Comments on: Rants: Informative or Unhinged?

By: Deb

Deb — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 15:02:39 +0000

I so agree, Jeanne. I don’t like reading bloggers who are always complaining or yelling. Balance is the key.

By: Jeanne

Jeanne — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 14:56:48 +0000

Rants are useful to gain attention, but used too frequently they just make the writer look like a blow hard. I’ve ranted a bit on my marketing blog, Acorns, on my website. Mostly it’s when something 1) seriously bothers me and 2) I think my potential clients will get ripped off. I am passionate about helping entrepreneurs avoid so-called ‘gurus’ who take their money and give them nothing practical or useful in return. I just get too many of the victims at my door step needing help with their marketing but a lot poorer thanks to the “gurus” who take their money, give bad advice, etc. Oh dear.I think I’m ranting here. The point is: a rant now and then is okay. Too much rants, or unfocused rants, and you end up just sounding like an angry person.

By: Freelance Writing Jobs for September 15, 2009 : Freelance Writing Jobs for Web and Print

Tue, 15 Sep 2009 14:05:47 +0000

[...] Rants: Informative or Unhinged? [...]

By: Deb

Deb — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 12:55:48 +0000

I think there’s a difference between snark and a rant. Done well, snark can be funny. There’s not a lot of good snark online these days, mostly just mean-spiritedness. Most rants aren’t mean spirited as much as they’re angry.

By: LIsa

LIsa — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 12:33:40 +0000

It’s good practice for writing “snarky” blog posts — highly in demand, these days, from those “content sites” we’ve been hearing so much about lol

Lisa

By: Deb

Deb — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 12:23:34 +0000

That’s good to know, Kimberly. I hope you do walk away from FWJ (and your other favorite blogs) with something useful. What’s the point in ranting if no one gets your point?

By: Deb

Deb — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 12:22:20 +0000

I also wonder sometimes if the rant is more about link and comment baiting than blowing off steam. I had a conversation with another freelance writing blogger once who said something to the effect of “traffic is down and no one’s commenting, guess it’s time to post a rant.”

By: All Freelance Writing » Blog Archive » Who Are You When You Blog?

All Freelance Writing » Blog Archive » Who Are You When You Blog? — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 12:21:22 +0000

[...] earn from your own. I also came across a post of Deb’s where she was talking about blog rants. The two topics have me thinking about blogger personalities a bit. Let’s talk about [...]

By: Kimberly

Kimberly — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 12:19:46 +0000

I’ve read some rant posts that left me wondering about the point. When that happens I assume the writer needed to blow off some steam. I have to agree with Jade – if the rant accompanies solid advice it’s really helpful and I do learn. I take what I need from the message. I approach many blogs of the blogs I read daily (like this one) with learning as my main objective anyway.

By: Deb

Deb — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 11:43:24 +0000

There’s no fate worse than fuzzy animal pictures, Jenn.

Of course we can take it elsewhere. The point of this isn’t to say whether rants right or wrong/good or bad- and it’s really not my place to say so. I’m wondering (as someone who is prone to ranting every now and again) if people actually learn when we do this, or if they read or rants for the entertainment value only.