent article.
January 25th, 2008 @ 1:58 pm
I am in my underground bunker. There are indians everywhere, some on horseback, some on tricycles.
All I left of my rations is a quarter of leb, but I have no skins, apart from the red ones I just mentioned.
I’m beginning to think this is no way to live.
I’m getting the next bus home.
January 25th, 2008 @ 2:01 pm
I think that this here blogging lark is a young persons game. Bugger doing all that work for nothing, eh Twenty?
January 25th, 2008 @ 2:11 pm
I disagree SOS. I don’t think it’s a young persons thing at all. It’s en equal opportunity for all ages to shake their willy at the world, and then duck back under the duvet before the white coats arrive.
January 25th, 2008 @ 2:13 pm
And I’ll be 50 in 3 years time.
January 25th, 2008 @ 2:23 pm
Twenty, I just had a great idea; Let’s do a list of makey-up Video Games with just one rule
- NO SUPER MARGO.
Here’s my starter; Wii-Spurts – You shake your ‘controller’ up and down vigorously for a few minutes, then fall asleep and burn a cigarette hole in the duvet.
January 25th, 2008 @ 2:27 pm
Monkey Balls, I’m sure you know what ‘interesting’ is. As for conundrum, well, something that baffle’s you I suppose.
January 25th, 2008 @ 2:33 pm
Yeah, right!
CrackMania – Stick the controller up your arse
January 25th, 2008 @ 2:38 pm
Link’s Crossbog Training – Run away from the angry toilets
January 25th, 2008 @ 2:44 pm
World of Wardraft – Kill a few goblins by farting in their general direction
January 25th, 2008 @ 2:51 pm
Alien life forms come down and infiltrate the curry houses of the world.
Spice Invaders
January 25th, 2008 @ 2:52 pm
OK then, I’ll stop
January 25th, 2008 @ 2:54 pm
Run your own crap football team for a whole season
Poo Evo
January 25th, 2008 @ 2:59 pm
OK I’ll start again…
Medal Of Bonor – How long can YOU keep it up?
January 25th, 2008 @ 3:02 pm
Donkey Bong – Suck smoke from an asses ass
January 25th, 2008 @ 3:05 pm
Pyst – An epic adventure where you try to find your hall-door key.
January 25th, 2008 @ 3:09 pm
Cocking Mama – Hardcore MILF action
January 25th, 2008 @ 3:19 pm
Mummy, make him go away. He’s scaring me!
;-)
January 25th, 2008 @ 3:25 pm
The Sums – Mathematical fun, where there are no wrong answers
January 25th, 2008 @ 3:25 pm
I’ll get me coat.
January 25th, 2008 @ 3:52 pm
Excellent post. The NY Times cuts letters to ribbons….and often, I find, edit your best bits out entirely….
January 25th, 2008 @ 4:09 pm
You could do with an editor yourself MaryAnn, starting on your fuckin’ name.
January 25th, 2008 @ 4:17 pm
Everybody duck, coffee flying from the old oral cavity here.
Cheers monkey!
January 25th, 2008 @ 4:36 pm
Monkey – with the greatest of respect, and by that I mean with no respect at all, shut the fuck up!
January 25th, 2008 @ 5:06 pm
monkey balls, you’re very rude.
ya cunt.
January 25th, 2008 @ 7:12 pm
100% right. Although you failed to mention that most traditional forms of media are totally shit.
Monkeyballs, why don’t you piss off and set up your own blog you attention whore.
January 25th, 2008 @ 7:40 pm
Here we go with the stats again.. 100% right. Not 92% but 100%.
Leave Monkey Balls alone One For The Road you shitfaced fuck.. He is about the most interesting thing on this load of bollocks. How did the washing go Monkey? Good drying out today I would have thought.
However, really liked the Enda Kenny post it kills me to say. Asshole.
January 25th, 2008 @ 11:30 pm
Is it just me or is the Irish Daily Mail web site the worst thing ever????
Really, have a look and tell me. Information overload or what>>
Bald Devil loves you all.
January 26th, 2008 @ 3:02 am
i know you should never encourage an attention seeking child, but monkey balls is the funniest thing on this site… But please dont start the change the letter thing again.
Bald D, I would not ever click on that website, and If I inadvertently came across it, I would immmediately pass my Hard drive through the shredder less any trace of it should remain…
Funny how commenters arguing for free speech attacked other commenters for speaking too much!
January 26th, 2008 @ 10:44 am
To my very kind supporters, thank you. Rest assured that I won’t be going anywhere. If I get banned I’ll change my IP address.
To my whining critics, piss off. Do you see that bold-type name at the top of this message, the “Monkey Balls” bit? That’s gonna be at the top of all my postings. Next time you see it, do us all a favour and skip down to the next comment.
And for the record, I’m not seeking attention. If I was I’d be using my proper name, or as one gobshite suggested, I’d set up my own blog. I’m having a laugh. If you don’t like it, tough!
Having said that though, if I’ve offended anyone I’m truly sorry. That was never my intention, but really, if you can’t take a bit of slagging you’re probably reading the wrong blog.
One more thing. I’m 47 years old, and a grandfather. I’m probably childish a lot of the time, but in my book that’s infinitely preferable to being a spotty twenty-something with the mind of an old man.
Lighten up.
January 26th, 2008 @ 2:18 pm
kiss me you fool
January 26th, 2008 @ 2:53 pm
Go on then OFTR, sure I’m a big softie at heart.
I’ve been thinking about setting up me own little blog ever since I read your post. Give me a couple of days to think about it.
It’ll be all your fault if I do it, so stick that in your bong and smoke it.
January 26th, 2008 @ 5:58 pm
Excellent post, Twenty.
I’d add that blogging introduces you to cool people that you wouldn’t otherwise meet.
January 27th, 2008 @ 7:54 pm
Well said old chap.
There are only three blogs that I bother my arse to read really – but the three offer different angles on similar subjects most of the time so yay for variety.
January 28th, 2008 @ 3:32 pm
Would anybody please guide me to a female Irish Blog, that isnt a lesbian rant about womens rights. Or about being a desperate housewife!
I like to get all sides of the story.
Sam. (No offence to lesbians or housewives)
January 28th, 2008 @ 10:25 pm
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