Comments on: Kill Your Blog?

By: John Ettorre

John Ettorre — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 17:55:17 +0000

Neve and Miles,
Funny you should mention this article. I printed it out and it was among my stack of stuff I was going to cite in my COSE panel presentation. I didn’t get time to take issue with it specifically (and I’ll post the podcast of that entire session when it’s available soon), but I was thinking specifically about this silly piece when I invited people to stop trying to simply chase trends and fads, but instead do something real and meaningful, and stick with it. And a good blog, like any quality piece of writing, is worth doing and worth reading when done well. And it doesn’t remotely matter what year you’re doing it, just that you’re doing it, and that people are reading it. I say let the insecure folks worry about whether or not something is hip, vogue, or whatever. Real writers with something to say will keep writing, and blogs are an important part of that mix. And I say this as someone who started blogging daily waaaay back in…2003. It does seem a very long time ago. But I wouldn’t trade the experience (yes, especially including the many wonderful relationships that have flowed from it) for anything.

By: Miles

Miles — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 18:47:24 +0000

Well, your “house” aint so bad itself… especially the one with Italian pomegranate soda…

By: andy

andy — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 17:11:21 +0000

I like visiting your “house”.

By: Miles

Miles — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 21:34:37 +0000

I like the house metaphor a lot.

I guess being out in Silicon Valley kind of conditions you to look out for the next Big Thing.

By: andy

andy — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 14:55:21 +0000

People like Paul Boutin are obsessed with the next new thing. And that’s OK. Now that blogging is no longer shiny and new he’s moving on. (BTW many people thought that article was flame bait.)
Personally I think blogs will be around for awhile. They’re like your house on the net. A place to store your big stuff in a world of text messages and tweets.

By: Miles

Miles — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 16:13:42 +0000

That’s right, he is. He’ll weigh in, for sure…

By: Neve Black

Neve Black — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 15:09:58 +0000

You know John E. is speaking today on blogging at a COSE meeting. I wonder what his thoughts will be after reading the article above.

Hmmm….

By: Miles

Miles — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 14:52:40 +0000

Well… I’m not that far behind. I thought the same thing with Metallica in the late 80s/early 90s. When the Black album came out, I was appalled, especially when I saw kids in Florida on Spring Break dancing (yes, DANCING) to Enter Sandman. I thought “That’s it, the world as I know it has come to an end.”

AIC was a great band, though…

By: Neve Black

Neve Black — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 14:27:32 +0000

Oh, f**k. I might be one of those that listened to cool and hip alternative grunge music (I lived in Seattle in the late 80’s and early 90’s) and was soured when Alice and Chains sold out. “Noooo, not Lane Staley…” Were the words on my lips as my heart sunk.

I guess those that live in glass houses…right?

By: Miles

Miles — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 13:38:09 +0000

You’re right, it does have the air of Silicon Valley hipness to it, and the bemoaning of the loss of supposed purity of blogs. But that’s an age-old story, kind of like the kids who listen to music considered alternative and underground and then feel let down when those artists begin having some commercial success and more people know about them and listen to them.

Even though I just started this blog in July, I feel the same way you do; that it’s a way to stay in touch with other like-minded people that I’d otherwise not meet. Not to mention the challenge of posting interesting content every so often.