The Pink Flamingo :: Things That Annoy Me About Blogging & Bloggers

No, wait a minute, I’m not really sorry if I insult you. Don’t get me wrong, I thoroughly enjoy blogging, but there are times when it is a pain in the tushie. Maybe it is more that bloggers are the pin, not the process.

I’m tired. I’m tired of doing this every day, seven days a week, with a minimum of four hours a day (usually twice as many) and sometimes feeling like I am accomplishing nothing. It doesn’t help to see those Technorati numbers and authority tank to absolutely nothing when you know good and well your numbers have never been better. I want to know why TLB shows an average of “24 visits per day” when we all know good and well that is a crock. I’ve had an average of “24” visits per day since I’ve been doing TLB. After well over a year – wait, maybe that’s how many times TLB visits me per day. I know of no other logical explanation.

I want to take a day off once in awhile. The bad thing about successful blogging, and I think I can now claim a tad of success is consistency. I’m sick and tired of day in and day out, every day. I want a break. I know, I’m not going to take one, but once in awhile, when I can’t find something to write about, why not just come out and say it and not worry about losing readers?

The thing that really gets me are the “top tier” bloggers who pick through your stuff like two apes picking the lice off one another. They take what they want and NEVER if ever give credit where credit is due. Maybe it is because very few of them actually have backgrounds in journalism, but mostly it is because we’re dealing with a bunch of self-congratulating egos who are more interested in maintaining their little club than giving a helping hand to someone who just might over-take them. They are great to those who follow like fawning worshippers, but let someone disagree – well, the way you handle trolls like me is to ignore their existence.

Does it sound like sour grapes? I hope not. I know I should just keep my big fat mouth shut and offer praise and supplication for the crumbs that are tossed my way every once in awhile, but darn it – I know I’m doing good work. I’m sick and tired of having my work used, but not being credited for it. I am quick to credit. I’m a historian. I cannot work without giving credit where credit is due. Maybe this speaks volumes about the professional level of some of our top bloggers. Trust me – they’re not professional journalists. They’re bloggers. They can steal, swipe, mis-quote, and pilfer through a lesser blog’s research, claim it for their own, and the rest of the blog world pats them on the back. Way to go! Great job! Go link to so and so.

Well, so and so is doing this kind of work, and such and such is just doing incredible research into this and that topic – all the while they are quoting from another blog – and not giving the blogger credit for it. I don’t spend much time with the liberal blogs, so I don’t know how they act, but I do know our blessed conservative bloggers are some of the worst rip-off artists I’ve ever seen. If I were to emulate them in my Wyatt Earp research, I’d be laughed into oblivion. I was so careful with TRAVESTY I had nearly 2300 footnotes.

I guess if blogging is your only take on journalism it’s okay. I don’t consider these kind of people writers or “real” journalists. But darn it all, there are basic rules for civilized behavior and it is time the top bloggers start behaving like the professionals they claim to be.

Then there are the stepping stones. I encountered one of those, a “Republican” who couldn’t wait to ask me for help to get his blog and book promoted. I am a stupid idiot who always offers to help if I think the project is worth while. A few weeks ago I sent this person some information about a Republican topic. I get an email from him with “Unsubscribe” on it. Sorry, but I’m not your stepping stone. You no longer will find this person’s blog on my blog roll or see me quote him.

Do you belong to a “linkfest”? I do. I’ve “met” some very nice people on it. But then again there are some jerks. I always “link” to everyone on the link-fest. Too bad they don’t return the favor. Maybe my blog isn’t worthy. After all, someone left a comment on another blog saying they refuse to link to The Pink Flamingo because it looked like it was designed by an eight year old on acid!

It then dawned on me that there are certain “conservatives” who won’t be caught dead reading The Pink Flamingo. They might learn something and start to think. That wouldn’t do. After all, the current state of the conservative fiefdom Group Think. What one does the other must. What Rush Limbaugh says is Gospel Truth. By all means we must quote the Washington Times, World Net Daily and NewsMax, even though they are so darn tainted they are as useful as a bag of day old trite.

You see, “conservatives” have agendas that are just as nefarious as agendas the liberals have. They’re no different. That was a hard learned lesson that left me heart-broken. Just because a person says they are a “conservative” does not make them “good” and just because a person says they are “liberal” does not make them “bad”. There are some perfectly delightful and honorable liberals and some conservatives I consider the scum of the earth.

Oh, and don’t ask me to promote your work or link to your posting or your blog if you aren’t prepared to do the same thing. I am not perfect when it comes to social blogging. It takes way too much time. I’m not a social person in real life and rather resent the fact that I must be “social” to keep promoting the blog. I’ll get around to reciprocating all the social what-evers, but it may take a little time.

I’m feeling much better now.

Trackposted to Outside the Beltway, Blog @ MoreWhat.com, The Virtuous Republic, Rosemary's Thoughts, Adam's Blog, Right Truth, Shadowscope, Stuck On Stupid, Leaning Straight Up, Cao's Blog, Big Dog's Weblog, Chuck Adkins, Conservative Cat, third world county, The World According to Carl, Global American Discourse, Dumb Ox Daily News, Right Voices, and Gone Hollywood, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.

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