What is the key to a good blog?

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I have been thinking about the comments that have been made to me about posting on a particular topic. 

I have a cause that I believe in with all of my heart and soul, and moving to Idaho made that reality more pronounced because of legal situations that prevent me from getting the medication that I need, and that could have helped to of my family members who have died from cancer. 

I have heard many times, I mean many many many times from a few select individuals on this site how bad my conversations are for this site, and how it is so horrible that they have to read my topics (btw-  There is no requirement to read this)

So I have been scouting out what it takes to make a good blog. 

The points illustrated in this blog post seem to be a common consensus.  But as to not alarm the link police, I will only use one link here. 

http://www.43folders.com/2008/08/19/good-blogs

Point 1.

Good blogs have a voice. Who wrote this? What is their name? What can I figure out about who they are that they have never overtly told me? What’s their personality like and what do they have to contribute — even when it’s “just” curation. What tics and foibles fascinate make me about this blog and the person who makes it? Most importantly: what obsesses this person?

I complete agree with this point entirely, which is why the anonymous posters  (even the ones who use their first names) are so inconsiquential to me.   The less identity you reveal, the less your comments mean to me.   But this is the same anywhere.  If you are going to have an opinion, and no identity your opinion isn’t worth much anywhere.

Point 2.

Good blogs reflect focused obsessions. People start real blogs because they think about something a lot. Maybe even five things. But, their brain so overflows with curiosity about a family of topics that they can’t stop reading and writing about it. They make and consume smart forebrain porn. So: where do this person’s obsessions take them?

Again, this is something that I completely agree with.  So many people here are so offended by my obession with marijuana legalization.  But that’s the point, this is a topic very close to my heart and a very urgent need in my life.  I am truly obessed.  But in the realm of interesting topics, it’s obvious that my obession was not only effective for my own cause, but it generated a lot of activity on this message board.  Inconsiquential topics like “Barry’s fry house is changing locations” is really not a hot topic.   Which would explain why most of the posts in this message board get little if any response.

Point 3.

Good blogs are the product of “Attention times Interest.” A blog shows me where someone’s attention tends to go. Then, on some level, they encourage me to follow the evolution of their interest through a day or a year. There’s a story here. Ethical “via” links make it easy for me to follow their specific trail of attention, then join them for a walk made out of words.

This is key for me.  A one time wam bam thank you mam isn’t the way I blog.  If I am truly concerned about a topic I make sure that is expressed in my words.  As this point makes, it is necessary to provide links, and resources so that someone can follow the full range of the story being told, they can follow the train of thought of the person posting it if they desire to. 

Point 4.

Good blog posts are made of paragraphs. Blog posts are written, not defecated. They show some level of craft, thinking, and continuity beyond the word count mandated by the Owner of Your Plantation. If a blog has fixed limits on post minimums and maximums? It’s not a blog: it’s a website that hires writers. Which is fine. But, it’s not really a blog.

 I agree with this.  The little posts that I see on blogs where someone posts a few lines of thought, and drops the conversation isn’t a blog, it’s a brain-fart IMHO.  Paragraphs, Refernces, and Pictures are very important for a good blog post, again in my opinion.

Point 5.

Good “non-post” blogs have style and curation. Some of the best blogs use unusual formats, employ only photos and video, or utilize the list format to artistic effect. I regret there are not more blogs that see format as the container for creativity — rather than an excuse to write less or link without context more.

 How can I not agree with this, I live by these words. 

Point 6.

Good blogs are weird. Blogs make fart noises and occasionally vex readers with the degree to which the blogger’s obsession will inevitably diverge from the reader’s. If this isn’t happening every few weeks, the blogger is either bored, half-assing, or taking new medication.

Enough said here.  I couldn’t agree more.  This is probably the best point of the entire article.

Point 7.

Good blogs make you want to start your own blog. At some point, everyone wants to kill the Buddha and make their own obsessions the focus. This is good. It means you care.

I started ‘blogging’ when I was 13 and I had a Commodore 64, and a 300 baud modem kit that I got from a buddy and we soldered things together, and got on “Fidonet” and a bunch of local bulletin boards.   By the time I was 15, I was helping my buddy debug his message board built on an old 386 on a Unix platform, it was a gaming and message platform called “Dark Fortress”.   I was hooked.  After a few years I worked on other small platforms such as an Amiga server called “Psionic Blue” and posted hundreds of posts a week.  I eventually dropped out of highschool and taught myself how to program in multiple languages..   (I went back later and continued on to college).   But ‘blogging’ or posting on message boards inspired this in me.   The message boards that I went to when I was a kid were full of progressive and thoughtful people that challenged me to my core.   Now I own 33 domains, and I keep collecting more and more.  What can I say, Im obessed.  OCD?  For blogging, definately.  But I think I also like the programming, and graphic design part of it too.  It’s like being a painter that can’t stop painting I guess.

Point 8.

Good blogs try. I’ve come to believe that creative life in the first-world comes down to those who try just a little bit harder. Then, there’s the other 98%. They’re still eating the free continental breakfast over at FriendFeed. A good blog is written by a blogger who thinks longer, works harder, and obsesses more. Ultimately, a good blogger tries. That’s why “good” is getting rare.

I have to agree with this.  I see some of the best posters on this blog have their own blog, or radio show, or whatever.   It’s obvious that there is a dedication, a passion, a love for writing and inspiring others.   Those that come only to post one liners, or who come to irritate someone else show no passion, no life, no inspiration.  I prefer those who are wierd, corky, and passionate as opposed to the anonymous one liners that exist out there.

Point 9.

Good blogs know when to break their own rules.

He makes a good point here, and he made a list that is linked on his original post.  Read it if you’re curious. 

 

In summary, I see that this site is truly waning in traffic right now, and I can only think of how uninspiring the posts are that are getting posted (not all, but most)..   It seems like for a few weeks, people were ONLY posting to drown out posts that they didn’t like to see.  They would post  a few lines or a single paragraph and then finish never to come back to that post again.   Dead fish anyone?

Im sure that there are many people who would like to say something here but probably are refraining from speaking up, because they don’t want to deal with all of the drama.   Why can’t some people post constructively?  It seems like they just can’t do it.  

Anyway, that is my point of view.   What do you think makes a good blog?

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Tagged as: anonymous, blogging, blogs, obsession, trolls