h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Entry: How to write huge blog entries everyday - A2166761
Author: aurojit - U550020

The article may seem a little too self promoting to some, but I didn't really remember many of the other blogs I used to read on the blogosphere.

There isn't an entry in the Edited Guide on blogs, so we certainly need one. But I don't think this is right as it is.

- You're not allowed mention "I" or "me". It should be written in third person style.

- It doesn't say much about how people actually go about looking at the blogs, where the name "blog" came from or how popular it actually is.

- There are many misprints - you should run it through a spelling checker.

With a bit of work, you should be able to make a good entry out of this.

Hi aurojit

I'd never heard of blogs before - so it interests me.

I agree with all of Gnomon's comments. The entry also needs some structure - subheaders are the best way to develop structure.

Having read it, I'm not sure I could now go away and write a huge blog entry, but I could try!


F/b

It also might be worth mentioning that the hootooer's Journal is the equivalent of a weblog, although the style is more restricted. Many of us post regular entries in our journals.

I totally disagree, blogs are a bit popular, but not very, but as he says yeah, you cant say anything about yourself, so thats the first bit you need to change.

Next instead of promoting yourself, you could actually say where people can get a blog.

Then once you have done that, how about writing about how to do a blog, since there isnt very much to write on this subject.

Good luck to you on getting this in....

Hi
Thanks for the comments...
The third person style, and the spellings part of it were a result of writing the entry when I was extremely sleepy, so sorry about that. As for what blogs are and how they function, and the popularity part of it, I thought the guide would already have entries on that, so I'll be correcting both parts (in a moment as soon as I am done with my entry for tonight).

Aurojit

Hi Frenchbean
I also agreed with most of Gnomon's comments. Well as for the structure, I'd need some help 'coz I am not really used to GuideML.
Other than that well writing a blog entry is pretty much writng anything else, so the best you can do is try. It's like no one can teach you how to write haiku, they can at most give you pointers on what you're supposed to do. But still thanks for the comments.

Aurojit

Hi
Umm as for the popularity part of it, I guess that's subjective and well diffrent people with diffrent sets of friends would feel diffrently about it. I am 18 and its pretty popular among my peers so that part is debatable. If you want I can remove that. I am working on the rest of it.

Aurojit

I've updated the entry, so could you go through it and tell me what's wrong. This is my first entry, so I am not really sure about where I am going wrong, so I am sticking to addressing most of the comments that I get.
Thanx
Aurojit

Hello aurojit

The first one's always the hardest. I does get easier. Honest! And you've really improved the entry with your changes.... excellent!

Once you get to know me, you'll know that I'm bound to have further comments (me and Gnomon!)...

Have you had a chance to read the guide to writing for the Edited Guide? It's at A53209 and worth a squiz... Obviously you're familiar with the guide to GuideML at A264520...

And I hate to be the bearer of bad tidings, but there's still a rogue in there....!


F/b

erm yeah dont worry about the popularity thing aslong as you change it to what you said, unfortunately since they are scouts they choose what goes in, so really aslong as you change it to something like groups of teenagers or something.

And yes try and add some links if you are using GUIDEML and since i am also new to writing in that complete style, i must say that your better off making all the tags capital letters because although it has the same effect, it also means that if you had one lower case and one higher case, it wont recognise it, and sometimes it doesnt recognise it anyway.

I dont know wether you are new to blogs or not but still, try writing a link to where you can get your own blog!

Try putting links to some good blogs, links to your blog could also be good.

Until you do some links to show what your on about alot of people who dont know what this is will wonder what the hell your on about.

Now onto the original bits, ok so you found out the origins of the word (i hate when people force you to do that, because it makes you think your turning the readers into boffins with scientist glasses) but still well done, isnt there something on this at weblo.com or something?

You could include links to famous blogs/ storys of blogs, how about the woman whose blog is so famous her city has set up a wireless connection for her to write it?


And again links to where you can make your own personal blog!

Hi Frenchbean
Thanx for the link... The rogue 'I' is now gone. And well I enjoy replying to comments, so I would appreciate any further comments (what scares me is if the comments stop, because I know the entry would never be perfect, so comments stopping is definetly scary)

Aurojit

I am not new to blogging (though I had to try thrice before I finally started enjoying it). I have added links to Blogger and TypePad, and to some blogs, but most of the links are in the Referenced Sites section because couldn't come up with text which would allow me to mention other blogs (mine includes), write as a third person and maintain continuity all at once, so suggestion on that front are still welcome.
Thanx
Aurojit

You could say something like '... and here is an example of the blog written by this researcher' if you wanted to link to yours. I guess then you would have to keep at it though.

There are still a few, not spelling mistakes, but odd phrasings like: 'make simplify' where I think you've been in the middle of chosing between two ways of saying things. So that could do with checking.

It's certainly a very interesting entry about a very interesting topic and worth working on, and I like the bits about how to go about writing one as well as the facts and stats. You could put the last paragraph before the previous one to signal the transfer from the facts to a discussion of the topic (why it's good) before getting down to the specifics of how to go about it, but that's just me and you are free to disagree. It's just that I'd imagine that since it is a diary then any advice about how to go about it is quite tricky as each should be unique: I'd be interested in hearing if there are certain conventions such as you start to about people who say things they don't in real life: I'm not sure I understand the comment about the rules engagement being different though, but I do see the link to the danger stories!

A couple more questions then (feed the elephant's child, please!): so the blogoshphere is just all web logs regardless of where they are or whether or not they use this blogging softwear? (Softwhere? Sorry - I'm having a bad spelling day). You don't have to use this softwere to be writing a blog? Did the rise of the softwhere coin the name? I know you can't pinpoint the origins precisely, but is there a conection?

Hi
Thanx for the comments and suggestions (I luv recieving comments and suggestions).....

Well while I do plan to continue blogging for as long as possible (I kindda like it) but a lot of the other blogs I have linked to are not necessarily from H2G2 reasearchers, and I don't know how to fit them in, since they r a very small part of the entire blogosphere.

Well as for the tricky part, ya each Blog has a unique writing style dependent on who's writing it, though what I have mentioned in there is something that I took time to realize, its something like the advise people give u while writing an essay (specially the ones you have to write for college applications ), its just something which helps u collect what to write abt, though if u feel its contentious I'd remove it.

There's no convention but the real life vs blog thing and the rules of engagment thing are mostly observations which people have made about me. I don't usually like communicating about a lot in real life and a lot of ppl feel I am reserved/shy (take your pick) and blogs they kindda help me say what I want to since not many ppl take what you say online very seriously, specially things mentioned on something as public as a blog. The danger (I would guess) comes in only if your actions affect someone at the workplace, your employer or someone similar.

As for your questions, exactly what does and doesn't come in the blogosphere is contentious though I see no reason why blogs not written using blogging software can't be included.

No you don't really need to be using software to maintain a blog, though using one would reduce your workload, since otherwise you'd have to maintain an HTML file within which you'd be writing out your blog entries, and you'll have to manually archive blog entries (unless you don't mind losing your old entries).

The term was most probably coined, or at least popularised with the rise of software, and well ya there is a connection. Blogs sound much better than weblogs so that kindda helps with the marketing part of it.

Aurojit

I like this - I think it will make a useful addition to the guide.

Two points

1) Good things can happen from writing an interesting blog as well. Like the Baghdad blogger who ended up writing a column for the Guardian.

2) Put the blog in its historical context. A lot of people have written diaries for public consumption in the past, and they have often sold well in printed form. Pepys, Alan Clark etc. The technology has simply democratised it, made diaries of ordinary people available.

sprout

Interesting observations, I'd definitely be adding these.
Aurojit

I don't think you can have Peyps as an example of something written for public consumption: wasn't it in code that didn't get broken for a good while after his death or something? Still, I agree that the genre of diary writing (and reading) was an establised one before blogs.

Thanks for clearing a few points up and don't remove the advice on my account: I rather liked it. I'm not sure that there wouldn't be a nice phrase to introduce it as a possible bit of advice rather than The Way, but I'd rather you left it in, actually.

Still there r plenty of examples of private diaries which have eventually been released for public consumption (including Anne Frank's diary) and most of these have been successful because of the trust which their authors placed on the confidentiality of these diaries. However ya, Pepys' diary probably doesn't count as a public diary and well I unfortunately know little or nothing abt Alan Clark, so help on this front would be appreciated.

Aurojit