Okay. Deep breath, Andy. And – exhale…
Blogs are more than diaries.
Relegating blogs to the dustbin of horny teen voyeur-cams and geek-addled techie rants is a huge dis-service to the blog format. Just because you can’t find good blogs to read doesn’t mean there aren’t any.
Blogs look like diaries.
No doubt. Entries. Archives. Chronological order. Penchant for personal revelations. But that just talks about the cosmetics. Look deeper.
The big deal is in how blogs are updated.
Shift your thinking from blogs, the site, to blogging, the practice. The idea that you can login from any internet connection in the world and publish anything you write, think, read, photograph, record or feel is a massive step forward for online publishing. The barriers to publishing online have been lowered. You don’t have to know HTML to write a blog. Sure, that means there’s a lot of amateur writing out there and pointless publishing – but how is that different from any low-entry-barrier medium like photography, photocopying or pirate radio? Don’t blame the media (blame the messengers!).
Moving from the published post to the act of blogging is key in understanding their impact. When anyone can say anything about anyone, the field is leveled and grandma can take down a national ad campaign by complaining how much their products stink. You, as a small business, have the potential to reach as many readers as The New York Times or other corporate, mainstream media channel. It is the original promise of the internet – all over again.
So, next time someone dismisses blogs as mere diaries – you tell ’em what’s up.
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