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What’s Wrong with Blogging? – Take 2

Posted By Darren Rowse 4th of February 2006 Pro Blogging News 0 Comments

200602031759Last year I did something that I thought I’d never do (as a lover of blogs) – I invited readers to share what they thought was wrong with blogging and today I think it’s time to do it again.

I introduced the question last time by sharing a story of a debate between a Christian group and Pagan group where each group was asked to not argue FOR their own belief system but to share what they disliked about it. The result was fascinating.

Instead of it ending in an angry fight where everyone just had their beliefs reinforced the debate was actually quite constructive with both groups coming away having learnt something about the other and more importantly themselves.

Out of this story I invited readers to share (in a similar spirit) what they felt was ‘wrong’ with Blogging.

The benefits of Blogging are often talked up as though they are the answer to every online need – but I think most of us if we are honest would admit that it’s a format that does have limitations and has room for improvement. So – like last year – I thought I’d pose the question again.

What’s wrong with blogging? What are it’s limitations, weaknesses and where does it need to improve?

My hope is that by answering this question and deconstructing blogging a little we can play a part in the improvement of blogging as a whole. By identifying what’s wrong perhaps we can improve it.

Like last time the rules are simple – say anything you like about blogging as long as it’s not positive (note: I’m not inviting you to critique individual bloggers – but the medium itself). You can do this in comments below or by writing a post on your own blog (just leave a link below so we can find it). There are no wrongs and rights and everyone’s critique of the medium are valid and welcome.

So – what’s wrong with blogging?

About Darren Rowse
Darren Rowse is the founder and editor of ProBlogger Blog Tips and Digital Photography School. Learn more about him here and connect with him on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.
Comments
  1. whats wrong with blogging?

    The obsession with the economy of links. The drive by the blogger to maximise adsense earnings and not write well. Blogging is the Television of Writing.

    Original Blogging? Does it exist? Thats why i created my website.

  2. This is great stuff guys … a real wake-up call for all of us who are blogaholics…

    Here’s mine:

    1. the massive growth of comment spam
    2. ditto splogs
    3. the term “blogosphere” and “blogroll”
    4. manic posting: 20 posts in a week and then nothing for months …
    5. information overload (aka: rss feeds)
    6. Technorati – what a mess
    7. spelling – their, they’re, there
    8. linkbaiting gone too far
    9. as #29 said – too linear, lots of good posts get missed
    10. top 10 lists just to get dugg :-)

  3. My biggest disappointment is that the blogosphere is like high school.

    Very cliquish…there are popular kids, then everyone else.

    That the fraternity mentality makes their behavior acceptable – cheating off of one another’s papers, (quote/link/trackback) making fun of those they see as “beneath them.”

    That if an “important” blogger doesn’t acknowledge you, you’re nobody.

    That you have to “dress” (blog design) like everyone else.

    The childish in-fighting of the in-crowd.

    The “prom” atmosphere of awards. If you’re not nominated (have a date) you are somehow inferior.

  4. This cartoon sums it up for me …it can become an obsession
    http://www.londonstimes.us/toons/cartoons/Simeon_BlobsBlog.jpg

    Rob

  5. My main problem: 99% Bullshit. Barely any bloggers provide research analysis, they only point to people’s research/content and add 100 words of pedestrian commentary.

  6. […] Darren Rowse of Problogger.Net has started an interesting discussion on ‘Whats wrong with Blogging?’. […]

  7. the only thing I can see wrong with blogging is the massive amount of blogs that are almost all about the same subject.

  8. The only things that really bothers me is that fact that everything is dated. Even if you find something really great on a niche blog that hardly anyone reads, if it was posted more than a month ago it feels like old news.

    Oh and blog awards. Yawn.

  9. Blogging is like everything else in life. If you are good at it, you will succeed. If you want it bad enough you will figure out how to rise to the top.

    Blogging is the ultimate capital market place. Blogging can also be the ultimate socialistic center. Blogging is what you make of it.

    Pierre Cutler

  10. Leon,
    Wanna Let you Know That I Just Added My Sitemeter A Day Ago.
    Im Blogging Since November 2005. Im not That Great Blogger Like Darren
    lolz That 14 regular reader in just 157 hits…

  11. What bothers me most about blogging are the blog snobs. Not to single out Cas (#13) above, but too many people get hung up on the platform or the bells-and-whistles like comments, and ignore the only thing that really defines a worthwhile site: content.

    As a blogger who doesn’t use blog software (yes, it can be done!) I get a lot of grief from blogerati who feel my site doesn’t conform to prevailing standards. My readers, the ones who seem to care more about content than gimmicks, don’t seem to care.

    I’ve written a more detailed defense of why bells-and-whistles aren’t as important as content, along with my liberal definition of what a blog, is here.

  12. What’s wrong with blogging? Too many darned comments! I mean, who wants to read a long blog post about “What’s wrong with blogging”, and THEN read 61 comments about the same topic?

  13. […] journey. For example – I’ve asked readers a couple of times to answer the question ‘What’s wrong with blogging?‘ – the results were illuminating and I know that a number of new blog tools were written to […]

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