Comments on: Controversy

By: Jordan

Jordan — Mon, 19 Dec 2005 19:40:47 +0000

Linda, I think as long as your blog reflects your personality, then you’re in good shape. I can do snark, but it comes off better when I leave it in a story.

By: Linda

Linda — Mon, 19 Dec 2005 15:38:00 +0000

I’m not funny enough to get away with snarky. And I don’t care enough to try to develop that. I like just writing about whatever suits my mood. I’m an opinionated person, but I don’t think that means I should post my opinions about absolutely every subject. I don’t care if I have one reader or a gazillion. So I just write what I feel like and call it a “mishucalanza”, my Italian family’s word for “eclectic.” I do my blog to have fun, and writing tons of rants and stirring up controverly is not fun for me.

By: Jordan

Jordan — Mon, 19 Dec 2005 15:22:35 +0000

Shannon, LOL, on the spell check. Isn’t that the truth? I don’t mind healthy debate, but very few people can do it in a detached manner.

By: Jordan

Jordan — Mon, 19 Dec 2005 15:19:46 +0000

Danica, I can’t see the benefit to anyone else either. You’re simply giving your power away by reacting. In the end, no one wins.

By: Shannon

Shannon — Mon, 19 Dec 2005 15:09:27 +0000

I generally avoid blogs which use opinionated and confrontational topics as subject matter. I find that many people don’t spell check when they are angry and I find it incredibly annoying. If you cannot take the time to spellcheck and reread your opinion before you post it then it’s definitely not worth my time to read it. I enjoy thoughtful debate to be sure but when it’s complaining and general dissent just for the sake of blog numbers it strikes me as silly and irrational.

I like informative and interesting commentary. I appreciate quick wit and thoughtful commentary and the blogs I choose to visit generally contain these things. On my own personal blog I generally just talk about my life a little bit…sometimes my writing.

By: danica

danica — Mon, 19 Dec 2005 02:57:50 +0000

I agree with you on the idea of fighting on the web. I’m a pretty opinionated person as well, but for me, it’s just not worth it to fight about something that while I’ll feel better for ranting about it, I’m not sure how it would benefit anyone else.

By: Jordan

Jordan — Mon, 19 Dec 2005 02:11:30 +0000

Thanks Maddie! I agree with your mask comment. It keeps everyone at arm’s length away.

By: Maddie

Maddie — Sun, 18 Dec 2005 20:52:22 +0000

Snarky is soo.. well, dull. I think it is a lazy way to express oneself. I think it is a curtain, a mask, a way to avoid or close off one’s real true feelings, Uh-oh, am I being controversial?

I enjoy blogs that are either INFORMATIONAL or INSPIRATIONAL.

EVERYONE is opinionated! We just need to know the time and place to pass a particular opinion!

I enjoy your blog, Jordan.You give info without a lot of commentary! And you share your personal path with the writing..which I find inspirational!

Happy Holidays!

By: Jordan

Jordan — Sun, 18 Dec 2005 14:51:36 +0000

Diane, I think there’s a place for all types of blogs. I put a warning in the heading of the blog entry the last time I ranted about something. *g* I try not to do it often because I think it’s easy to get caught up in the snark cycle/whine cycle. (I avoid the whiner blogs too.) It’s okay to whine to friends, but when you do it everyday on your blog, it gets old fast.

By: Diane

Diane — Sun, 18 Dec 2005 12:22:56 +0000

I think there is room for ranty blogs, so long as they make it clear that’s what they’re doing, perhaps in the title, or in the strap beneath the title. That way, those that want to visit them can, and those that don’t, don’t have to. I try to keep my own blog quite chatty, hopefully a tad witty, and basically about my life and work. But when I feel a rant coming on, I’ll share it but maybe stick “rant alert” in front of it. Or “whinge alert” if I’m having a moan. But I agree, the blogs I visit are also quite chatty, and if they start to get a bit *too* moany then I’ll stay away a while.