Blogs are Not Second Class

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Those of you who have come to know Wise Bread and Parenting Squad are probably aware that they are blogs – Killer Aces Media FairBlogs ™ to be exact. So what’s the big deal? Apparently, in some web circles, blogs are nothing to be impressed by.

I was cruising the web, checking weather forecasts and local news, when I stumbled upon a website that had all the makings of a bookmarked favorite. There were daily updates with conversational style and links to many resources that I would find useful in my daily life. It was professional and had flair. It was, in fact, one of the best blogs I’ve ever taken the time to read.

I did a quick check at the FAQ’s in hopes of learning more about the content creators, when I was startled by an answer that rang my bell. In answer to the question, “I like your blog, can I link to you?” the editor’s response was curt. The website, was “not a blog.” Then the reader was directed to the official “blog” of the editor, an online journal of trips to the grocery store and updates on well-baby checks.

Odd, isn’t it? In a time when blogs are becoming the most efficient method for keeping websites up-to-date, many self-made gurus of the old school web-template format feel the need to bristle at the mention of “blog.” Somewhere along the line, blogs have only become attributed to mommies, poets, and corporate marketing strategy. How is this possible?

Wiki defines “blog as “a portmanteau of web log”. So all I have to do to qualify as a blog is keep regular updates on my website? I don’t necessarily have to use Blogger or Typepad? I can omit mentions of my son’s soggy diaper or pictures of my latest family gathering? Blogs can be useful sources of information on all kinds of subjects?

Apparently so.

I understand that as bloggers, we have evolved from the earliest forms of online journaling. There was much excitement over a way to communicate both the mundane and odd bits of life with millions of potential readers. Since 2001, however, blogs have been used to enlighten the world with the intellect, emotion, and sincerity of thousands of experts and non-experts with more than just a tale to tell. They have been used to educate on topics ranging from politics, health, news, education, celebrity, and the details of nuclear physics.

Blogs have finally made it.

So what do I say to those who wish to “poo-poo” away the merits of bloggers and the virtual homes where they live? You might want to consider joining us.

With information changing quicker than the monthly newsletter or corporate website can keep up with, maybe blogging is the solution for you. With every quality post, you are helping to bring credibility to this new voice of the masses. Who knows? Your customers and readers may even like it.

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Myscha Theriault's picture

Congrats on speaking out! Blogging has come a long way, and has a great deal to offer the average reader.

Guest's picture

Blogs allow millions of individuals to share insights, discover new information, and build community. My life as a news consumer is better - and the world has become a better, more interesting, and diverse place too.
Elitism, as almost always, distorts, limits, and perverts information and society.
Let's keep the internet, as Abe Lincoln would say, "of the people, for the people, and by the people."

Greg Go's picture
Greg Go

Nicely said, Linsey.

There's a distinction between professional and personal blogs that less blog-savvy folks may not make. Today's probloggers are like yesterday's newspaper columnists, but with direct interaction with readers. And that makes blogging (the medium) way more interesting than newspaper could ever be.