I think my attitude has roots in grad school… I find it something between useless and spiritually bankrupt to comment negatively on someone’s blog. Yea, maybe it’s something trite, like “if you don’t have anything good to say”…

Contribute.

I think I can best sum it up this way: I have a lot more to learn than I have to impart…

Cheers,

Either a blogger is charismatic, well informed, erudite, funny, and provocative…

or not.

Some folks just can’t stand the thought that they are boring or that they are boring when compared to someone else in particular.

Contentment with one’s blogging can only come with humility and an awareness of one’s place in the scheme of things. Faith helps.

La Shawn, you have hit all these points out of the park!! Well done.

I do however ask myself privately why blogger X has gotten more attention that me, especially when it has happened in a shorter period of time for them. Mostly it has forced me to re-examine what I write about, and the reasons why I blog. This introspection has then caused me to change a few things that I’ve done, or to refocus my efforts… but often times not much. Generally it has simply reminded me of the reasons why I blog. And while the attention for my efforts would be rewarding and certainly an ego boost, its not the ultimate goal for me.

I find it goes in cycles for me. I blog “purely for me” for quite some time. Then as things start to get old and maybe a little stale, thats when I get a little frustrated. Then I re-examine, and remember why I do this, and things get better for me, even if my traffic doesn’t.

2) I think I secretly envy the success, but it also gives me something to aspire to. I try to figure out what makes them popular and either emulate or avoid their technique, depending. No matter how well I do something, there’s always someone who is more experienced or does it better than me. I see this as a learning opportunity.

3) I don’t fancy myself a great writer by any stretch. I do get perplexed at how some blogs attain large readerships, however. “Today we went to the mall and had ice cream. Yay!” (as someone mentioned earlier) But I can’t honestly say my writing is better. I do try to be helpful and encouraging in my blog. Much of what I blog about is for fun. If it wasn’t an enjoyable process, why would I do it?

4) Absolutely. Tearing another person down can never be a good thing. Building others up can, however. Especially if they have a “brag box” and put your compliment in there – permanent link, right? Flies and honey. I figure folks who need to trash other folks think it makes them look better, but quite the opposite is true – it just makes the trasher look more trashy.

Hope that helps.

I have a tiny audience, but I don’t really care that much. I’m not a tenured law professor, so I don’t have much free time to blog. I keep up as often as I can.

Besides, what’s the market for blogs by Anglican land surveyors?

I’ve heard a lot of handwringing recently about getting heard amid the din of millions of blogs. I think the best strategy–if there is one—is to build your own audience with your own writing and POV. I read blogs in an RSS reader and lately it’s gotten to be like drinking water from a firehose. Guess what? I’m still reading (and I mean reading instead of scanning or clicking) the same handful of blogs that I started reading back in 2002 with a few quality additions to my menu.

In order to be heard I think you have to go niche, niche, niche and in some ways, the smaller the niche the better off you are. Does the blogosphere really need another political or tech blog?

1) I spend a fraction of time writing negatively about other bloggers, but only for partisan political reasons, not for the fact that they are blogging. I mostly link to news items.
2) No
3) As my posts are probably the most insightful and thought out since the beginning of time, at least in my own mind, I wish I were linked to more often. But I understand why there are those that do get linked to a lot; these people know how to write and write well. For me, blogging and writing is a hobby, and that what makes it fun.
4) It is unethical to do this to a blogger who is not a politician. Even the KosKidz and other liberal bloggers agree with conservative bloggers in wanting the same laws ensuring freedom-of-speech rights without them being called in-kind campaign contributions (as part of the McCain-Feingold insanity), so it is in all of our interests to treat each other respectfully, even in disagreements.

However, blogs of politicians are fair game. They get paid to hear the issues of their constituents, and others. This is their job. They also need to be called on something if the politician attempts to mislead the public on an issue.

1. No

2. Yes, sometimes

3. No

4. Yes

2) Jealous yes, begrudge, no.

3) Yes.

4) I’ll go with wasteful.

Is there a La Shawn Watch? For me that would be a great compliment, like having J F’ing Kerry denounce me on the Senate floor. I may get in a snide remark in a post about the KOS kids, such as I did here, but to devote a lot of my time putting down another blog just doesn’t seem to serve any pupose.

This posts is in response to La Shawn Barber’s questions on her blog this morning. She asks the following questions shown in italics. BY responses to those questions are in bold. You can read more responses to these questions in the comments …

On two occasions that I know of for sure a link to a Michelle Malkin article was posted by Matt Drudge just minutes after I IM’ed it to him (the most recent being The Condi Rice eyes photo distortion).

I aspire to the White LaShawn Barber without getting a sex change. j/k.

1) No
2) Yes
3) No
4) Yes.

I’d use the term wasteful. Time you spend ripping another blogger as a matter of practice costs you time which can be used to build your own audience.

My point has always been to build my own audience, not stealing anyone else’s.

But, I am too busy making a living to try to unseat Prof. Reynolds, and have yet to find a kitchen appliance that can handle the bones on my budget.