A Blog by Any Other Name
As intimated in an earlier post, while touring the Outer Hebrides, word of this blog began to circulate among the group. This was both gratifying and awkward.
It is difficult to explain what I do, blog-wise, and why. People seem impressed, but a bit confused. I mean, it’s not my job, I don’t get anything for it, and no one is asking me to do it, so why do I do it?
That’s a question even I can’t answer. In the early days, I did it because I could. HTML was not for the faint-hearted and being able to code and produce semi-interesting copy was an admired skill. Among the nerds, at least. By the time blogs became easy (thanks a heap, Blogger) and everyone and their granny had one, I was already into my Postcards phase, which brought me a lot of popularity, if not money. But I’m a bit of a publicity whore, so that was fine by me.
That wave is long past, however. Currently, there’s TikTok, Twitter (I refuse to call it X), YouTube, Instagram, and many others I have not heard of or won’t be invented until later this afternoon, so maintaining a blog now is like having a Facebook account: you might have been young and with it when you first logged on, but now you’re showing videos of your grandchildren’s oboe recital. Blogs as so passé I expect the youngsters don’t even know what they are.
Additionally, while explaining myself to my fellow travellers, I noticed that I flinched inwardly when saying the word “Blog:” It’s such a bumpy, blunt, blah word, not something you could take seriously. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that video blogs, or Vlogs, quickly disappeared in favour of Podcasts. That has a more professional ring to it. It’s also become mainstream and makes a lot of people a lot of money. Blogging, not so much.
So why do I blog? I suppose now it’s simply an ingrained habit, one that’s hard to break. I’m still touting this as “The Longest Running, Continuously Active, Personal Blog on the Internet,” and, although the wider world seems to be giving that notion the attention it deserves, it pleases me.
NOTE: Generally, I just steal photos off the web, then tinker with them in Photoshop for an hour or so to get what I want. This time, I thought I’d make use of my Windows Co-Pilot (that I never asked for and didn’t want but can’t turn off) to use AI to draw the above. Took about 10 seconds. So, technology: swings and roundabouts, and all that.
But that name: Blog. If I’m going to engender any amount of gravitas, I need to find something else to call it. My wife suggested On-Line Journal, but that’s what they were originally called. The name then slipped to Web Log, which degraded into Blog.
Podcasts are popular, so maybe I could say, “I’m a Textcaster,” which sounds a little better than “Blogger,” though no less esoteric.
World Wide Web Free-Range Journalist would sound more impressive, but that’s too much of a mouthful, though I suppose I could consolidate the Free-Range Journalist bit into “Anchor,” a la respected news readers. Yes, that would do nicely. Then, of course, I could shorten the “World Wide Web” part because everyone knows what that means.
So, next time someone asks me why I maintain a blog, I can tell them, “I’m a WAnchor.”
9 Comments
Bob
damn…
Karen Jones
LAUGHING OUT LOUD!!! No acronym, no abbreviations. Boy oh boy, did I ever need the laugh!
HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Tony
You posed the question – “why do i blog?”. Well my answer is because we want you to! I don’t think i’m living vicariously through you but i do enjoy a good, short read from someone who can use the English language. From what I’ve seen of TikTok, Twitter and Instagram it seems to be full of people lusting after their 15 minutes of fame whereas your ‘blog’ is rather like hearing what a friendly neighbour has been up to.
Thank you Michael for what you do (from a fellow Horshamite)
MikeH
Thanks, Tony. Hearing things like that really does mean a lot. It’s nice to know people are reading and enjoying my little escapades. 😉
Leon Winnert
Dear scribe who was born, bred and nurtured in a long-lost world that was once the pride of Uncle Sam. I thoroughly enjoy reading your Epistles* of Enlightenment. Instructing a wider world on the pleasures, virtues and occasional tribulations of a life in that cultural jewel we call Horsham.
Given that the West Sussex County Times has become a shadow it is former self we definitely need a quality substitute. Keep up the good work.
*An epistle is a writing directed or sent to a person or group of people, usually an elegant and formal didactic letter. The epistle genre of letter-writing was common in ancient Egypt as part of the scribal-school writing curriculum. Wikipedia
MikeH
Thanks for vote of confidence. I will endeavour to continue my sporadic enlightenments. 🙂
Janet Perkins
So that’s what ‘vlogger’ means! I always learn something when your postcard arrives – and I always finish reading with a smile on my face. Carrying on Blogging, Mike.
MikeH
Thanks! 🙂
Benny Coxhill
When I adopted you as my blogging role model, I thought this stuff was really cool and fashionable, so please keep working on that alternative name.