Willow Tree

WHY Blog?

Via Feminist, via Trout Fishing, via For Myself and Strangers comes this series of questions. Go for it!

Sherri requests that

if you keep a weblog, I challenge/beg and plead with you to copy these, answer them, and challenge others with them. If you do it, please post a comment to let me know. I know this is ripe for humor and some of you will succumb, but I'd be curious about serious or semi-serious responses. (I'll answer these myself in another post)

Why Blog? Quiz And remember, be honest. This is for posterity...

1) Why do you keep your weblog/blog/online writing thingie: for fun, for fame, for money, for popularity, or for another more obscur reason? What about the weblog gives you what you want?

2) Imagine that your weblog becomes wildly popular: your hit counter skyrockets, your comments are overflowing, and everyone is emailing you about everything you post. Name 3 positive things that could come of this, and 3negative things.

3) What's the worst possible result you can imagine (short of being electrocuted or having your computer take over your brain, and who says it hasn't already?) from keeping a weblog?

4) What do you do to prevent that worst possible result from happening?

5) List 5 reasons that would make you stop keeping your weblog for a period of 6months to a year.

6) List 5 reasons that would make you stop forever.

7) Describe your definition of a "successful weblog".

8) Is yours successful by your definition?

9) What pisses you off most in other weblogs? What pleases you most?

10) Make a list of 10 weblogs/journal style websites that you wish your weblog/website/writing site was like.

Go on, try it.

My answers below:

1) Why do you keep your weblog/blog/online writing thingie: for fun, for fame, for money, for popularity, or for another more obscur reason? What about the weblog gives you what you want?
For pleasure. To communicate. To express myself and develop friendships with people I may never see. For many of the same reasons I penpal.

2) Imagine that your weblog becomes wildly popular: your hit counter skyrockets, your comments are overflowing, and everyone is emailing you about everything you post. Name 3 positive things that could come of this, and 3negative things.
Positive effects:
1. I well known, or even not so well known magazine or newspaper asks me to write a column for them. I become rich and famous throughout the world.
2. People start throwing roses and bowing before me wherever I go. I sign many autographs.
3. Some extremely rich, elderly person, who has no relatives, finds solace in my words, and decides to put me in his/her will. After many years of life (120) s/he dies peacefully is his/her sleep and I become a multi-millionaire, purchase and build up my house and start an orginaztion to help train and begin businesses for those who are impoverished.

Negavie effects:
1.Spam e-mails
2.Spam comments
3.Spam pings

3) What's the worst possible result you can imagine (short of being electrocuted or having your computer take over your brain, and who says it hasn't already?) from keeping a weblog?
carpal tunnel syndrome? Eyestrain? Loss of ability to communicate with spoken words?

4) What do you do to prevent that worst possible result from happening?
Pop my wrist, rub my eyes, bring a pad of paper and pens everywhere and claim I'm mute.

5) List 5 reasons that would make you stop keeping your weblog for a period of 6months to a year.
1. No more computer (AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH)
2. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH (same as above)
3. It starts being a pain, not fun
4. I actually do get a paid writing job and need to earn my keep.
5. Somethings I don't want to think about.

6) List 5 reasons that would make you stop forever.

1. I'm kidnapped by aliens and their computer won't talk to earths computers.
2. My hands break off and start a life of their own. ((shades of Clive Barker)
3. I become a mermaid. Computers and water do not mix.
4. The end of the world as we know it.
5. Somethings I don't want to think about.

7) Describe your definition of a "successful weblog".
Faithful readers and commentators. I think for me success would be a sustained readership of about 50 people, not that they would have to read and comment everyday, but that they would be there frequently.

8) Is yours successful by your definition?
No, not yet. Maybe it won't be, but I have a lot of good friends who read all the time and that makes me happy.

9) What pisses you off most in other weblogs? What pleases you most?
I don't read weblogs that "piss me off". If I don't enjoy the path of a weblog I simply don't read it. That doesn't mean someone else won't enjoy reading it (which is why I try not to criticize a weblob, even if I criticize a particular post.) As far as what gives me the most pleasure; it would be wit, interesting topics, something to think about, even if I don't agree with the hosts position.

10) Make a list of 10 weblogs/journal style websites that you wish your weblog/website/writing site was like.
Oh, I hate questions like this, however, if I must limit myself to 10.
1.Snooze Button Dreams (he's just fun)
2.Rishon, Rishon. I wish I could convery my religious thoughts as well as he can.
3.Alas A Blog. Even when I disagree with him, he writes well, and respectfully. I like a good debate, not slam dunking someone else's opinions into the ground.
4. A Scratched Pearl (damn good writing)
5. The Glass Wall (good writing and sketches.)
6. Light and Dark (some very interesting conversations)
7. Feminist (good writing, good topics)
8. Mozemen's Blues (and I'm jealous of her spining/crocheting/kniting abilities)
9. Random Pensees (love the cute kid stories, and great topics all around)
10.The Flying Space Monkey (because he is utterly ridiculous and laughter is the best medicine.)
It was hard to choose ten. honestly. But this is about style, not just substance, and while I quite enjoy othe blogs the style is not something that I ever feel I could emulate no matter how populare it is. It is just not the style for me.
now you go ahead and try.

Posted by Rachel Ann at May 11, 2005 06:47 AM