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Success in Finding a Worthwhile Blog

Do our habits and attitudes carry over from "old" technology to newer tech? For instance, many people (and most men) do not like to shop. They already know what they want when they go into a store. They want to find it quickly, buy it, and get the hell out of there.

But what happens when the reluctant shopper has to go to a search engine on the internet? How can he not growl at the 3.6 million hits for his search? That's as growl-able as going to a flea market at Quartzsite in January, and sifting through a ton of unsorted detritus piled up on a table.

Recently I've been complaining a lot about wasting time on the internet, reading repetitious trivia. And yes, I have considered the possibility that some of this problem is self-inflicted. Perhaps I would find something fresh and worthwhile to read if I stopped being so impatient with those search engines.

Where are the blogs that are reminiscent of the periodical essays of the 1700s? So I used "periodical essay" as my search phrase and soon ended up at http://essays.quotidiana.org/, an excellent collection of essays from the last couple hundred years.

But what about new essays of this type? Why do blogs chase the number of "pageviews" or the longest list of "friends and followers", who are just trivial readers of the blog's free daily trivia? The internet would be a much better place if bloggers showed the manly grace of Samuel Johnson when he concluded The Rambler, his first series of periodical essays, in 1752: 
I am far from supposing, that the cessation of my performances will raise any inquiry, for I have never been much of a favourite with the public...
I have never complied with temporary curiosity, nor enabled my readers to discuss the topic of the day.
The average internet blog of our era does nothing but pander to temporary curiosity and the hot new meme of the day. Three days later, the meme has dropped into oblivion.

Comments

Ed said…
I am guilty as charged!

Quotidiana is a gold mine. I can see where I'll be spending some more of my time. Thanks for the link!
Tesaje said…
That looks interesting. To put it into perspective, people of Samuel Johnson's day wrote letters to each other full of trivia about their daily lives. Few wrote interestingly enough for posterity to want their letters if they weren't burned by relatives upon death. Now, what remains is only of interest for a historical view into a world long gone. Except for those few people with the talent to write well and have interesting thoughts to express - then we collect those into books.


I look at today's blogs as simply the same as the letter writers of yore. The chasing of numbers is a dull endeavor, I agree. Occasionally, one will rise above the level of drivel. There is a problem of sheer volume so that if someone does write something of value and significance, it likely will get lost in the flood of bits.
It's called "pass-time" for a reason.
Box Canyon
Ed, you mean I actually knew of a site that you didn't!

Mark, I think smartphone users probably take the prize for addiction to internet trivia.

Tesaje, thanks for the comment. You are comparing blogs to personal letters? Blogs today and periodical essays of the 1700s are both public, not personal.
John Farnsworth said…
Boonie, try Fred on Everything for some interesting, thought provoking essays: http://www.fredoneverything.net
Yes, John, I have Fred listed in my Links in the right column. The question is, where would I find more such essays?
Ed said…
Boonie,

I would say Fred is at the Libertarian end of the scale. Joe Bageant was at the Liberal end but the scale seems to be circular so what they have to say is not all that far apart. Give him a try.
Morris Berman also writes with a Liberal bias but does have some good things to say in his essays.
Ed, I took a quick look at these two blogs. The Berman one looks interesting.
Rojo said…
I started blogging a couple of years ago or maybe more. just found it to be to much work so i for the most part quit. I think I blogged a year or so ago. Quit reading most of them. Hung in there with Mobil Kodger because he is as crazy as I am. LOL. Recently added Sassy on the road . Today I found yours so Think I am going to ride along awhile and see where we go. Kinda like this Tim guy I found on Mobil Kodger so now I am up to 4, Kinda pushing the limit for me.

I dislike blogs with a million pics and a ME ME attitude so didn't take me long to weed most of them out.
What?! You don't like a million photos? But isn't 'breathtakingly beautiful' scenery the essence of the 'RV Dream'? (impish grin)