Tuesday, July 19, 2005

To Blog or Not to Blog

There are reasons you shouldn't be in a craft supply store when you have time to kill...I ended up walking out of it with fabric paints, brushes, and this cool fabric kind of yarn. I rationalized it all as necessary for the jazz quilt.

The QuiltArt listserv recently had a big huge long debate about blogging and how it'll change the list blahblahblah. QA is an email listserv discussion. Blogs are personal/working journals. There is a difference. I'm not posting the minutiae of my life on a listserv, but I might just tell you about my day in my blog. The first point of contention was about how the list would be clogged with "see my blog"s. What do you think happens when so many people respond? Geesh. Scan the topics and hit delete already. QA can be so caustic that sometimes you don't want to actually post anything anyway. If it wasn't for the nuggets of real info like contests, etc., I wouldn't be subscribing.

The second point was about blogging's relevance. I figure it like this. You don't have to read or check them out if you don't want to. Free will's a wonderful thing. Personally, I enjoy checkng out other folk's blogs and links. I've found out about many other wonderful fiber artists and techniques and wow--I can actually see their work and thought processes. I know blogs help me keep track of mine.

The last one is the one that really gets me. The whole "I don't have time to blog because I'm so busy doing my work." That's B.S. and cry me a river. I work full-time, have a published book and another coming out in '06, I'm doing a writing project for Harvard U, webmaster, blog, and I still quilt--just check out my blog to see the proof. It's called scheduling and time management. I'm rolling my eyes right now. As if blogging takes an hour to do!

You all know I almost never rant in my postings. I'm usually pretty darn perky on here. They just really got under my skin.

10 comments:

Frances said...

well said, completely agree with you,
I not only think the 'I haven't got timers' are B.S.ing but they are also doing a bit of wallowing in self pity and want others to feel sorry for them for 'being so..... busy'
if they are not interested why moan why can't they just 'live and let live'
Frances who is loving blogging....

Sonji Hunt said...

Oh, I'm sorry, Elle...I didn't get to read your blog...I'm too busy working and posting my own trivial goings on to my blog and reading every single post on QA because they are ALL so very interesting.
AGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHhhhhh.
I agree with EVERYTHING your wrote. Why is it so hard to hit the delete button for people? I just don't get it. And that snide comment about "I'm too busy creating". Bite me, is exactly what I thought when I read it. That's another name that gets deleted when it pops up. BLOG ON SISTER! SPEAK ON THE MINUTIA. TELL US ABOUT YOUR LAUNDRY DETERGENT AND THE POLLEN THAT FLOATED BY YOU ON YOUR WAY TO WORK.

gabrielle said...

Well said...we all find time to do the things we want to do. That whole discussion on QA reminds me of people who can only listen to NPR or classical music while they create...so intelectual, dahling. While I am listening to Warren Zevon (miss you, Mr. Zevon) or watching old Perry Mason re-runs...one man's meat, etc. They wasted enough time posting about how they don't have time that they could have read all our blogs.

Gerrie said...

You said it!! I call it blog envy - they didn't do it first so now make up excuses. Also what is the difference between inviting people to your blog and inviting them to a website or the webshots pages.

Deborah Boschert said...

Right on! You are all so totally right. Ok... now, I must get back to making art... or reading blogs... or watching soap operas... or folding laudry. Save me! I'm so busy!

Deb R said...

ROFL!! Elle, Elle, Elle...if this is an example of you on a rant, you need to do it more often!! LOVE IT!! And you are so very, VERY right.

jenclair said...

Too funny! Elle, you pretty much summed it up. And Gerrie's blog envy!! :)

Inviting someone to visit a blog... an invitation, not a command performance! What surprises me over and over again is the attitude - if they don't blog, neither should you. You nailed it with caustic.

Val said...

Oh I so agree! I really don't have time for folk who want to run my life for me. If I want to blog I'll blog and read lists and use the delete key again and again! You said it all! Hooray!
Of course I've only just got round to reading this posting because I am up to my eyes in work,blogs,life, work, lists, you name it and I'm up to my eyes in it! :-)

Karoda said...

So right now, Cheer is my detergent of choice and I'm so glad I don't have to go down to the river and beat my clothes against the rocks to get them clean...it saves me time so I can blog. ;)

Debra said...

Funny... those complainers on the QA list will willingly say... go look at my website, but don't say go look at my blog!!

I LOVED Gabrielle's comment the other day that she worked hard for hours, but felt compelled to blog about before going to bed. And the entire process cost her about 10 minutes. Including uploading photos.

Blogging is one of the things that has completely changed my life in the past year.