Just Another Game

After the 88DB blogger meet last Saturday, I had a short conversation with an officemate regarding blogging in general. The question I asked him was this — what is the essence of blogging, if the blogger doesn’t give his or her own opinion?

Before you go on and read the rest of this entry, please take note that this is just my personal stand. In no way is it the absolute truth, as with everything I have posted here.

If there’s one thing I realized over the past 7 months, it’s that almost everyone in the “blogosphere” keeps constant track of their page views. Is it to make money off online ads, or is it to keep track of how many people have a care in the world about what the blogger thinks? Although earning a few bucks wouldn’t hurt, it’s very fulfilling whenever someone I don’t even know pays me a compliment. At least, it gives me a bit of online mojo with every new post I put up. With that being said, keep em’ page views comin’. Lol.

It’s just that when people I know find out I started a blog, the first question I usually get (more than what I write about), is if I am already earning from it. I’m sure everyone who blogs has been asked the same question once or twice.

When I get asked about what I put in my blog, I say three main things — sports, videogames, and media. You can say I have a passion for all, and reading through my posts can give anyone a good idea of who I am. Online, I am able to say what I want with less apprehension. Without this apprehension, I am able to freely give an opinion. This is what I don’t get with some of the blogs out there.

Blogs with purely “reposted” content. Blogs with no soul.

There are blogs that post news items about celebrities. Blogs that contain nothing but gossip taken from other online sources. The funny thing is those are the blogs that earn the most from Adsense. Does this necessarily mean that people don’t want opinions?

If blogger X posts a story about a specific gadget on his blog, is the first to do so, and that blog post ranks high in search engines, has the blogger achieved his purpose? To give a specific example, instead of a simple “The new Imac just came out”, I would rather that the post be “The new Imac just came out. I think it rocks!”. Although generic, those last four words make a world of difference.

If I were to answer the question I began with, I honestly think every blog should have its own persona. I know there are a lot out there. In the words of Mo Twister, all of you “are doing the Lord’s work”. It’s those specific views that make each blog different from the next one, and this is what personally motivates me to move on to the next article post. After all, you don’t want your personal space to feel and read nothing more than a link-building diary right?