This time last year...
We considered ourselves expert bloggers. Fresh from winning the Radio Wave award (and congratulations here must go to Viva Blackpool for 'pipping' us to it this year), we knocked out blogs with a certain surety about them. Now, twelve months on, perhaps we're not quite so steadfast.
If there is one thing I do know about blogging it is that you have to keep at it. Sometimes, when the topic you're aiming at says nothing to you, you have to persevere. I currently find myself on the bed, some fifteen hours late in posting, wondering what exactly I can tell you about being an 'expert blogger'. Perhaps it has always just been a hit and miss thing, hoping that I fall upon something catchy or strike up a debate once a week. I like to think I always give it a good go at getting you thinking now and then, stopping short of starting a riot- for me, that seems about the right line to walk.
We considered ourselves expert bloggers. Fresh from winning the Radio Wave award (and congratulations here must go to Viva Blackpool for 'pipping' us to it this year), we knocked out blogs with a certain surety about them. Now, twelve months on, perhaps we're not quite so steadfast.
If there is one thing I do know about blogging it is that you have to keep at it. Sometimes, when the topic you're aiming at says nothing to you, you have to persevere. I currently find myself on the bed, some fifteen hours late in posting, wondering what exactly I can tell you about being an 'expert blogger'. Perhaps it has always just been a hit and miss thing, hoping that I fall upon something catchy or strike up a debate once a week. I like to think I always give it a good go at getting you thinking now and then, stopping short of starting a riot- for me, that seems about the right line to walk.
Always remember you've got an audience. Venting always seems
a great idea and there is little more satisfying than giving both barrels to
some poor soul. Know before you start writing though, these are the blogs you
will look back on and regret above all others- the ones that allow the glint of
darkness you usually mask away to peep out because before you know it, you've
let the whole world know you're actually a lot of a bastard. Careful consideration
of words is key here, or you really do just lose touch.
Always do try to have an opinion. If you're anything like I am, you can't be doing with reading wiki-style pages about something. You want to know how the writer feels about something right in their gut, not what someone has told them to put out. Have your opinion, especially a controversial one, and argue it to the end- it will make vastly more interesting reading but do make sure your piece can close on some kind of end- you don't want a long runner on the comments box that actually overshadows anything you've written, do you?
Finally, as my last piece of wisdom for the week, throw out any misconceptions you may have of being an expert blogger. You aren't. Even if Hemingway was here, I doubt even he would be an expert blogger all of the time. I'm sure he would have delivered snappy pieces- prize winning pieces no doubt- but coupled with a poor theme and a hang-over, he'd just as easily struggle over loose ends as the rest of us do. For me, blogging is about a connection we have with the world. It is a desire to write, reach out and to connect with other people in an age of information 'freedom'. You're not struck off by censors, you're not held down by an editor and you are as free as you like to record your point in the annals of time. In conclusion, the act of creating that record is probably one of the most important things we can do- it shows how we can learn from other people and discover perspectives on the world, and though I'm no expert, I'd say that can't ever be a bad thing.
Thanks for reading,
Shaun.
Always do try to have an opinion. If you're anything like I am, you can't be doing with reading wiki-style pages about something. You want to know how the writer feels about something right in their gut, not what someone has told them to put out. Have your opinion, especially a controversial one, and argue it to the end- it will make vastly more interesting reading but do make sure your piece can close on some kind of end- you don't want a long runner on the comments box that actually overshadows anything you've written, do you?
Finally, as my last piece of wisdom for the week, throw out any misconceptions you may have of being an expert blogger. You aren't. Even if Hemingway was here, I doubt even he would be an expert blogger all of the time. I'm sure he would have delivered snappy pieces- prize winning pieces no doubt- but coupled with a poor theme and a hang-over, he'd just as easily struggle over loose ends as the rest of us do. For me, blogging is about a connection we have with the world. It is a desire to write, reach out and to connect with other people in an age of information 'freedom'. You're not struck off by censors, you're not held down by an editor and you are as free as you like to record your point in the annals of time. In conclusion, the act of creating that record is probably one of the most important things we can do- it shows how we can learn from other people and discover perspectives on the world, and though I'm no expert, I'd say that can't ever be a bad thing.
Thanks for reading,
Shaun.
2 comments:
Having a strong opinion is paramount, I think, maybe not.
Wikipedia says:
In general, an opinion is a judgement, viewpoint, or statement about matters commonly considered to be subjective.
Though I'm not sure.
:)
Now, deadlines...
I'd say we're still steadfast about our purpose on the blog.
In fact, I might just write a poem about viva Blackpool for the next event.
Ash
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