Attention whore

Lately, there has been lots of talk about the dangers of blogging. There was the interview Dooce did in which Kathy Lee exposed herself to being really and truly a moron. There have been posts from so called "mommy-bloggers" responding to critics who say they are being bad mothers and just daring the creepos out there to come swipe their children by blogging about their lives.

This weekend, the cover story for the NY TIMES Magazine is one woman's tale of woe which resulted from her blogging habits.

Simply put, there is all sorts of backlash on bloggers these days. Interestingly, it seems that the bulk of the backlash is directed at women bloggers. There seems to be, not surprisingly, this social notion that men bloggers are more serious than women bloggers. I read several "mommy-blogs" and am puzzled at the hinted at derision attached to the term "mommy-blogger." There are some wonderful writers authoring blogs who happen to be women . . . happen to be moms and happen to write about their day to day lives. I really like what Dooce says about being called a mommy-blogger . . . what a compliment.

Anyway, first of all . . . I'm thinking that blogging, as with any internet activity, can be good and bad. Of the millions of blogs out there, I read fewer than a dozen on a regular basis. I check most of these blogs daily . . . and even though I'll never get to meet most of my favorite bloggers, I think of them as extended friends. I get to watch their progress as humans, and there is the opportunity to interact through comments, and it thrills me when I see that one of my favorite bloggers checks out my blog.

Second, there is a whole lot of crap out there . . . I suspect that many would think that about my blog. But, it is my work, my thoughts, and my little domain on the internet. Who really cares if I'm a good writer or a bad writer or if they agree with me or not? I will admit that I am jealous of those good writers with loyal followings . . . only because I wish I were a better writer.

Thirdly, given this country's love of "reality tv" which is rigged, edited, and formulaic, blogs are real looks into the day to day lives of real people through their own eyes. Isn't that the real "reality?"

And lastly, the critics of women bloggers ought to spend a bit more time examining their own lives and ask themselves why harsh women bloggers more than men? The gender bias and level of viciousness with which some of these critics attack women bloggers is bad for their karma.

All that being said . . . I started this blog because I was in an unhappy patch in my life and wanted an outlet. It has evolved into my own personal creative/silly/daily outlet. And, because I'm an attention whore . . . all monkeys are in some way. But, I didn't start a blog without doing some research and creating my own rules for what I would and wouldn't do in this blog. I think I've stayed true to my own boundaries . . . and I can't help but believe that every blogger out there has the same considerations in their own work. So, let's tone down the hating, eh?