Tagged: Thursday Night Metablogging

Oh well, there goes my integrity! Someone (Arthur) has tagged me and hence as per chain-letters-esque etiquette, I must blog a reply.

Incidentally, I wonder if Ms Bishop thinks that all English teachers do is de-construct chain letters? I know she probably thinks that all they do is deconstruct spam emails (as pointed out by Arthur), but then a the world of doublethink, she can think several different things about teachers, both simultaneously and exclusively. Okay, I'm being half-silly. I'm supposed to be entertaining a chain-blog-thing, so here goes...

1-Do you like the look and the contents of your blog?

I like the content, although I've got a backlog of draft blogs. As for the look, yeah sure. I've just got to tidy up my sidebar some more, but aside from that, all's good.

2-Does your family know about your blog?

My brothers and my cousin do.

3-Can you tell your friends about your blog? Do you consider it a private thing?

A number of my friends already know about it.

4-Do you just read the blogs of those who comment on your blog? or you try to discover new blogs?

I try to discover new blogs. I want to have a scan of the blogosphere after I tidy up my sidebar, so I can have a "blogs I regularly read section." I'm reviewing what I read.

5-Did your blog positively affect (sic) your mind? Give an example.

It has and is helping my writing style. I've become quicker at citing logical fallacies, and I am probably a bit more understanding of why some people indulge in them (wanting to be empowered in debate, but without either or both skills of reason or a reasonable position).

6-What does the number of visitors to your blog mean? Do you use a traffic counter?

I'm a quality rather than quantity person. Sure, there is a critical mass to these kinds of things, but I'd rather have five reasonable participants than twenty sophists.

7-Did you imagine how other bloggers look like?

Oh geez. With some of the predation that had gone on in the blogosphere over the past year, the likeness of other bloggers is something I'm sick of seeing exposed. If bloggers want to show their own photos, fine. If others want to expose them, then not. Either way, I don't care what they look like.

8-Do you think blogging has any real benefit?

With busy schedules keeping people apart these days, the multi-participant, interactive nature of blogs has afforded a much needed means of correspondence. There is perhaps an imbalance in the power of the blogosphere though. While most bloggers are supposed to be progressive, conservative lobbying has been more successful on the blogosphere.

Dan Rather's career was ended by right-wing bloggers (and his own errata). No amount of blogosphere campaigning will shut down right-wing journos; for example, Piers Ackerman for his poorly researched Play School bungle. However, this probably has less to do with the blogosphere and more to do with the lower standards held of conservative journalists by their employers.

9-Do you think that the blogosphere is a stand alone community separated from the real world?

No. This is a false dichotomy. Blogs are a part of the "real world".

10-Do some political blogs scare you? Do you avoid them?

Stormfront. Well, I'm more afraid of the consequences of their stupidity and I avoid them, not out of fear, but in order to better spend my valuable time.

The more genuinely scary blogs are the ones that involve crusades against other bloggers. I think this comes about as a result of some kind of sociopathy, where an individual who can't interact with others offline (because of violent tendencies, abusive nature, anti-social personality etc) sublimate their sociopathy through unwanted interaction with others online. Cyber stalkers, internet squadristi, trolls, flame warriors, call them what you want; there are some sick puppies out there, and the blogosphere gives them interaction that is likely denied them in their off-line lives.

11-Do you think that criticizing your blog is useful?

Absolutely.

12-Have you ever thought about what would happen to your blog in case you died?

Yes. Oh those unfinished drafts!

13-Which blogger had the greatest impression on you?

Oh geez. I pretty much do my own thing.

14-Which blogger do you think is the most similar to you?

Arthur of Five Public Opinions perhaps? Or maybe 'Sprogoloficus Van Dickinyde'. Not entirely because of their blogging of course.

15-Name a song you want to listen to?

Killing Joke - Love Like Blood (I'm listening to it now.)

I, in turn, tag: Mikey, Blisters & Weeds, Broken Left Leg, Doug and Romana.