Comments on: Bloggers Should Not Get Paid—Ever

By: #4

#4 — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 12:47:30 +0000

Andrea, yeah, I can see how that might be a different scenario. What bothers me most in situations such as the one I think you’re mentioning is when people who have no experience with the condition start spouting off uninformed opinions about it.

By: Andrea

Andrea — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 00:03:50 +0000

It always makes me giggle when people use Harry Potter as an analogy.

This is a great post and I actually agree with what you’re saying even though I tend to hate controversy. I think it’s because I read so much of it, it actually starts to get to me after a while. I blog about autism and hence read a lot about autism. Some of it gets pretty nasty. When it’s a topic close to home, that can get a bit wearing.

By: #4

#4 — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 18:31:57 +0000

Whoa, #12! I think you should invite all of your fellow writers over for a shindig sometime.

By: #12

#12 — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 17:39:41 +0000

#4: hey and I live in a giant Victorian house with nearly nonexistent insulation. I generate heat wherever I can.

By: #4

#4 — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 17:17:18 +0000

Joel, agreed. I would say the stomach has the potential for feeling the most pain. Or perhaps the toes. LaShon, I am honored that my post inspired you to comment. Re: boring topics, I so know what you mean. A little controversy can really spice things up. Although I have yet to read a piece that really gets my goat on a topic like choosing a new model of refrigerator. Rhonda, right on! Somehow your use of the word "hook" is setting off all kinds of pirate associations in my mind right now, BTW. I can't get the facade of Jack Sparrow out of my head. Phil, yeah, I used to work in print newspapers, too, so I know of that phenomenon. It's too bad so many of them are shrinking... I really love newspapers, and I always pore over the editorial pages. #12, that's right! Making the blood boil is a great way to save on heating costs during the colder months.

By: #12

#12 — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 15:09:28 +0000

Hey, title is half the battle. I’m not a huge fan of headers that are nothing but a summary of the entrails of my blog– but that’s already been pointed out in my blog.

Controversy is fun.

By: Phil

Phil — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 14:51:46 +0000

Though I wouldn’t say they’re “poorly structured,” editorial pages for years put in the occassional inflammatory (as long as it doesn’t violate decency rules) commentary on the editorial or op ed pages in order to get responses.

I remember the editorial board (I was sports editor, so not involved in these decisions) discussing this when letters to the editor had fallen off. I’m out of newspapers now, but would suspect this has fallen off as a practice because there’s no room for many letters to the editor as print pubs continue to shrink in size.

By: Rhonda

Rhonda — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 14:21:46 +0000

There’s nothing like a good “hook” to get your reader interested.

By: LaShon Fryer

LaShon Fryer — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 14:19:03 +0000

That is such a great idea! I mean, who still believes you can get more bees with honey than vinegar, anyway? I have actually used this concept before in other writing to engage the reader ( you know, for those subjects that are just boring upon seeing its name).
Anywho, I think I will try it! I want to see if it increases my traffic.

By the way, I love this site! Jodee and Deb you are great! From a long-time reader, but first time commenter.

By: Joel Falconer

Joel Falconer — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 14:09:06 +0000

Good post. It’s one thing if a post really is “little more than stream-of-consciousness, poorly structured heaps of drivel studded with more grammatical errors”—if the writer is truly incompetent, well, they’re a waste of money and they’re bringing the industry as a whole down to a nice new low. I don’t think we should be encouraging terrible writers any more than the bar encourages terrible lawyers.

But, as you’re saying, if it’s just assumed that because it’s a blog the writing must be crap, rather than incompetence being observed, it’s a ridiculous assumption and we should all gang up on the assumer and make some assumptions of our own. Like, where he or she might feel the most pain!