Blogging is a lot like having a one sided conversation. The writer may speak freely and let everything flow at a conversational level, yet remain uninterrupted by another participant in the conversation. The face to face interaction also usually eliminates confusion, as tone of voice and inflection are not garbling the words all up.
JessicaTheroux
Yes, blogging is like having a one sided conversation. Even if someone does decided to respond to something you have written, you can simply delete his or her comment. My Rant Blog is a good example. Well, not my rant blog, but just rant blogs in general. They are so popular. Now people can rant uninterrupted. Wikis are a bit different. If you want to say something, be prepared for more than a comment which you can easily delete.
JessicaHahn
Some have said that the blog is not a soapbox, it is not a podium. I think that the blog is not intended to be a podium, yet the very nature of the medium allows the user to treat the blog and feel about the blog any way he or she so chooses. Everyone has a different perspective on how other things in this world are used, including the way we interact with other people. Should we not expect that some people will want to use the blog as a podium and interact with it as such?
The best examples of the OneSidedConversation type of blogs are blogs with a political agenda. I associate podiums with politics, and when I see a politically themed blog, I immediately envision a someone with a strong voice speaking to a large group of people, often from a podium.
Real politicians speak at their constituents from above, giving the politician authority and attention. Political speeches are often onesodedconversations, peppered with a few quesions and comments from reporters. The comments section in a politically themed blog is much more open than the questions allowed by the press to ask of politicla figures. These are the blogs that make for the most interesting comment sections, but you won't find the blogger changing his ideas or editing himself becauser people disagree with him (or her).
Can we conclude that a truly onesidedconversation blog is that which has an agenda to express opinions, political or otherwise, this way or that?
Or is there something deeper. . .
JessicaTheroux
I enjoy the notion of the OneSidedConversation. Like mentioned above, it allows uninterrupted conversation. One personal example is Valentines Day. On my blog I had concocted a post about Valentines Day because I was so sick of everyone ripping it to shreds and anytime I tried to speak my opinion I was swarmed with interjections. If one of your readers does not like what he/she reads, then he/she can choose not to read it. It is quite simple. I like to think of blogs as a personal thought box.
DanielStern
The notion of blogs being one-sided conversations is very valid. Bloggers speak directly to their audience, about their views, ideas and opinions. What I haven't seen discussed is how blogs offer the individual an opportunity to 'heal' themselves and help others through blogging. One-sided converstations often offer people the ability to ponder their own outlooks on life. Offering their readers a varied look at different expeiences the blogger is writing about. My 'normal' blog is a perfect example of one-sided conversations being used as an outlet to discover things about myself. The entries may not always make complete sense to my readers, but, I hope, that my own confusion and frustration with myself comes through. I like to think that maybe I might help someone else through their own frustrations about themselves, let them know they are not alone, that they are not the only ones out their who struggle with their own views verses what views society believes we should have. I don't see one-sided conversations as a bad thing where blogging is concerned, I'm pretty sure so far it has been viewed as a positive rather than a negative.
MichelleHawkins
I agree to an extent about the notion of the OnesidedConversation, but I think we also need to consider the possibility that comments are the other side of the conversation. Some posts are written with the expectation that they will garner some sort of response, and when that response comes it creates a conversation.
MurielKingery
Muriel has a point. Oftentimes, I see blogs that are purposely set up as a conversation between many individuals, rather than a one-sided conversation. These blogs will usually have a post and than 20-30 comments that include comments from the author discussing the issue. It's very interesting to see.
JessicaHodgson
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