Comments on: Self dot com http://www.charlesgallant.com/2006/10/31/self-dot-com/ It's about thinking. Sun, 07 Feb 2010 00:24:37 -0800 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: admin http://www.charlesgallant.com/2006/10/31/self-dot-com/comment-page-1/#comment-92 admin Thu, 16 Nov 2006 05:03:01 +0000 http://www.charlesgallant.com/2006/10/31/self-dot-com/#comment-92 Thanks for the great comments on this one. You both bring up interesting points, that keep reminding me of this question about the 'intent' of a blog. It's an "unedited autobiography," or a place "for friends." Many people that I encourage to start writing tell me that they have "nothing important to say." One of the coolest things that I've learned thus far with this thing, is that once you get past all that, it has the potential to really impact your learning in a positive way. People are quick to make a value judgment about blogging. Perhaps it's because blogs remind us of some other things that we've had around for a while: writing (more specifically, traditional print publishing), and websites (they were also called "home pages" at one point). For me, it's something on a completely new scale, and however you define it, it's changing everything. Thanks for the great comments on this one. You both bring up interesting points, that keep reminding me of this question about the ‘intent’ of a blog. It’s an “unedited autobiography,” or a place “for friends.” Many people that I encourage to start writing tell me that they have “nothing important to say.” One of the coolest things that I’ve learned thus far with this thing, is that once you get past all that, it has the potential to really impact your learning in a positive way.

People are quick to make a value judgment about blogging. Perhaps it’s because blogs remind us of some other things that we’ve had around for a while: writing (more specifically, traditional print publishing), and websites (they were also called “home pages” at one point). For me, it’s something on a completely new scale, and however you define it, it’s changing everything.

]]> By: candice http://www.charlesgallant.com/2006/10/31/self-dot-com/comment-page-1/#comment-80 candice Sat, 11 Nov 2006 08:09:29 +0000 http://www.charlesgallant.com/2006/10/31/self-dot-com/#comment-80 It took me a long time, years, really, to find a writing voice online that I didn't hate. And I just write for my friends, really. (And anyone else who happens to find it interesting.) But keep at it, it will get better, and you'll like it more. I like what you've started here. It took me a long time, years, really, to find a writing voice online that I didn’t hate. And I just write for my friends, really. (And anyone else who happens to find it interesting.) But keep at it, it will get better, and you’ll like it more.

I like what you’ve started here.

]]> By: Josh http://www.charlesgallant.com/2006/10/31/self-dot-com/comment-page-1/#comment-63 Josh Wed, 08 Nov 2006 23:16:43 +0000 http://www.charlesgallant.com/2006/10/31/self-dot-com/#comment-63 I think it's almost a truism that you never like what you've written the day after you write it. But a week or so later, it doesn't look so bad. A year or more later, it can be positively heartening, and definitely interesting (and still, sometimes, embarrassing -- sometimes it's just crap and time doesn't change that). The blog as a medium is actually very boring to me so far, and I say that as someone who's gone through at least six or seven websites that weren't all blogs in the most technical sense (some were), but that were all boring for the same reason that the blog as medium is boring to me: It's usually just an unedited autobiography about someone who probably no one'd ever bother to biographize. I mean, as much as I have setting up my links and writing an About page and installing a plugin so that everyone can see what I'm listening to on iTunes, once it's all done, it's kind of like, <em>Ooookaaay....</em> I agree with <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Technopoly-Surrender-Technology-Neil-Postman/dp/0679745408/sr=8-1/qid=1163026662/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/103-2848008-7766215?ie=UTF8&s=books" rel="nofollow">Neil Postman</a> that we're suffering from an information glut, so I feel, honestly, a little guilty for contributing to that. Who cares if I'm listening to the new TV on the Radio album? The biggest change that I see blogs have wrought is the relative ease of access they provide to the Web. When I first started using Blogger in summer 2005, what I liked most was how <em>simple</em> it was to dash something off and make it appear on my site. Before that, I was literally editing HTML code on my laptop, opening my FTP client, and dropping it in whenever I wanted to change something. And if I found a typo -- oh, crap. I had to do it all over again. Now I use WordPress, and you know it's got a few options that make it a little higher-end than Blogger, but it's still something my mom could master pretty quickly. I've been thinking a lot about group blogging lately, and I wonder if there won't be a shift that way. <a href="http://heavysoul.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow">A friend of mine I haven't seen in years</a> and his friends created a group blog with the intent of just being able to hang out and share stuff online, and I'm sure tons of other people have done the same. I'm pretty sure I'll start something that like shortly for my friends and me, if they're interested, if only because we're much more entertaining (remember, that's relative) in concert than as individuals. It would also stop them from emailing me 5MB mp3s. I think it’s almost a truism that you never like what you’ve written the day after you write it. But a week or so later, it doesn’t look so bad. A year or more later, it can be positively heartening, and definitely interesting (and still, sometimes, embarrassing — sometimes it’s just crap and time doesn’t change that).

The blog as a medium is actually very boring to me so far, and I say that as someone who’s gone through at least six or seven websites that weren’t all blogs in the most technical sense (some were), but that were all boring for the same reason that the blog as medium is boring to me: It’s usually just an unedited autobiography about someone who probably no one’d ever bother to biographize. I mean, as much as I have setting up my links and writing an About page and installing a plugin so that everyone can see what I’m listening to on iTunes, once it’s all done, it’s kind of like, Ooookaaay…. I agree with Neil Postman that we’re suffering from an information glut, so I feel, honestly, a little guilty for contributing to that. Who cares if I’m listening to the new TV on the Radio album?

The biggest change that I see blogs have wrought is the relative ease of access they provide to the Web. When I first started using Blogger in summer 2005, what I liked most was how simple it was to dash something off and make it appear on my site. Before that, I was literally editing HTML code on my laptop, opening my FTP client, and dropping it in whenever I wanted to change something. And if I found a typo — oh, crap. I had to do it all over again. Now I use WordPress, and you know it’s got a few options that make it a little higher-end than Blogger, but it’s still something my mom could master pretty quickly.

I’ve been thinking a lot about group blogging lately, and I wonder if there won’t be a shift that way. A friend of mine I haven’t seen in years and his friends created a group blog with the intent of just being able to hang out and share stuff online, and I’m sure tons of other people have done the same. I’m pretty sure I’ll start something that like shortly for my friends and me, if they’re interested, if only because we’re much more entertaining (remember, that’s relative) in concert than as individuals. It would also stop them from emailing me 5MB mp3s.

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