A Harder to Follow Entry

You know what I hate? Squirrels. I'm not sure whether they're being cute or they're plotting against me. You know what else I hate? People who brag about their personal site. Beware, a rant is a-comin'.

There's a group of people like me. By that, I don't mean folks with unhealthy Redd Foxx obsessions, but people who run frequently updated, personal sites. (Observe that I didn't say blog. A blog is a highly-pressurized, spelunking accessory, not a personal site.) Within this group, there are a few varying sub-groups. One sub-group litters their site with posts about how you, the reader, need to get your friends to read the site, and how you, the reader, need to submit the site for a bunch of dumb-ass web awards, and how you, the reader, should consider yourself blessed to read the site for free. (Observe that I'm not trying to be snarky with the you the reader thing, I just used a bunch of second person there.) It's a bunch of desperate, pathetic egomania. Another sub-group doesn't give a damn about popularity and treats their site like the vaguely embarrassing waste of time it probably is. Let us guess into which group I fall.

What the hell am I talking about here? Well, a few weeks ago, nominations opened up for the Bloggy Awards (and no, I am definitely not linking to that abomination). When it happened, I suddenly saw a bunch of posts across a variety of sites that were basically begging for award nominations. "Vote multiple times! Tell your friends! Steal a computer and use that to vote also!" It really stuck in my craw. It takes a lot for something to stick in my craw, as I'm not a 70 year old. This did, though.

I think these people are missing the point behind personal sites. I've had one for a while now, around nine years I think, and it's never once occurred to me that my site is something that needs more attention. In fact, I am terrified that friends, family, and acquaintances may discover it accidentally. If people ask me about it, I disavow all knowledge; I keep a cyanide capsule in my pocket in case those conversations get too uncomfortable. Perhaps I'm taking it to an extreme, but I have to think I'm going in the right direction.

Maybe we just have different aims. On my site, I create something very personal that makes me content and causes me to drink less. I have no idea if anyone reads it (my stats have been broken for a year), and I prefer to think that no one does. If no one reads it, it's just mine and I like that thought. On this other group's sites, they create something very impersonal. It's not for the creator, it's for everyone else. It's for strangers and Googlers and people who care about the Bloggy awards and anyone who wants to make a second of their lives 10% less boring. I don't get that. Viva le Goulash! Any form of blog awards, drink a cup of pee!

Here's a little muzak note: I found a good band yesterday. They're called Oranger, and their latest is available via Emusic and Rhapsody.

Posted by Cody at January 17, 2006 06:39 PM