A Little Blogging Reflection (2007-09-05)
Warning: this is a boring post to some.
Interested in all things Hong Kong, especially their food (and cooking), pop culture and current affairs, I've been reading Hong Kong blogs for a while. One thing that intrigues me is how readers get all excited about being the first one to comment. Often times, these commenters leave nothing of relevance to the post on which they comment, saying something like "Yeah! I'm the first one!!". That says something about the competitiveness of some Hong Kongers. You don't see me post comments on my site because I don't want 15-minute fame seekers posting a comment just to see their name published in the open. Those who comment on my posts truly want to let me know their thoughts which I value.
Ever since a number of hosting sites offer free generic blog
templates, the number of bloggers soar. A blog is a quick and
easy channel for people to boast, perhaps subconsciously at
times. New brides show off their wedding pictures, travelers show
off their luxurious holidays, well-to-do people show off their nice
homes and fancy cars, rich people show off their extravagant meals
at swanky restaurants, and cooks show off their fabulous cooking.
We all have a little (or a lot) of vanity in us, blogs are a cheap and
fast way to let our
ego fly and why is that not a good thing? No one gets hurt in the
process.
I love to read cooking blogs whose authors share recipes.
Sometimes I stumble on a blog with fabulous cakes, bread and a variety
of dishes accompanied by words of the blogger bragging how
their partner enjoyed their food but they never tell you how they make
those fabulous cakes and dinner. These sites are too much of a
show off that will not get my return visit.
The other day, I read one blogger lamenting how Yahoo mucked up the
visitor's number on her site. She was very emotional about that
and the single digit visitor number damn near broke her heart.
And then there are bloggers who go absolutely crazy happy when
their blogs reach a certain number in readership. Is fame what bloggers ultimately want
to achieve through their blog?
Perhaps that'll lead to fortune? I do know some bloggers in the
USA who openly talk about how they'd love to make a living just by
blogging, perhaps through advertisement on their site. I hope
they succeed, at least the few I frequent. Interesting as they
are to
read now, imagine how much better they'll be if the bloggers can
devote full time effort on their sites.
There are also bloggers who leave messages on a number of other
blogs
asking them to visit their sites, that's a bit of a hard-sell.
Why so bent on getting publicity for their blogs? Where is the
fun of just writing up your experiences and thoughts? I'm too
lazy to check on the statistics of
Tabibito and too laid back to care about the number of visitors.
That makes blogging feels too much like a job
and creates too much pressure when all I want is to keep a diary.
I've babbled long enough, you're still reading this? Thank you
for your patience!
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