DISQUS

ophelia_chong · 1 year ago

I am on the "Communal" Treadmill. I want to work towards building a community that cares. We are seeing this now with the elections and Sen. Obama.

Yes, I am tired of the MeMeMe blogs, "what I am doing, what panels I am speaking on, what airport I am flying out of", it could also be an overflow from Twitter, the microblog.

I want to see more of "How are you doing today?"

great post steve. :O)

sbspalding · 1 year ago

Agreed. It's a part of the journalist pretension that a lot of us bloggers suffer under. I'm not a guru nor a journalist, but I do think I have something to add to a variety of topics. That's what I want my blog to be, and I think it starts by pulling yourself back into your words.

Niccolo Svengali · 1 year ago

Well, I've had a look at a lot of blogs recently, and most are iPhone, Blogging about Blogging, Internet marketing & SE0, Product Review and MomBlogs.

Went through about 700 blogs, found truly interesting posts on about three of them.

sbspalding · 1 year ago

I have a huge list of RSS subscriptions, thousands of posts in the reader every day. I go through hundreds and hundreds of them and I actually sit down to read 3 or so. There is a -lot- of noise on the line.

Steve Olson · 1 year ago

This is the problem isn't it, Steve. It is one of many reasons why I keep my day job. If I blog for money, it won't be fun. I can tell from the type of content I read from pro-bloggers. In the first 6 months of blogging, I drew huge traffic and then I realized I didn't like where it was heading. It was no longer personal, it was checkout aisle nonsense, "12 ways to be less bitchy". That's when i realized, screw it, I don't have to do this. So I don't.

sbspalding · 1 year ago

Agreed, I couldn't really stomach having to be "topical" all the time in order to make a living from blogging. I'd rather it be a part of an overall career than the career itself. It gives me more freedom to do what I want, and actually (gasp) enjoy writing every once in a while.

Thanks for the read and the comment mate.

Mark Dykeman · 1 year ago

Taking the road less traveled, huh? I'm there too, or at least trying to get there.

sbspalding · 1 year ago

It's been an interesting ride, you have to accept the idea of "starting over." Blogging is no different than anything else, there are tricks you can use if you know them but most of them (I've found) lead to burnout.

You've written some really great stuff Mark, keep it up.

Joanmarie · 1 year ago

I'm not a Blogger; I'm merely a blogger. :-) But the treadmill I'm on at work is much like the one you describe being on. I've not found a way to step off of it yet, but I'm walking on it now with an occasional limp, rather than running on it with a frequent wheeze. 'Tis progress I suppose.... :-) You've given me lots of good things to think about. Thanks!

sbspalding · 1 year ago

One step at a time, it's really all you can do.

Shaun S. · 1 year ago

This is the second best thing that I've read all day! And to think I used to only read your blog searching for Mac Rumors.

sbspalding · 1 year ago

Coming from you, I really appreciate that. :)

Torah · 1 year ago

Luckily, I only write about those topics that REALLY interest me (stuff I'm very proud of). I'm a pretty lazy guy by nature, so I wouldn't be able to write in the first place otherwise. And this is really quite a useful post. Thanks.

enriqueta · 1 year ago

Excellent Post.

sbspalding · 1 year ago

Thank you!

briantroy · 1 year ago

"We talk about ourselves too much. We spend to much time fighting. We like products that don’t really do anything and we are all insufferable, myopic narcissists who are strangely content with that fact."
Yep - but I don't think that is confined to us internet people. Listen to talk radio...
The thing about this "thing" we call Web 2.0 is it allows us to show it off... and seek popularity... and participate in group think... Sounds like every other place doesn't it?

sbspalding · 1 year ago

Ah but the only difference (and I agree with you completely, might I add) is that this platform lets a schmuck like me reach out to just as many people (more in some rare cases) than a talk radio host can. It has given the power of platform to everyone who wants it -- that's the difference I think.

Otherwise, yea, same story different promotional reel.

Curtis · 1 year ago

I found that its better to quit a blog if your not getting something out of it or not able to put enough into it. I created a tech blog about three months ago but am not able to keep it up. I felt it better to cut the strings than leave my readers hanging.

rox · 1 year ago

well noted. the treadmill eh? i choose the rowing machine, (no analogy sorry, i just like the rowing machine...:) a different engagement.
re: blogs...twitter, websites, opportunities to engage, refine the art of communicating w/words or video, that effort in itself makes it all worthwhile would you agree? life is short, so much time in a day, what a great opportunity to synthesize, challenge ideas, bring unlimited or selected people together beyond borders where the likelihood of meeting in person is remote yet we come to connect in ways that are closer than some of the people within our proximity. sometimes the information shared is trivial and other times brilliant.. all in all we come together in a way that feels like traffic congestion yet there is a sort of synchronicity of people moving about their day, night, reaching out inviting us to witness a little of their lives...
Different flags...same planet..voices....freedom of expression...for now...what a tremendous opportunity to open up and learning....blog away, stay true to your unique voice..yes..i learn from you. you write from the heart and it reaches...it's why i read you. you are candid and thoughtful. thank you. keep up the excellence. ~ rox

Alex · 1 year ago

Excellent Post.. Sometimes in some fragments of my life when I blog, I come to the conclusion that WHY AM I DOING THIS!

Flavia · 1 year ago

Classic post. I like it very much, because it has very good points. There are always falls in our life and we must pass them if we want to succeed. It simple as that. Life wouldn't be interesting if everything was simple and ave easy. But when you do some things and when you thing that you are making contribution and help to others and community then you must be happy, although you sometimes can have bad moments, just like you have good 5 minutes sometimes.

Craig L. · 1 year ago

Im new to blogoshpere world so far i enjoy doing it when i got my spare time,
This is very interesting post you got here. I enjoy reading it.

Looking forward for more of your post.

Luis Orellana · 1 year ago

As the Great Leo Tolstoy would say “If you want to be happy,” don’t blog……….

Luis Orellana

wilhb81 · 1 year ago

Honestly, if I have nothing to say or write on my blogs, then I will just leave it alone, rather than bragging and messing up with it!

If my mind being blocked, I will usually go for a walk in the nearest parks or gardens...

Free ISP · 1 year ago

There is far too much random posts going on in the community

Free Softwares · 1 year ago

Yeah blogging should sometimes get quite frustrating. Its must be even more frustrating when you are a newbie and do not know exact approaches.

It is sometimes countless hours of just thinking what to write about.

Cartoon Advertising · 1 year ago

I blog about cartoons, and I am a professional in drawing cartoons. Since the characters ever get bored, I never get bored too. Maybe you should try doing something more fun.

Hendrik · 1 year ago

I like it very much, because it has very good points. There are always falls in our life and we must pass them if we want to succeed. It simple as that. Sometimes in some fragments of my life when I blog, There is a question for that why i am doing this ??

Kevin · 1 year ago

As an old school websurfer (from the late 80's :O) I have always hating the "blogging" aspect of the web, I just see it as some new trend that will come and go only to be replaced by another, BBS, Chat rooms, message boards, they come, they go. There is so much white noise and stupidity in blogging, the lists go on ad infinitum. I always wonder to myself, to people really read all these comments? How can two people converse this way? I find it really annoying. Message boards at least allow you to break out topics, bloggs are just one long, ugly text file.

Kevin · 1 year ago

PS this is like the 2nd time I have replyied to a blog. And Ill probably never come back to view comments. Dust in the wind...

sbspalding · 1 year ago

Well thanks for taking the time to reply to this one! Hopefully you're getting this by email so it'll make it a bit easier.

Robinson · 1 year ago

I think it is very great Web traffic, as the maxim goes, is the fuel of every web undertaking. Let us discuss 6 tried and tested tactics that will help you get the traffic that your web endeavor will need

Kevin · 12 months ago

i think you have to have a great courage to write post like this :D find to do something you like ;)

Jun Loayza · 11 months ago

Steve, I was in the exact same spot at the end of 09. I was posting almost everyday, tweeting 20 times a day, and was so consumed by my virtual life that I lost all touch with the physical world. It was cool at the moment, but thinking back I was just a slave to social media.

I decided to take a social media diet and just wrote a post about it. Would love to get your opinions on it.

I think if you focus too much on making money while blogging or blogging as "work," then it just loses all of it's appeal. Sometimes it takes a diet to really focus on what's important.

- Jun Loayza

sbspalding · 11 months ago

I completely agree, perspective is huge.

Good post by the way.