Blog On
What to do with a rarely read blog after the storm of interest, minute as it was, has passed with the election? As a gnat, Paulie’s description of bloggers, our individual influence was never great, in fact it may have been non-existent beyond the decision to spend our time, money and intellect at the keyboard blogging away. The storm has passed. Those who were in the millions or hundreds of thousands of readers have noticed the decline in readership. Blogs like this one, with few if any regular readers may have seen their primary source of readership, central sites such as Blogs for Bush, all but evaporate as a source for daily readers. So the question is inevitably asked, what next?
Let’s think through the phenomena a bit and look at the nature of the blogosphere. There are communal blogs, often-large communities of like-minded individuals, driven by a few bloggers, and a large number of readers, trolls and serial commenters. This type of blog will persist, and likely flourish as the commitment of the reader or commenter is limited, the number of authors is great enough to fill in during a single authors quiet time. In addition, the political activism behind those who drive such blogs is generally well established and unlikely to wane.
Professional bloggers will continue, if for no other reason than the fiscal and political influence they have established, and as a continuation of the influence prior to the next cycle political mini-storm only a scant few months away in the mid-term elections of 2006.
The real gnawing question is where will the rarely read go. Some will no doubt fly off to other venues to express their view, others will fly in and out as the smell of blog worthy news hits their tiny nostrils (do gnats have nostrils), and yet others will fly off completely.
Dialogue, between those with opposing views, as of yet, is not the norm among blogs just as it is not the norm in society. If you listen to talk radio, the norm is one side or the other advocating, of defending, their view, not a dialogue between the two. If you watch television news or read a newspaper, you are subjected to a view of the sensational, or the sensationalization (probably not a word) of the only semi-important or minimally interesting, and far too little information about the important. This week for instance, we have the Pistons and Pacers skirmish turning into a brawl with the fans, the hullabaloo about the ABC TV show Desperate Housewives, or Target’s undue sensitivity resulting in hurting those who are in need of sensitivity. The various sides have taken their stand to decry the falling virtue in America, the out of control culture of music, sports and entertainment personalities, and the irresponsible or weak kneed corporate leadership.
If the blogosphere becomes an extension of the news media, and nothing more, then it too will cease to be of significance to many. The good news is that the personal nature of blogging permits the interest of the minority and the majority to be expressed and when done solely for the expression, rather than for the response or for external gain, found in fame or fortune, it is more worthwhile and substantial. Only the foolish gnat believes that he'll be the next vulture (hired pundit) and all gnats buzzing about for their own joy of doing so are likely to find their aim fulfilled.
So where will this rarely read blog go. Right where it has been all along, blogging to express a single view, consistent or inconsistent, as the issues prompt. The joy of doing it will remain whether or not you respond, whether or not dialogue sprouts, and thankfully, whether or not this blog remains forever, rarely read.
