Svetlana Gladkova from Profy posted about “Blog Day” and some of the dirty little secrets bloggers hide/neglect/refuse to share with members of the non-blogging world.
One point that stuck with me was Svetlana’s reasoning behind why people blog:
Bloggers will usually claim that they blog for all kinds of reasons, including willingness to share their unique knowledge and experience with the world or hoping to make the world a better place. But I’ve been working in the blogosphere long enough to know that only a very small percentage of bloggers actually have some big reasons for blogging while the vast majority only blog hoping to get money, fame or some professional recognition – and more money eventually. I don’t like the fact that I’ve lost my idealism months ago and I’d really want to believe all the bloggers that claim they only want to do good but my experience shows I only know a couple of people who actually want to do good and do something good instead of only claiming so – out of hundreds of bloggers I’ve met.
Svetlana has it almost right. I’m going to go one step further and say that the real reason we blog, twitter, podcast and vidcast is because we are all narcissistic egomaniacs / attention whores / desperately seeking recognition.
Yes some of us are driven to make money but the medium through which we do it belies our need to have our ego’s stroked and inflated.
If you tell me that you write for yourself and don’t care who reads it, I’m going to tell that I can smell what you’re shoveling from 10 miles away. If you don’t want it to be read, or have a desire for it to be read, why put it online? Why not just type in a word document or makes use of dead trees and graphite and get it on paper?
If you’re telling me you’re doing it just to make money, I’m still going to tell you that what you’re shoveling isn’t smelling any sweeter as we all know that blogging is not the right racket to truly make money off. A side income perhaps, but a true income, well that’s beyond the capabilities, writing skill and personalities (face it most of us are just boring) to achieve.
Tell me that you’re sharing you’re experience and knowledge to help others and I’ll agree that it’s noble, while flipping you off and telling you that you’ve gone beyond offending my nasal passages at this point.
If you want to help others get involved with an after-schools program, get off your fat arse and go out and help the needy, teach, do youth work, but don’t try to tell me that your 2 hits a day site (you and your mom) is a selfless attempt to help people. You’re just boring, not worth of traffic and are trying to justify the existence of your pinprick of cyberspace.
So what does that leave? Fame, recognition, boasting rites among our peers? Can’t think of many other reasons myself. Attention Whore!
Paul O'Flaherty 