Blogging: Graffiti with Punctuation

byFrenchfries5

1.5K followers

6 years ago

One of my favorite movies "Contagion," casts an embattled conversation between Elliott Gould, the high and mighty rogue virologist, Dr. Sussman, and Jude Law, uh hum... wait for it, a Blogger! Not just "A Blogger," but a blogger with a following of readers who are frenzied believers in his popular theories. None the less, he is seen as a complete fool by the good doctor (Elliot Gould) and is told: "Blogging is just graffiti with punctuation!" Well!

Many have blogged about this very scenario. I guess it's bloggers trying to validate themselves in the journalistic realm somewhere. Perhaps this is a doctor with his head buried too deep in his office to realize the world has gone on without him. Journalists are no longer the sole source of the written word.

Get this

Blogs are ranked the 5th most accurate source of online information. There is a lot of disagreement with this number, but in 2016 there were approximately 17.75 million daily blog posts with around 60% of those WordPress. This number has only continued to grow. Keep up! Blogging is not only here to stay it's moving faster than one can keep up.

To what do we attribute an unfathomable increase of almost 30 million posts from March of 2016 to March of 2017. First, there are more individuals on the internet and gaining interest in using the internet for communication. Second, tools available to create content are being "dumbed-down" and user-friendly. Finally, much of the processes are automated so the user can do many tasks with one single stroke.

These are a few reasons making it possible for just about anyone to take a keyboard and look like they have a sophisticated level of computer technology.

Definitions

What is the definition of graffiti? Graffiti is "drawings/writing that is scribbled, scratched, or sprayed illicitly on a wall or other surface in a public place." I'm not sure about you, but even with punctuation, I hope this does not describe what I write. Blog by definition, "an updated website or page, one run by an individual or group, written in an informal or conversational style." Typically a blog involves some research into the audience, topic, and venue. There is a science to putting a quality blog into production. In summary there is much more to preparing a blog than scribbles with commas and periods. Yes, fellow bloggers, it can be downright tricky.

Blogger vs. Mayfly

Yet, how do we justify ourselves as writers or earn our rightful place next to journalists? Heck, you have to admit that graffiti scribbled on a subway wall probably lasts longer than your best NUMBER ONE POST. Being honest, you have to admit in the fast-paced world of the internet and blogging, as fast as the revered quality content goes up it also comes down. Now you have to come up with the next great piece of quality content. The real question to ask ourselves, will we always create high-quality content knowing it has a lifespan of a Mayfly? Hmm, maybe not! Occasionally there will be content that simply falls flat and then it's lifespan is virtually non-existent. We have come full circle to the argument, is blogging graffiti with punctuation? I beg to differ. If we accept that graffiti, aside from removing with fresh paint, remains indefinitely compared to our Mayfly life-span writing, blogging is a poor analogy.

Blogger vs. Journalist

Now that I have convinced myself blogging is not graffiti, do I feel better? Haha, how do bloggers fit in the journalistic atmosphere? If you read the works of many different bloggers, you find none of them fit into one layer, they seem to be floating around. It is clear to me that there are bloggers who are still bouncing on the tip of their big toe, not quite able to launch off the planet. Some bloggers could give award recognized journalists a run for their money. Then there are the majority of bloggers floating somewhere in the middle, in the stratosphere. These bloggers are responsible for churning out a lot of electronic media that readers depend on, engage, and enjoy. I think 99% of us will never see a Pulitzer, but then again we don’t need one. We have our group of Faithful Followers and Groupies. What we produce through blogging is as satisfying as warm apple pie ala mode. While a beautiful, satisfying blog becomes wisps’ of smoke leaving a chimney, we know how to create a quality product that our readers enjoy and value.