very good blogs, and not so very good blogs

I had never really taken blogs very seriously whether as a reader or as a writer. My reading list is not very long, mainly because there are not that many things that I care about, and I do not really go blog-hunting. The blogs that I subscribe to are chance encounters, few made it to my bookmarks, and even less to my feeder.

Once in awhile I'd come across some blogs that talks about professional blogging - as in blogging as a business. Those sites are usually very general (read: boring). There is one post that catches my eye though. It is a simple post. It reads like a rant. It did not even say much. Looking back, I really do not think I like it at all. However, what it did say is actually quite true, and I guess that is what really matters.

Up until recently I had been a subscriber of Beauty and the Bum. I think it is quite well structured. I quite like their full feed. Well, actually, all my subscriptions feature full feeds, I drop them when I see an incomplete feed, as I do not usually visit the sites.

The writer does have a little trick though, he likes to make some words (tempting words) in his sentences hyperlinks that link to the posts themselves. As you read through to the juicy parts of a sentence, you come at this provocative, highlighted word that just makes you want to click it. Of course, once you anticipate this its effects lessen. However, I think that is a rather creative way of generating clicks. It does not impose on you, but makes clicking an attractive option.

The reason I stopped subscribing though, is most likely because much of the blog's content revolves around "spotting" celebrities in really normal (again boring) situations that I simply do not care about. On the up side, they do have other kinds of posts that I like, such as advertising campaigns featuring hot models - that blog is where I first saw Beckham's underwear ad. The blog also features male models, plenty of them. Here lies the problem, there really is very many of them. After you have seen so many, (and the blog does overload your reader at times, having multiple posts every single day), you would get tired of seeing more. Maybe I am just not horny enough, but at some point I decided that I am just not going to let ripped, barely clothed Caucasians flood my reader anymore. Who knows, maybe this is yet another subtle way of making readers actually going to the site itself, as it is less overwhelming to visit that than seeing a list of unread posts that spans multiple pages.

Another blog that I really liked, have subscribed for the longest time, and is still a subscriber of is Slap Upside the Head. The witty illustrations, the sarcastic comments, the spirit of advocacy - Mark has it all. The blog is so awesome, I had always wanted to talk about it. I finally get a chance now! The blog has a clean interface, as well as a full feed. Posting is regular, adheres to a strict schedule, yet not overwhelming. What more can you ask? Original content? Yes, the cute illustrations. Relevant content? Yes, the news being reported in each post. It is such an unbeatable combination, that I cannot find any reason why any person who is interested in gay activism would choose not to subscribe to Slap Upside the Head (Yes, I double linked him).

So there you have it. I have broken the rule of professional blogging - I have written about the ups and downs of blogging using specific examples. Exactly how "You need MOAR creative content." is inspiring I simply cannot see. Whatever is the justification with the broad, universal terms that cover all yet reveal none is also beyond me. I guess professional bloggers probably would say that they have done so because blogging content is diverse. Well, if your topic is about good and bad practices in delivering the content, what the actual content is matters little. All you are talking about is the method used to deliver it. If it is a valid practice, it will apply to most kinds of content. If in the rare case that a good practice is incompatible with a certain specific kind of content, then the creators of said content should notice. Yes, I know that my examples do not apply to all topics, but I also believe that such is the case for all methods. There is no need for me to hide that fact. The sort of defensive writing that plagues the professional blogging communities, which compromises the message for the author's reputation, is truly detestable. What puny cowards!

I still do not take blogging seriously.