Anatomy of an MBTIc Blog

[Geoff]

Absolutely. I was going to mention that in my OP. A blog is a place for a person to market him or herself. It reminds me of how birds will build nests and perform courtship displays for others. A blog can be used to advertise one's depth, intellect, social connections, humor, interests, etc.

Here's an observation for you to ponder. You commented in the OP on what blogs were like, and your observations invited comment about what causes them to be etc. I also added a couple of generic questions about blogs further up.

But what sort of replies have you had to this thread? Yep! Almost exclusively comments from a personal perspective, about "my blog" or by reference to a favourite blog. In effect, perhaps reconfirming the preening of feathers.....?

Interesting, isn't it, how few people are interested in the big picture, when they can instead tell you what they think of their own painting.

 

[JAVO]

I agree with your observations and insights, Edahn. The furniture/decor analogy is a bit strong and artificial for my perspective on my own blog and many other people's blogs though.

My blog is a virtual introduction of myself and sometimes ongoing interaction. It's a room people can peer into and decide if they want to come in and talk, listen outside the door, or just shake their head, roll their eyes, and leave.

 

[disregard]

I see my blog as the kind of conversation one might share with someone while sitting outside in the quiet peace of nighttime... perhaps while having a drink.. just a great place to have some serious, deep conversation that discovers and reveals. I use my blog to stimulate conversation about ideas I find interesting, but feel too timid to ever develop into threads. It's a great place to see the potential of others.. and their receptiveness to your thoughts. I definitely do not see my blog as a party. I hate fluff and smilies and bullshit, and it is much more attractive if someone can flex their intellectual ability in my presence.

 

[heart]

I see my blog as the kind of conversation one might share with someone while sitting outside in the quiet peace of nighttime... perhaps while having a drink.. just a great place to have some serious, deep conversation that discovers and reveals. I use my blog to stimulate conversation about ideas I find interesting, but feel too timid to ever develop into threads. It's a great place to see the potential of others.. and their receptiveness to your thoughts. I definitely do not see my blog as a party. I hate fluff and smilies and bullshit, and it is much more attractive if someone can flex their intellectual ability in my presence.

So more like a coffeehouse than a party?

 

[ThatsWhatHeSaid]

I see my blog as the kind of conversation one might share with someone while sitting outside in the quiet peace of nighttime... perhaps while having a drink.. just a great place to have some serious, deep conversation that discovers and reveals. I use my blog to stimulate conversation about ideas I find interesting, but feel too timid to ever develop into threads. It's a great place to see the potential of others.. and their receptiveness to your thoughts. I definitely do not see my blog as a party. I hate fluff and smilies and bullshit, and it is much more attractive if someone can flex their intellectual ability in my presence.

You should be less timid, for the benefit of the site. Threads flop all the time. No one really cares. Just look at Uber.

 

[heart]

You should be less timid, for the benefit of the site. Threads flop all the time. No one really cares. Just look at Uber.

I agree. If no one answers a thread all it means is no one else was interested at that time enough to reply. It is not a big deal.

 

[The Ü™]

You should be less timid, for the benefit of the site. Threads flop all the time. No one really cares. Just look at Uber.

Actually, I don't even care when my own threads derail.

(And my blog derails all the time! )

 

[ThatsWhatHeSaid]

Actually, I don't even care when my own threads derail.

(And my blog derails all the time! )

SHOCKING!

 

[heart]

Here's something I just noticed. Tell me what you think.

I'll admit I'm not a big blog-reader. I used to think of blogs as journals and places to air one's thoughts and just generally vent (positively or negatively). The strange thing about blogs here, though, is that they seem more like mySpace or Facebook walls. The ratio between chatting and journaling is very peculiar and not what I would expect. That kind of made me wonder just now whether blogs are really more virtual homes or territories than journals or diaries. By posting, owners invite others to visit their turf, on their grounds, and do whatever -- bond, flirt, learn, test out ideas and new personalities, etc.

It seems as though the posts in a blog serve multiple functions. They expel ideas and feelings and feed creative urges. But it also seems like posts (by the owner) are really used as decor. They set a mood in the blog that promotes whatever it is the owner wants: bonding, intellectual discussion, flirting, whatever. In this way, posts are a substitute for furniture, lighting, and music. We could even say that is substitutes for dialogue, and that REAL LIFE dialogue is only a tool to set mood, too, just like music. I think this depends on the type of dialogue going on.

So, what are some elements of MBTIc blogs? How do they differ from other blogs? What purposes do blogs serve? Do you think they resemble a journal or a studio apartment?

It just seems like a place were one can talk about whatever they want to without derailing the threads on the rest of the forum. It also a way to see if anyone else shares your interests or not.

Yes, it is like a personal home on the forum. A very apt analogy.

 

[Grayscale]

Actually, I don't even care when my own threads derail.

(And my blog derails all the time! )

sometimes you're more like a deranged conductor who sends the train careening off a cliff

with that said, watching trains explode is fun

 

[zarc]

sometimes you're more like a deranged conductor who sends the train careening off a cliff

with that said, watching trains explode is fun

That aside, I like reading some blogs here and sometimes enjoy the Ne free flowing design-- although, I mostly become irritated due to the lack of structure and for the want to focus or filter through (esp. after so much derailing..). I could never stay for long. Too much happens too fast or I get Si-lost trying to read b/c I want to read it all so I can know WTHs going on. Everyone is invited too...which can be a positive thing but I'd think blog owners (and people who post within the blog) will reserve themselves more so than if they had a semi/private online journal. I have a semi/private LJ with only a few people entitled to read it unless I leave posts open to everyone-- and I don't. Often times I make private posts that my friends can't read too. Or I can custom group my friends so that only one or certain groups or individuals can read entries I allow them too. I am a Goddess!

There are two distinct types of blogs...

One is the more traditional style where the owner express their thoughts and ideas, while other members input their occasional comments.
The other is the chat room style blog that holds conversation of anything and everything. Typically light-hearted dialogues. Perhaps these conversations can be held in the chat room... but I think this method works better since we come from so many different time zones, people do not go online at the same time.

Even bloggers here whose blogs have more structure, like Jennifer's, can't control how people respond. People can derail at any time. It might be currently that there's a traditional style with occasional input or strictly on the blogger's post but that can change if others come and make a mess. There's no real control (unless you're a mod. Oh right, Jen! But you still have to clean up! Ah! I'm recalling that accident, sorry... lol) We can only rely that people will respect the pace or type of posts that a person sets with their blog.

Do blogs represent a "home" in cyberspace? Is it pretend privacy? A place to show off?

I'd think it can be a pretend privacy for some and for others it can feel like complete privacy just because people they know in RL don't know about it. But as I said above, I think most people will likely reserve themselves because there's no restriction to who can read. Show off? Eh, I guess. People have differing reasons for having blogs and maybe the other people who post within blogs are the one's showing off (or are too). To display their concern or their curiousity or to play around but not necessarily just to show it off (or not always).

There's also a difference if people only know each other OL or in RL too (or have the ability of meeting in RL). So, depending on how close people are, the privacy can be very real within private OL journals as people might be more prone to exposing all, giving names etc. I know for myself, I still remain cryptic with names and certain issues/posts within my LJ too and I know all the people in RL (even when I met people OL in a former LJ, I remained cryptic or even more so). It's more for me, than anyone else. I also use it creatively (and poems/etc are made private or for a few to read) or I make random silly posts for fun which I'm more prone to sharing. I've also noticed that within blogs here I'm more prone to making silly, creative posts and feed from them creatively. And MBTIc blogs are the first kind that I've ever participated in.

Edit: I also use my LJ as OL (extra)storage for copies of writing I have.. ("Paranoid, much?" you wonder. "Why, of course!," I reply, "I will never lose any article or essay or anything ever again, external hardrives or internal or documents printed or games or...Paranoid is a weak word, actually...")Important posts are organised by Memories and then filtered some more according to how I'd title them (and whether people can even see the titles let along read the entries). I also love the customization of it, for layouts or galleries etc whether used or not, and the communities you can join. Though, I don't bother but it's occassionaly nice to read ones of which your Interests match. The choice to join if I want is nice. But I'd prefer to lurk if I care to read as I mostly lurk here too. Eh.

 

[nightning]

Even bloggers here whose blogs have more structure, like Jennifer's, can't control how people respond. People can derail at any time. It might be currently that there's a traditional style with occasional input or strictly on the blogger's post but that can change if others come and make a mess. There's no real control (unless you're a mod. Oh right, Jen! But you still have to clean up! Ah! I'm recalling that accident, sorry... lol) We can only rely that people will respect the pace or type of posts that a person sets with their blog.

Well yes, people can derail at anytime... but I think the blog owner retains more control on how people respond based on the what they post. It's true that readers respect the blog owners... You essentially read the person to see whether they "mind" having a mess in the blog or not. Also individual blogs reflects the personality of the owner. Like what elfie said regarding to wildcat and whatever's blog. Now compare that to Jennifer's blog or Antireconciler's. They have completely different atmospheres... the readers can sense it and thus unconsciously respond different. I think this self monitoring does quite a bit in maintaining "order" (or not ) in blogs. Also don't forget that the owners have the right to step in and say they do not want a particular topic to be discussed on their blogs.

 

[elfinchilde]

Well yes, people can derail at anytime... but I think the blog owner retains more control on how people respond based on the what they post. It's true that readers respect the blog owners... You essentially read the person to see whether they "mind" having a mess in the blog or not. Also individual blogs reflects the personality of the owner. Like what elfie said regarding to wildcat and whatever's blog. Now compare that to Jennifer's blog or Antireconciler's. They have completely different atmospheres... the readers can sense it and thus unconsciously respond different. I think this self monitoring does quite a bit in maintaining "order" (or not ) in blogs. Also don't forget that the owners have the right to step in and say they do not want a particular topic to be discussed on their blogs.

Nightning has it right. Perhaps some of us take ourselves too seriously. Why for a life if it is without humor. So-called fluff and preening has a purpose all its own; just that its logic isn't as easily seen as a 'serious' post. why all this urge to categorise and quantify things, anyway? Beneath the surface of a blog is the undercurrent of the PMs, and rep comments, which is where more genuine emotions/thoughts lie; away from the public eye. in that sense, a blog serves as a flying tackle, to see what's going on; and to hence choose your audience for further, deeper communication. One throws the line, and reels in the audience who responds.

personal perspective: because life has always been egocentric. that is how people best understand the world, fortunately or unfortunately: in relation to themselves.

So if one's an excellent communicator, that's exactly how you'd get to your audience. No use pretending otherwise. Speaking as an educator once, the best thoughts are useless if no one listens. It's not simply about having the best ideas. it's about one's ability to communicate them. style can vary, even if the message is the same. and style dictates the audience's response. Always, the artist speaks in a language his desired audience understands.

 

[miss fortune]

my blog is my home here- I spend plenty of time outside of it, wandering about the forum posting things and such, but I feel most at home in my blog!

I think that the format of a person's blog partially reflects what they are here for- I'm here in a good part to run away from the boringness and such of my every day life- logging on here is the equivalent of kicking back with a nice cold drink at the end of a long day. My blog is somewhat anarchic, with anyone welcome to post at any time because I like the sense of freedom and equality that seems to show- which is something lacking in my everyday life.

Sure, some blogs seem out of control- like the ringmaster has left for the day and the animals are out playing (mine seems like that to me even sometimes! fortunatly, I love watching the animals play)- but that is the business of the owner and the people who post there. I finally put together the collection of some of the longer posts from my blog into one collection- sadly, the smilies didn't come with cut and paste, so all of the smiley-phobes probably rejoice- but that's just so that nothing gets lost for good!

A person's blog is like thier home- some homes you act properly or more subdued in, some homes you feel welcome to wander into, take your shoes off, get a drink out of the refrigerator and plop down on the couch in. My home in real life and on here falls into the later.

 

[Tigerlily]

Jens Place
Open bar!

 

[disregard]

My home in real life and on here falls into the latter.

Awww

 

[niffer]

I treat my blog like I do an art gallery. I try to put in the same kind of content as one too. Content that hopefully enterains and informs to a point, but also that can simply be appreciated for it's aethetic value, or something you can learn from.

It's not really a home to me. It's more like...a studio.

 

[Magic Poriferan]

I feel it necessary to vent my toughts and feelings when they start running high, so I've attempted many times in the past to try writing them down in a journal.
But the silly thing is, I can't write anything if I don't think anyone is going to read it, so the only way for me to vent private matters is to write them where everyone can see them.

That's what my modest blog is for.
Anything that's too private for me to put there is something I can't write or speak of at all, because my mind has weird psychological caveats like that.

 

[zarc]

Well yes, people can derail at anytime... but I think the blog owner retains more control on how people respond based on the what they post. It's true that readers respect the blog owners... You essentially read the person to see whether they "mind" having a mess in the blog or not. Also individual blogs reflects the personality of the owner. Like what elfie said regarding to wildcat and whatever's blog. Now compare that to Jennifer's blog or Antireconciler's. They have completely different atmospheres... the readers can sense it and thus unconsciously respond different. I think this self monitoring does quite a bit in maintaining "order" (or not ) in blogs. Also don't forget that the owners have the right to step in and say they do not want a particular topic to be discussed on their blogs.

I don't think the blog owners retain real control. They remind people through their posts the type of structure they'd like to permit (or they can state it), if there is any that they've un/consciously created. I'm just saying that it's up to the respect of the people who respond in the blogs and that it's the blogger who relies on them to do so. You can have some people who sense it and just create chaos unconsciously or consciously. Rather like in other Threads. The OP starter can try to create the focus but it's up to the people who respond to respect it etc (and we know how that usually turns out lol), even if they repeatedly ask they can be ignored (unless a mod/admin steps in after a time, whether or not they were asked to). The owner of a blog can step in and ask but it doesn't mean they'll be listened to (of course, they have their friends who are posting so it's more likley they'll be listened to unless, say, there's friction b/w them). You can have someone who is new to the site and new to the blogs. They may not read the entire blog or even a few posts to get the 'feel' of an individual's blog so they may inadvertently make an unrelated post to say 'hi' or something. I don't know how likely that happens or has but I'm open that it can happen.

As a blog owner, you rely that people will listen to you out of respect for your wishes whether or not you state them (but more so if you do state them). Obviously, a personal blog is different than other Threads but I think the same rules apply because it's such an open-design. Quiet different than a personal journal such as LJ.

 

[Metamorphosis]

I've been temporarily unsure in the past whether I was looking at my blog or elfinchilde's. Particularly when its the same people posting about the same things.