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It seems that blogging for the sake of blogging has been mostly lost, to be honest. I miss the time when blogs were more than self promotion and content marketi

by robjan 8y ago

It seems that blogging for the sake of blogging has been mostly lost, to be honest. I miss the time when blogs were more than self promotion and content marketing.

username223 8y ago
Sturgeon's Law applies as much as it always has, but the personal blogs that existed before "content marketing" became a thing are mostly still around. Just ignore tech-of-the-moment.google.com/blog.
- ghaff 8y ago
  With some exceptions many people just aren’t aware of them because it’s the blogs run as businesses, or by people who are otherwise at least Internet famous, who command outsize attention. It also increasingly makes sense to plug into publications, etc. with promotion engines for many types of content. I personally publish fewer things in my own blog than I used to.
- walterbell 8y ago
  Any recommendations on how to discover them, since search engines don't work (SEO)? Is there a search engine which does web of trust analysis on indie blogrolls/webrings?
  - username223 8y ago
    When you stumble upon a good article, subscribe to its RSS feed if it has one, and unsubscribe if it gets boring. Eventually you'll end up with an interesting collection of blogs. I wish I could help more, but most of the blogs I follow are probably uninteresting to you.
    - walterbell 8y ago
      Yes, I've taken a similar approach with RSS and a subset of social media. If only there was an algorithm which would take a web of links and show a web of related links :)
astura 8y ago
Most "blogging" type activities have moved to different platforms - Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, group chats, etc.
cirgue 8y ago
Part of the problem is that our discoverability mechanisms on the internet now massively favor monetized content. I for one would happily use an 'indie' search engine that favors lightly monetized/non-monetized content.
- bdcravens 8y ago
  Would you pay for that search engine?
  - cirgue 8y ago
    Yeah, probably not much, but approximate to the ARPU for google, which I think is around $25 per year. Also, if anyone is interested in working on something like this, shoot me an email at the address in my profile.
    - nine_k 8y ago
      I think you vastly underestimate your value as an ad target for Google. They likely make much more on you per year, just selling targeted ads. It's an uncomfortable thought, I know.
      - mikekchar 8y ago
        The most uncomfortable thought is that I end up paying for this in the goods I buy, even if the advertising was not useful to me. The irony is that I don't think I've ever bought something that I saw in an ad on the internet. I have frequently seen ads for things after I bought them though (in the case of internet purchases). It's downright impressive how well the various parties share information, but as far as effective advertising... it is not, as far as I'm concerned. On the other hand, I don't buy things off the "shopping channel" on TV either and that's still pretty big business... Another sad thought: the amount of money my employer spends in ads directed at me because I've repeatedly hit a certain part of our website while fixing bugs... I really should fix bugs in privacy mode :-)
- 8y ago
CM30 8y ago
Feels like the idea of doing a hobby for the sake of it seems to have been lost in general. Everything's always got to be about 'making it your main job' or 'turning it into a million dollar business' or what not. And yeah, I miss that too. Especially given how much more entertaining it often is to read a post by an interested expert than by someone trying to make a quick buck.
- maxxxxx 8y ago
  I think the invention of "like" and "thumbs up" has ruined the internet. Instead of doing things for fun it's too easy to get sucked into chasing approval.
- IdiocyInAction 8y ago
  It's because the view of the internet has changed. The internet has slowly changed from a global forum to a giant marketplace, which has the purpose of serving ads and selling products. Back in the day, making money of your blog wasn't an option. Now, it is, which is why most people are doing it for money. Unfortunately, we'll probably never get the old internet back. Eternal september has happened. But you have to see the flipside too: There's never been more content. You can still get great things out of the internet, you just have to curate it (more) now.
tracker1 8y ago
I find a lot of that has moved to Medium these days... though there is plenty of self-promotion and marketing, there's also a great deal of good content.
- criddell 8y ago
  Medium feels like it's dying to me. I used to end up there many times a week. Now I find myself there a couple times a month.

by robjan 8y ago

It seems that blogging for the sake of blogging has been mostly lost, to be honest. I miss the time when blogs were more than self promotion and content marketing.

username223 8y ago

Sturgeon's Law applies as much as it always has, but the personal blogs that existed before "content marketing" became a thing are mostly still around. Just ignore tech-of-the-moment.google.com/blog.

ghaff 8y ago
With some exceptions many people just aren’t aware of them because it’s the blogs run as businesses, or by people who are otherwise at least Internet famous, who command outsize attention. It also increasingly makes sense to plug into publications, etc. with promotion engines for many types of content. I personally publish fewer things in my own blog than I used to.
walterbell 8y ago
Any recommendations on how to discover them, since search engines don't work (SEO)? Is there a search engine which does web of trust analysis on indie blogrolls/webrings?
- username223 8y ago
  When you stumble upon a good article, subscribe to its RSS feed if it has one, and unsubscribe if it gets boring. Eventually you'll end up with an interesting collection of blogs. I wish I could help more, but most of the blogs I follow are probably uninteresting to you.
  - walterbell 8y ago
    Yes, I've taken a similar approach with RSS and a subset of social media. If only there was an algorithm which would take a web of links and show a web of related links :)

astura 8y ago

Most "blogging" type activities have moved to different platforms - Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, group chats, etc.

cirgue 8y ago

Part of the problem is that our discoverability mechanisms on the internet now massively favor monetized content. I for one would happily use an 'indie' search engine that favors lightly monetized/non-monetized content.

bdcravens 8y ago
Would you pay for that search engine?
- cirgue 8y ago
  Yeah, probably not much, but approximate to the ARPU for google, which I think is around $25 per year. Also, if anyone is interested in working on something like this, shoot me an email at the address in my profile.
  - nine_k 8y ago
    I think you vastly underestimate your value as an ad target for Google. They likely make much more on you per year, just selling targeted ads. It's an uncomfortable thought, I know.
    - mikekchar 8y ago
      The most uncomfortable thought is that I end up paying for this in the goods I buy, even if the advertising was not useful to me. The irony is that I don't think I've ever bought something that I saw in an ad on the internet. I have frequently seen ads for things after I bought them though (in the case of internet purchases). It's downright impressive how well the various parties share information, but as far as effective advertising... it is not, as far as I'm concerned. On the other hand, I don't buy things off the "shopping channel" on TV either and that's still pretty big business... Another sad thought: the amount of money my employer spends in ads directed at me because I've repeatedly hit a certain part of our website while fixing bugs... I really should fix bugs in privacy mode :-)
8y ago

CM30 8y ago

Feels like the idea of doing a hobby for the sake of it seems to have been lost in general. Everything's always got to be about 'making it your main job' or 'turning it into a million dollar business' or what not. And yeah, I miss that too. Especially given how much more entertaining it often is to read a post by an interested expert than by someone trying to make a quick buck.

maxxxxx 8y ago
I think the invention of "like" and "thumbs up" has ruined the internet. Instead of doing things for fun it's too easy to get sucked into chasing approval.
IdiocyInAction 8y ago
It's because the view of the internet has changed. The internet has slowly changed from a global forum to a giant marketplace, which has the purpose of serving ads and selling products. Back in the day, making money of your blog wasn't an option. Now, it is, which is why most people are doing it for money. Unfortunately, we'll probably never get the old internet back. Eternal september has happened. But you have to see the flipside too: There's never been more content. You can still get great things out of the internet, you just have to curate it (more) now.

tracker1 8y ago

I find a lot of that has moved to Medium these days... though there is plenty of self-promotion and marketing, there's also a great deal of good content.

criddell 8y ago
Medium feels like it's dying to me. I used to end up there many times a week. Now I find myself there a couple times a month.