Blogging

[bladespark]

Am I a blogger?

It is a question I roll about in my mind every time I happen across one of those meta-blogs, the blogs about how to blog. I find myself idly contemplating those little lists of ways to attract readers and ways to be a "good" blogger and so on and wondering if I'd get any more readership if I treated this like a blog rather than like a journal.

Because really I use it as a journal. I write about me, and what I care about. I write to you, my audience, but I don't write for you, I write for me. A lot of what I put up here I put up because I want to get it off my chest, especially the more serious stuff, and of course I post my cats and my snake and my latest project because I want your opinions and praise, and to share these things with you, but that's still, really, about me. About my wanting attention and praise and comments and so on.

So I don't know... am I a blogger? What makes a blog different from a journal? Does the fact that most of my content is me-centric mean it's not a blog?

And for that matter, with all this me-centric stuff, and with the number of readers I have, most of which aren't really close friends, I have to wonder why some of you are reading. (190 people have this friended*, if I'm looking at the right number, though I know some of those are effectively defunct journals,) Are you here just for the snake/fursuits/ponies? Do you like to see me froth over silly things? Am I actually that interesting? Or am I that much of a train wreck? A lot of you don't comment much, so I don't really even know who you are, or what you think about most of what I say.

Heck, I'll just ask... if you read this blog, comment and let me know why! This inquiring mind wants to know! If you don't really read it and just skim for the pictures, you can let me know that too. I don't think my feelings will be hurt if you don't follow my posts because you love me to death. And I'm really curious about some of you, particularly the folks I don't know from Adam.

Why do you read?

*That's my livejournal, though I've posted this over on insanejournal as well, where I have 12 readers, but I'm pretty sure they all overlap the lj readership.

Comments

[ellixis.livejournal.com]

It's a journal, but it's an open journal, unless one locks it to private. I consider my LJ to be kind of a semi-private forum, really.

I watch and read you because I like you and I like to read what you have to say and I like to know what's going on with you.

[thalass.livejournal.com]

There really needs to be a way to put other *J blogs in your flist, regardless of which *J you actually use. I'm on GreatestJournal, you see, and it'd be good if I could friend you over on IJ. :P

[bladespark.livejournal.com]

Indeed. I've thought about getting a GJ too, but I dunno. I only know one or two people there, and I've heard they have some really irking rules about images and/or copyrights, which makes me wary.

[harliquinnraver.livejournal.com]

i think youre interesting. i like to read your thoughts and views on stuff and i <3 ponies and stuff. ^-^

*vaguest answer possible*

[bladespark.livejournal.com]

All answers are good answers!

[tarathene.livejournal.com]

Because I'm secretly stalking you and I'm an emo kid and I think your icons are cute!

Or not, because two of those are false. But you are interesting and, well, I'd like to think of you as at least sort of a friend if not actually a friend. +fav!!

(Yes, this comment is rife with sarcasm. Only at the very beginning and end though. ^^)

[cow.livejournal.com]

I think it's a lot of the above. I tend to read a wide variety of people; people from different countries, backgrounds, religions, political systems, whatever. The two things most of them have in common is that they're doing something interesting, and that they write about interesting things.

Your rants tend to be neat; your costumes/fursuits/etc are usually really interesting--and I'm an amateur costumer as well as someone who just enjoys seeing people dressed up in nifty things, so that definitely helps; and you tend to have perspectives that are different and well thought out.

[cow.livejournal.com]

Oh, also, you tend to pay attention to a lot of the wacky stuff LJ's been doing over the last while; several of the interesting links I saw here first, so that's another interesting thing I read for.

[bladespark.livejournal.com]

I'm glad somebody finds the lj policy stuff interesting. I know at least one person that's annoyed by all the posting about it. But hey, if I stopped doing things because they annoyed people, I wouldn't do very many things at all.

[tieran.livejournal.com]

I like reading about your views and stuff. And of all your projects and ponies and things X3. Basically, what a lot of other people are saying. :3

I first friended you because (I'll admit it) it was a way to keep up with the construction of the Sei-Rah suit a bit, but now I just follow 'cause I want to X3

[crystallinegirl.livejournal.com]

Because you and JJ are friends, and people Alex cares about. So I like to know what's going on. Besides that? The ponies are awesome, I want a snake, and I love seeing your costuming works of art. :)

[silveradept]

You have interesting content, through the virtue of being yourself and posting about what you want to post about. I wonder if that really isn't the case for everyone who has a blog/journal - people read it because they find it interesting. So long as you continue to be interesting, people will read your work. And you have the added benefit of not having to stick to a particular theme.

[reaverta.livejournal.com]

What he said~

[emirasan.livejournal.com]

I read your journal to see what is going on in your life. The pictures you post are nice too, but not the main reason I read.

[doran-eirok.livejournal.com]

I read because you're a friend and I'm interested to hear what's going on in your life. I also like seeing the pictures when you post them of projects you're working on or cute things your pets are doing. So the 'journal' aspect of it is the parts that I tend to especially care about, though it seems like it takes on slightly more 'bloggish' tendencies from time to time when you're taking a stand on some issue and posting a discussion or rant on it. Sometimes I skim those more than reading every single word, but I value those posts a lot too because you're a really clever and thoughtful person with really intelligent and philosophical views on things.

[catwoman69y2k.livejournal.com]

Oh jeez. So its almost as if you cannot draw anyone that even if the character is over 18, looks younger. Umm.....

WTF?

*Peeks Head in room*

[arctic-shephard.livejournal.com]

I like reading everything, mostly the Furry stuff, snakes. As I have order one thing from you before. *Grin* And Will be ordering soon again. . . Something to get you a big challenge. . .

:P Keep up the good work.

[lightgreendryad.livejournal.com]

I read because your world is something new. Furries are something I've never heard about before and you are my one source of education. I read because we have two, maybe three cities in common, and two schools in common as well. I read because we met twice and connected relatively well both times.

I read because you're a fascinating character. The bishi doll stuff I skipped, some of the snake stuff I skip, and I only click on a few of your links (because you've got a ton). I look at most of the pictures. I plan to get a Windstone sometime in my lifetime, most likely after kids, and your hobby with ponies makes me smile.

As far as the blogging stuff goes, I know the rest of the world does not consider LJ to be a blogging community. They consider it to be a social networking community. And as much as I love the look of Blogger, the name is hideous (dumb reason, I know) and all my friends have gathered here. And we're serious writers, even if no one recognizes the place we write.

I've never liked the term "blog". It's just so ugly. But blog denotes writing with good grammar and punctuation, coherent ideas from an individual's life experiences. It describes blog, but it also describes journal as well.

[mavikfelna.livejournal.com]

Firstly is probably cause I've met you and like you.

Secondly is probably because you write about intersting stuff and it's fun to see what you're up to or what's making you crazy.

Lastly is probably some secret hope that JJ will get stolen by aliens and you'll become available. ;)

--Mav

[jordanis.livejournal.com]

If I get abducted, I'll suborn their government and return at the head of an immense alien battlefleet.

[poncelet.livejournal.com]

You are a blogger. The difference between this blog and, say, gizmodo, is that your blog isn't a business. Gizmodo is.

I read your blog for the TMI posts. I consider them a valuable insight into a culture to which I belong, but can never quite get all the way into for some reason. ;-) And I also read your blog because you comment in mine. It's common courtesy!

[lanabananaotter.livejournal.com]

The bit about your costume is hilarious!
I love live music. It's so enjoyable. Often it's too loud though, so I have to wear ear-plugs. >3<

Anyway, I like to read your journal because you're an interesting person. You're mature, and can spell well, and post often (which is good), and you have a good head on your shoulders.
I agree with many of your opinions, too. Add that to the fact that you're the first (and definetly one of the best) fursuit makers that I stumbled across and you've got yourself a great journal. :3

[lanabananaotter.livejournal.com]

Oops. For some reason I thought this and your concert entry were one and the same. >3

[bladespark.livejournal.com]

That's okay, I knew what you meant!

[kainhighwind-dr.livejournal.com]

In a word? Voyeurism! *LOL*

No, not really. I was attracted to your journal first because A) I recognized you from the past, and B) found you interesting, and an awful lot like myself.

I continue to read now as a "real-life" friend, even if we don't completely know one another. I like to see what you're up to, just like my other friends. You also have a lot of cool stuff to show off. *G*

[kainhighwind-dr.livejournal.com]

Ah yes, and you have the religious and furry stuff for me to learn. Always wanting to understand things better that I don't know intimately for myself.

And hey, now that I know better what the heck furry REALLY is (the fandom-for-anthropomorphic-animals and/or animal-inner-spirit thing) I guess I can say I fit right in. *LOL*