(Photo found here.)
**TONGUE IN CHEEK ALERT**
I’ve had this blog going now for nearly two years. When I entered the blogosphere, blogging was all the rage. I found a whole group of people grappling with the same issues I was, and we learned from each other as we read each others’ stuff.
But lately I’ve found people getting a bit lax with their blogging. First they say stuff like, “I haven’t blogged in awhile; I’ve been busy with ‘real life’ things.” As if blogging wasn’t life.
Or they make excuses like, “I find I’m in a different place now, and I’ve said all I wanted to say. I just want to get back to talking about ‘normal stuff.'” As if blogging was all about them. (Or as if blogging isn’t normal.)
And then the ultimate cop-out: “I need to take a break from blogging for awhile.” This, of course, is code for, “I’m giving myself ‘permission’ not to blog, so I don’t feel guilty about it and so you won’t expect it of me.” A purposeful shirking of responsibility, an abandonment of doing one’s duty.
Freaking blogger backsliders.
And now I am hearing the pinnacle of blasphemy: Word is spreading that blogging is dead?? Ex-CUSE me?
You mean to tell me that just when I get rolling on this blogging kick, everyone’s gonna jump ship and switch over to upstarts like Twitter? What the crap is micro-blogging, anyhow?
Seriously? Are we just gonna hand the power over to something named Twitter? Are we gonna take this lying down? Just because we’re bored of it??? When has boredom ever been a good reason to quit something? You blogger-slackers out there–where are your priorities? Where is your sense of duty?
Well, I, for one, think it’s time to draw the line. I don’t know about you, but I got into this gig to try to cope with change. I don’t wanna adapt some more. And I don’t think we should have to. Blogging is just too good a gig to drop that quickly. Some of my most profound spiritual moments have happened while blogging. I think we need to take a stand for our beloved blogosphere, and see that blogging continues uninterrupted for all time, or at least until Jesus comes back. (And even then, we ought to see if Jesus wants to blog. He might enjoy it.)
So here’s what I propose: let’s have a blogging revival!
Let’s have a two-week session of recharging our blogger batteries. Over those two weeks, let’s write the best blog posts ever. Let’s stay home from our jobs and spend at least three extra hours a day reading everyone else’s blogs and leaving comments until our fingers are bleeding on our laptops. Let’s get some special guest bloggers involved, people who can motivate us with their powerful blog posts. Let’s ramp up the traffic on our blogs and get our search rankings back up again. Let’s spread the word far and wide to bloggers and former bloggers everywhere: it’s time for a blogging revival.
“Stay home from our jobs?” You better believe it. Blogging is in crisis; it’s time to set ourselves apart unto a holy purpose again. Desperate times call for desperate measures. If there’s anything I learned in church, it’s that when things start lagging behind–you force it. You hype the crap out of it, and guilt people back into line, until things are back where they ought to be.
It seems to work there. Why not here? Isn’t blogging worth it, guys? Come on! Let’s save blogging! Let’s preserve it in stone and teach our children and grandchildren to blog.
Blogging dead? Not if I can help it.
And once we’ve gotten our heads on straight and come back into line as the good bloggers we were meant to be…we need to set some safeguards in place to make sure this threat on bloggerdom never happens again. Here are some things I suggest to help us do this:
- Everyone should be required to post at least three times a week.
- Blogs need to be monitored to be certain all bloggers are in compliance. We will appoint special blogger-
spiesmonitors to spot check the blogs. - The content of the blogs also will need to be monitored. When we see posts that start off with lines like “I don’t know what to write anymore,” “I need a break,” or “I’ve been pretty busy lately”, we will appoint a special envoy to “talk to” the rogue blogger to ascertain the root of the problem and try to help bring them back into the fold.
- Anyone found
twittingtootingtweeting on Twitter more than twice a day will also be “talked to” by the envoy. - Bloggers who do not comply, or who purposely try to disrupt the continuity of the blogosphere, will be shunned. No one is to visit or comment on the non-compliant blogs; everyone is to unsubscribe from that blogger’s feed until there is a clear sense of repentance.
You see, guys, preserving the blogosphere is a doable thing. We just need to care about it enough. So I’m thinking we start the blogger revival November 1. Who’s with me??
Anyone???
Hellooooo?
Wayward Son
Musician. Composer. Recovering perfectionist. Minister-in-transition. Lover of puns. Hijacker of rock song references. Questioner of the status quo.
I'm not really a rebel. Just a sincere Christ-follower with a thirst for significance that gets me into trouble. My quest has taken me over the fence of institutional Christianity. Here are some of my random thoughts along the way. Read along, join in the conversation. Just be nice.
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I recognized the guilt trip….
Hear hear!!
I'm with you, brother! In fact, I think the twits who twitter should be shunned by us purists. We who know that the deep things of life need more than 140 characters (or whatever) to develop and present. We who don't really give a twit about what you had for lunch, or how many breaths you took in the last minute really think important technology like the internet needs to be saved for those of us who really know what's important in life.
But this thing about blogging 3 times a week? Well, I'm afraid you are getting a bit fanatical now. Perhaps I will have to dis-fellowship you. I believe the good book says things need to be done in moderation.
On further thought, I guess I can overlook that small bit of heresy since everything else you say is fundamental truth (in other words, I agree with it).
Thanks for a great post! (Now I can remove my own tongue from my own cheek–it's a bit uncomfortable.)
Anon.,
🙂
Al,
(Sigh) I had high hopes for you, brother. You had me until you balked at the three times a week. Three, after all, is the number of the Trinity, and the number of days before Christ was raised. It is a lesser-known fact that according to the wise old owl, three is also the number of licks it takes to get to the Tootsie Roll center of a Tootsie Pop.
Perhaps now you can comprehend why three times a week is so important. If you don't know what to say…link to this blog. 🙂 Or post a friggin' picture of something.
(I think my tongue is stuck…can't seem to…ugh…pull it out of my cheek…um…)
I'm in trouble. If you're Revival inspires enough conversions, I won't have enough hours in the day to read it all. I won't get any work done, so I'll lose my job, the house will be a mess, we won't eat and my husband will divorce me.
On your head be it.
If three is so good… why stop there? Let's go for the number of perfection, 7. That provides a new post every day. That means your computer will be turned on every day, and get the exercise it deserves. That also means you will have to stay awake half of the night grasping for something deep and profound to say.
There, I hope you are happy now!
(Bloop-twang! as tongue is removed from one cheek and inserted in the other)
I can see the tongue in your cheek!
But I also value "blogs" over Twitters and their ilk – eg things like SMS where there is an artificial limit on what is written.
They like read old fashioned telegraphs eg once upon you time you might get something like "YOUR SON KILLED AFGHANISTAN STOP SORRY STOP THE PRESIDENT" and are about as communicative.
Long live the blog with its freedom to write as much or as little, to muse, to layout text, to include images.
The inanity of much of Twitter and Facebook and the like stuns me!
I visit several blogs regularly and appreciate the "meat" I find there.
Thanks for taking the effort.
Your sharing of your journey is proving a real gift to me – and I share quite a bit with others too.
Blessings
Richard Wilson
South Australia
Didn't anyone ever tell you that you cannot legislate creativity? In other words, you can change the behavior, but can you really change the heart? If not, then you will be left with empty shells of blogs that are in compliance solely to evade punishment and eternal damnation. What will you have accomplished? Will we ever again read truly thought provoking post? Or will we simply become a thousand stepford-bloggers?
😉
Roz,
Casualties of war, sis. Sorry. Thanks for visting, anyway. 🙂
Al,
Page 372, paragraph 5 subsection 7 of the Offical Rules of Blogging says: "Posts per week be no less than three, but up to seven let them be." So the seven thing is optional according to the rules.
BTW, page 555, paragraph 2 subsection 34 also says, "Not every post must be profound–just let them know you're still in town." I think that's how it goes…I left my copy at home. 😛
Anon./Richard…
You forgot about the abbrvs in the Tweets: "UR SN KLD AFGHN/S SORRY/S PREZ." Helps make the Tweet longer. 🙂
Thanks for reading, and thanks for the kudos.
Erin,
Of course we can't legislate creativity, anymore than the church could legislate spirituality (although we sure as hell tried!). I figure the same principle applies here, if you get my meaning. We can't control creativity, but we can sure give it a shot.
You make stepford blogging sound like it's a BAD thing. Since one of my lifelong dreams is to live in a world where everyone acts exactly the way I want them to and no one annoys me, ever…this sounds like a pretty good deal.
In future, by the way, you would do well to not ask such provocative questions that suggest noncompliance. I should warn you that you have already set the blogger monitors on alert. "Vee vill be watchingk."
😀
I concede.
LOL!
I'm going underground tomorrow. Changing my name, wearing dark glasses and army fatigues. Let the Resistance begin!
Won't do any good, Erin. This is the information age, remember? You'll need supplies, won't you? We can track you with satellites by the dollar bills in your pockets.
Of course, um, I don't know how that bin Laden guy continues to elude us…but still…