The Great Personal Blogger Search
I noticed a great post by Seth Godin in my feedreader this morning entitled ”Death of the personal blog?”. There are times when he nails it right.
The origin of what we call blogs started as personal diaries, but like everything they have changed, grown and been adapted by media, become larger and the personal part of blogs has been lost in the large blogs. The problem is that the big box blogs that we see on the top lists on sites like Technorati are no longer blogs. They might be run by blogging software but the personality and personal expression of blogs has been wrung out of them to the point where only the numbers of readers, dollars and page views matter.
We need a revolution in blogging; we need to be radical! Blogs need to return to their personal nature. Whether your blog is a personal blog, or a business blog can people see you in the blog or have you been wrung out and hung out to dry?
Seth Godin is right, we need a new list that is not just about the big box blogs. Time to create a list of the best blogs that have a personal touch. Let’s start it here. Leave a comment with your favourite blog that has a personality, where you can see the author, and why you think their blog should be on the list. I want to read your favourite blogs, share them with me and let’s revolutionize blogging again together.
Photo by stuttermonkey
Comments
Leon
I totally agree. The personal touch is lacking in most blogs. It's all about making money nowadays. It's rare to find a blog that I can sit and connect with.
Lee Robertson
But it is not even just the money making. Blogs that can be about making money can still have personality. I would dare to say that even John Chow shows personality in his blog. Although, I question whether it is actually personality or rather the persona he wants to portray. Since moving Epiblogger to Dreamhost I have been acquainted with the Dreamhost Status blog (http://www.dreamhoststatus.com/). It could be a pretty boring blog to subscribe to since it is all about what servers are up down or having problems, but you can tell that there are actually people that write it and it is not just an automated script. There is a sense of humour and word play on many of the posts. It has a personality, more than some of the probloggers have these days IMHO.
Rudy
My blog is still personal. As a result, it doesn't have a mass appeal. But that's a good thing, because it's a labor of love - not for money.
james Colon
Well i see it as a trade off. A blog can be more personal but you might see less traffic. If the blog is more Broad and made for your reader you likely will see a larger reader base and more income. in the end i think its about the goal of the blog itself.
Tootsie
my blog and all on my blog list in the sidebar...are still very personal. We share and care and support and inspire! thanks for sharing this today...I agree!
Phil Morin
Thanks for this article.It's echoing my thoughts lately.Try to find a book about blogging that's NOT about blogging for money.They are few and far between! I've recently gone back to blogging about me and my activities and plan on keeping it that way.I wonder if the popularity of Facebook and twitter has anything to do with the decline of the personal blog.