I found them! I found them!

~*~

The blogs, that is!

There are more of you out there than I thought, and it appears I need to stalk some of your blogrolls.

Odd ... I used to do just that back in the early days, but for some reason haven't done it much at all lately.

I'm going to do a little "shout-out" to those of you who commented on my last post in a minute, but thought I'd comment a bit on a blog post I recently read titled Seven Reasons Why Blogs Fail (not from a blog I would regularly read, but I did find this post interesting) since I have run into so many of those as of late.

*NOTE* Numbered items are Paul T. McCain's - comments following the numbered items are mine.

(1) They offer little more than constant axe-grinding and carping on a particular subject.

I've been known to get stuck in this pattern, usually as a result of being stuck in life. I think it happens to all of us occasionally, but I agree - a blog that consistently bitches, whines, and moans? Gets removed from my reader.

(2) They lack focus and purpose.

There was an influx of these a few years back. Everyone decided they could be (and were) a writer. A bit of advice? Not everyone is. tumblr absorbed a lot of those.

(3) They indulge too much in playing to the crowd.

I lovingly call these troll bloggers. They are the people who write to intentionally create controversy. Personally? Depending on the subject matter? I like these blogs. No comments needed regarding my alleged participation in this type of blogging.

(4) They do not serve the niche they are trying to reach. 

I would change this to "They do not serve a niche". The successful blogs I read have a niche - the are aware of who their readers are and they continue to deliver what their readers want.

(5) They are not comfortable in “their own skin.” 

I see this most often with the stereotypical mommy-blogger. If you are going to write a personal blog, it's difficult to connect with your readers if you portray your life as one filled with glitter, kittens and perfect snowflake children ALL OF THE TIME. People know better, and they want you to acknowledge that you are human.

(6) They are insincere or desperate cries for attention.

I used to stumble on these a lot during the HNT days. "LOOK! I HAVE BOOBS (or a PENIS)! HERE THEY ARE (it is)!!" was the theme of many of "sex blogger" blogs. I'm pretty sure all of those people moved to tumblr too ...

 (7) They don’t have a plan for regular posting.

*snort* This is ... yeah ... this is HARD! Most of us who blog will never make a living at it (no matter how much we might want to) and this is the primary reason.

 What would you add to Paul T. McCain's list?

***

A special shout-out to the REAL bloggers who commented on my post last week (in order of when they commented):

Losing, Loving and Living in Tx (Kristi)

Bilbo's Random Thought Collection (Bilbo)

Billions of Versions of Normal (Mike)

Nick's Bytes (Nick)

Namaste By Day (Gina)

Blue Eyed Bader (adult content)

Project 365 | A picture a day...and maybe more (don't let the name fool you - there is always a quote and a blog post attached to each of her photos - Sujomi)

I'm With Stupid (This might be one of those "troll blogs" I mentioned above - Jay and Matt)

DuckButt

Another Suburban Mom (Veronica)

~*~

Where have all the bloggers gone?

~*~

Long time passing
Where have all the bloggers gone?
Long time ago
Where have all the bloggers gone?
Social Media has picked them every one
When will they ever learn?
When will they ever learn?

The more time I spend in social media (defined in this post as facebook, google+, tumblr and twitter), the more I miss traditional blogging. But have you tried to find a good blog to read lately?

I spent a good two hours on blogger the other day, hitting that NEXT BLOG link at the top of the page. That used to be a great way to discover new reads. Now? Most of the blogs I landed on hadn't had a new post in over two years.

*SIDE NOTE* I think there might be a business opportunity in starting up a final resting place for abandoned blogs

Let's be honest here, it's a lot easier to think up an ambiguous, sarcastic one-liner than it is to put 800 words together in a coherent and entertaining blog post. And in this immediate gratification society? Most readers have the attention span of a gnat with ADD - 140 characters is about all they can be bothered with.

If you've been hanging out here long enough, you know that I tend to be a traditionalist (not to be confused with an inflexible, routine driven old fogy). I don't believe the Constitution is a fluid document. I think HNT participants generally showed far too much skin. And I think real blogging is an art form that has been soiled by social media.

There is just something comforting about old school.

I used to worry that books would be replaced entirely by their e-versions as the iPad and Kindle became essential gadgets. Now? I believe the value of bound books lies in the way they touch your other senses - something e-books will never be able to do.

Just like books, I want to believe that real blogs will never go away entirely. Remember all of those fools who started up blogs 5 years ago because it was the thing to do? The ones who couldn't tell a story if their life depended on it? I think we called them mommy-bloggers for the most part.

*WINK* All of you mommy-bloggers who just read that sentence need to unbunch your panties now.

Real blogs? I think their value lies in the way they tell a story. Social media is little more than junk food for the brain. Real blogs? They are the meatloaf, mashed potatoes and gravy of the written word.

 

And I'm hungry!

Tell me, are you still reading real blogs regularly? What are some of your favorites? Are there any blogs I should be reading that I'm not?

~*~

Is that Prom? Or Porn?

~*~

See that picture? Yes, that is me - 30 years ago - at my senior prom with Bill Ferren. No, I didn't have sex with him (that night, or ever for that matter) and I'm fairly certain I didn't even get a kiss. Truth be told, I don't even remember where we had dinner or where the prom was held.

Do you suppose it would have been more memorable had my parents forked out $1,078 (the average amount that will be spent on prom this year)?

That's right, the economy may be sluggish, but that hasn't slowed spending on high school prom. A new national survey by Visa Inc. shows that American families who have teenagers will spend an average of $1,078 each on the prom, a 33.6% boost over the $807

$1,078? Really?

If that isn't bad enough, parents surveyed who fell in the lowest income brackets (less than $50,000) plan to spend more than the national average - $1,307. Breaking down the spending by family income, the survey found:

Parents who make under $20,000 will spend an average of $1,200

Parents who make $20,000-$29,999 will spend an average of $2,635

Parents who make $30,000-$39,999 will spend an average of $801

Parents who make $40,000-$49,999 will spend an average of $695

Parents who make over $50,000 will spend an average of $988

Parents who make over $75,000 will spend an average of $842

One other thing? You'll want to move to the Midwest before your kid hits his/her prom years. There is a bit of a regional difference in spending as well:

Northeastern families will spend an average of $1,944

Southern families will spend an average of $1,047

Western families will spend an average of $744

Midwestern families will spend an average of $696

(If you are interested to see just what that $1,078 includes, you can see a more detailed breakout [HERE])

Me? I refuse to take out a loan from my 401K to pay for my kid's prom. He'll either get a job and pay for his own, or find a way to stay within a reasonable budget. 

What say you? Are prom costs (and the sense of entitlement that seem to go along with them) reasonable? Am I just being stingy?

~*~