Monday 9 March 2009

Proper Blogging















Can you put your finger on the spirit of blogging? Is that spirit being lost in a blogging world of pro-blogger wannabes, the blog-bites of Twitter, and the discovery of social media by business and media professionals?

With a blog title of Gullibles Travels I just had to check it out obviously, and I recommend that you do too. The thing that struck me as I read was that 'I felt I was reading what I can only decribe as a 'proper blog' here'.The authors personality really came through in the posts. Slightly off beat, a real web- log of personal takes that shed light (well if your latest post was about DST it would wouldn't it!)on a life in Alaska.

Of course there are millions of blogs so what made this particular one 'stand out'? For me it was the engaging style of the writing, warm and chatty, as if you had met the author in a cafe and were shooting the breeze. There are no hidden agendas, no causes to press, no diatribes, no geekery, no I'm OK you're not OK, no get rich quick, just plain story telling.

That's it! Pure narrative. It's as if you are listening rather than reading, invited rather than forced to see the world through the author's eyes, and along the way you learn something.

What have I learned? Well something about life in Alaska, of course, something about the author, and most importantly something about blogging. Blogging done well is something special that fuses two social phenomena, Narrative and Discourse. Without the interplay of these things blogging is souless and inert. Posts become 'shouts' and 'advertorial' rather than conversations and its through conversations that we generate social influence. Thanks to Mville for making the link!

What is Proper Blogging to you?

Read More:
3 Good Reasons To Start A Blog

3 comments:

  1. Oh, lawdy, I'm gonna faint from all this purple prose.

    Seriously, thank you so much. I'm really happy that my blog pleases.

    Gullible

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  2. The blogger has to be visible and conversational. Great post - I like the concept of linking narrative and discourse. Worthy of a RETWEET!

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  3. Thanks Ron, I think its sometimes easy to forget the roots of the blogging phenomenon, i.e. a web-log, a diary of thoughts feelings and observations about the world and our place in it. Often it seems that the blogging space has been hijacked by marketing mystsics and snake oil salesmen.

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