articleone : put the keyboard down and back away from the weblog
That's right. You heard me.
Get yer stinking 3000+ hands away from my posts.
You wanna write a journal, go ahead. You wanna create content, fine by me. But if you and yer redneck communist pals come round here and start messing with the blogs, there's gonna be hell and high water.
Why?
Coz I like 'em sharp'n'pointed'n'bitter.
Coz I like 'em short'n'sweet'n'sour.
Coz I like catching up on what's hot, and what's happening, and doing it in between the drudgery and smudgery of work.
Watcha gotta fear from the blogs? Sure they share similar elements to the journal world, but that don't mean one will eat the other. Distinct places. Distinct genres. You say it's the same old shit in the same old package. Well I say it's a lot less shit in a much smaller package. And where I come from, the less shit the better. Maybe it's different where you are.
Maybe I don't wanna see fantastic design from a designer or fantastic writing from a writer every single day. Maybe I wanna get a sense of the opinions of those around me, and the things they're interested in, not their fucking life story.
The last thing I need is ten 500 word essays about the repercussions of Napster being banned by universities, or Microbloodysoft delaying the launch of its next crappy product. I need 15 separate dissertations on the meaning of Wired's stupid-as-fuck redesign like I need a hole in the head.
If I were to read 3000+ words from the 20+ weblogs I read each day I'd be wading through a fucking novel every morning. I'd have to print them out and take them to bed with me. I could then feed the fireplace with their stilted prose and repetitive bullshit. No-thank-you.
They're different styles for different audiences about different things. If you're to employ the same styles to both, you'd have something like this:
Blog Style Journal
Freudian slip last night. Meant to ask wife to pass the salt. Instead said "Fuck off bitch, you're ruining my life".
Journal Style Blog.
Hackers got hold of Bill Gate's Credit card. I remember once when I had my wallet stolen. I was on my honeymoon, and had just been wandering through a cinema when it happened. I was carrying my coat through a crowd and didn't notice anything, even though some dumb fuck's nimble fingers ran their way between the folds of my clothes, and made off with my wallet. I didn't realise until my wife and I decided to go to a restaurant for dinner, and yadda yadda yadda...
I'm not sure which one is worse.
So what's the difference between the blog and the journal?
The blog points outward. The journal points inward. The blog talks about the objective world. The journal talks about the subjective world. Yes, there is overlap. Yes, there is cross-pollination. But for the most part, weblogs talk about things that happen regardless of the writer's existence. The subject matter of journals would not be there if the writers didn't exist.
Are you listening? Are you getting it?
The journal needs to be involved and intricate and well written as the subject matter demands it. The blog can be short and wicked because the subject matter demands nothing.
So leave yer 3000+ words at the door, buddy, because it doesn't work for this medium.
You can use the blogging tools to write your journal, but that don't make it a blog.
You can add as many links as you want, but that don't make it a blog.
You can register myfuckingweblog.weblogs.com if you want, but if you start writing 3000+ words about your personal life, it ain't gonna give it one ounce of blog cred.
You understand?
Get yer stinking 3000+ hands away from my posts.
You wanna write a journal, go ahead. You wanna create content, fine by me. But if you and yer redneck communist pals come round here and start messing with the blogs, there's gonna be hell and high water.
Why?
Coz I like 'em sharp'n'pointed'n'bitter.
Coz I like 'em short'n'sweet'n'sour.
Coz I like catching up on what's hot, and what's happening, and doing it in between the drudgery and smudgery of work.
Watcha gotta fear from the blogs? Sure they share similar elements to the journal world, but that don't mean one will eat the other. Distinct places. Distinct genres. You say it's the same old shit in the same old package. Well I say it's a lot less shit in a much smaller package. And where I come from, the less shit the better. Maybe it's different where you are.
Maybe I don't wanna see fantastic design from a designer or fantastic writing from a writer every single day. Maybe I wanna get a sense of the opinions of those around me, and the things they're interested in, not their fucking life story.
The last thing I need is ten 500 word essays about the repercussions of Napster being banned by universities, or Microbloodysoft delaying the launch of its next crappy product. I need 15 separate dissertations on the meaning of Wired's stupid-as-fuck redesign like I need a hole in the head.
If I were to read 3000+ words from the 20+ weblogs I read each day I'd be wading through a fucking novel every morning. I'd have to print them out and take them to bed with me. I could then feed the fireplace with their stilted prose and repetitive bullshit. No-thank-you.
They're different styles for different audiences about different things. If you're to employ the same styles to both, you'd have something like this:
Blog Style Journal
Freudian slip last night. Meant to ask wife to pass the salt. Instead said "Fuck off bitch, you're ruining my life".
Journal Style Blog.
Hackers got hold of Bill Gate's Credit card. I remember once when I had my wallet stolen. I was on my honeymoon, and had just been wandering through a cinema when it happened. I was carrying my coat through a crowd and didn't notice anything, even though some dumb fuck's nimble fingers ran their way between the folds of my clothes, and made off with my wallet. I didn't realise until my wife and I decided to go to a restaurant for dinner, and yadda yadda yadda...
I'm not sure which one is worse.
So what's the difference between the blog and the journal?
The blog points outward. The journal points inward. The blog talks about the objective world. The journal talks about the subjective world. Yes, there is overlap. Yes, there is cross-pollination. But for the most part, weblogs talk about things that happen regardless of the writer's existence. The subject matter of journals would not be there if the writers didn't exist.
Are you listening? Are you getting it?
The journal needs to be involved and intricate and well written as the subject matter demands it. The blog can be short and wicked because the subject matter demands nothing.
So leave yer 3000+ words at the door, buddy, because it doesn't work for this medium.
You can use the blogging tools to write your journal, but that don't make it a blog.
You can add as many links as you want, but that don't make it a blog.
You can register myfuckingweblog.weblogs.com if you want, but if you start writing 3000+ words about your personal life, it ain't gonna give it one ounce of blog cred.
You understand?