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Anatomy of an MBTIc Blog

ThatsWhatHeSaid

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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?
 

Wandering

Highly Hollow
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Dec 24, 2007
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I agree that the blogs here are completely different from the classic blogs in other places. As far as I can see, the reason is that the posts are not separated in threads with one "Original Post by Blog Owner" followed by Comments by Users. Here, everything is all mixed up. The comments have the same visibility as the owner's posts, and there are no separations between the different owner's posts (ie. some people are still commenting on yesterday's post, while the owner is posting some new stuff that people start commenting on along with yesterday's post, and so on). It's all just one big flow. Personally, I really like that! I feel it sets a completely different kind of atmosphere, a more open and reactive one (I like your studio apartment metaphor), where everyone is free to move between yesterday, today and tomorrow, and between topics, and to mix and match various "threads". It becomes much more "global", which cannot fail to please this iNtuitive, as well as much more atmosphere-oriented rather than topic-oriented.
 
Joined
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I'm not a huge reader of the blogs, but when I do look it feels like you're visiting someone's home as opposed to the rest of the forum, which feels like everyone is gathered in a public place.

Largely they don't feel like true blogs, just like hosted parties.
 

Jae Rae

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It depends on the blog. Eg, Jennifer's blog is about what's going on in her life and how she feels about it, with related outside comments. It's like reading a journal, or participating in a quiet conversation. Other blogs are more like an online party.

Some very long posts can seem like blogs, with the original poster inviting you in to read and comment upon his thoughts. There's some fluidity between blogs and regular posts.

Jae Rae
 

Randomnity

insert random title here
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I do think it's interesting that there is such a variety of blog 'types' here. Maybe it's because here there is a wider variety of personalities than at most other forums. The feel of a blog here seems to depend on the person (of course). I read a lot of the blogs here, at least occasionally. Some are so private that I hesitate to comment, especially to disagree. Others are public parties of a group of friends where again, I hesitate to intrude.

My blog here, like some others, is a journal and a place to vent. I'm not really concerned about 'setting a mood' when I post....I feel the freedom of having a chunk of space to write whatever I want. I guess there is an element of putting it on display, and I welcome input, but it really is more of a dumping ground than a chatroom.
 

The Ü™

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I keep a blog for the following reasons:
  • Venting
  • Insights I had but have no idea how to apply them.
  • Intellectualizing things that most others don't think about.
  • To find some kind of attention I otherwise don't have access to.
  • Talking with myself about subjects that interest me in the hopes that others will be interested in them to...they're usually not.
  • It's the best thing I have as an opportunity for bonding with others. I just wish I could get to know certain people personally. It's one of the things I've been fantasizing about, lately. (And not in a perverted way, mind you.)
  • I use it for posting thoughts that I should be telling my psychiatrist but don't because:
    • I am not good at verbalizing my thoughts and I never think to do it when I'm talking to the doctor.
    • I don't feel as guarded when talking to people directly. I find it much easier to not be hurt by disagreement in writing than in speech.
    • I'm addicted to my computer, and every time I go to the doctor's office, I just want to go home again to a place where I feel secure.
 

prplchknz

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My blog is just random, sometimes it's venting about how I feel. Or some idea that I'll never follow through. That and so I don't fill the forum with my narcisstic crap, and don't go crazy in real life because I rarely tell anyone anything in real life.
 

nightning

ish red no longer *sad*
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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.

I personally like having these two styles in MBTIc. Sure it drifts away from the traditional role for blogs, but it keeps members of the forum connected.
 

Domino

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I maintain a blog to keep my personal stuff from cluttering the forums, and to connect myself to others. I require it to stay sane. Fe drives me to fuse. And it helps me to be able to share my feelings with others so my feelings don't overmaster me or burn me up. I also like to know what's going on with everyone else, even if I can't comment.

My other blogs at Facebook, Myspace or Blogger are for the sake of my friends who need to keep in contact with me and can only be reached reliably through those mediums.
 

miss fortune

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My blog is much like what happens when a group of friends drop by- sometimes I talk, sometimes we chat, sometimes I leave the room to cook dinner and they all chat on without me! :) It's horribly disorganized and even confuses me! :shock:
 

Geoff

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These questions added as a cross post from the Psychology of online forums thread :

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

Is the phenomenon of it being present on forums like this just because it is trendy? Or is it because people feel disconnected in a virtual world and want the equivalent of their own "bedroom, work desk" whatever to customise and feel is their's - ie is it about part ownership in a society....?

(to add to discussion topic)
 

ThatsWhatHeSaid

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Self-Promotion

Do blogs represent a ... place to show off?

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.
 

Grayscale

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my blog is, more or less, a place for me to throw virtual stuff so i can come back to it later

if i were to compare it to anything, it would be a lot like the huge stacks/piles of random shit next to my desk

i put stuff there, come back, look at it, revise, follow up, etc.


it's an extension of my lifestyle into the electronic world that i am allowing others to observe if they find it interesting for whatever reason
 

Athenian200

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I have a blog here that I add things to occasionally, but it's usually rather technical and boring... it's more something I use to log deeper insights I occasionally have, or remember things that I've done in the past so that I can compare them to my present work in quality (to see if it's increased or decreased). I rarely post to it, though.
 

elfinchilde

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Actually, his blog inspired my thread. I assume whatever's blog is that same, but I'm too afraid to seriously read it.

/smileyphobic

cool avatar, mod. got a shock when i first saw it, was wondering who this new guy was. :doh: what happened to the puppy? :cry:

but i digress.... wildcat's blog is a collection of xNxPs guessing at intentions, missing, and happily carrying on. that's how thoughts go. and out of chaos, comes beauty. You don't try to reason it; you simply follow it. :yes:

whatever's blog has got more structure, actually. :rofl1: just that if this is the information superhighway, her's is on hyper warp speed still. miss it for a day, and you've got pages to catch up on. :doh:

they're the 'open' kind of blogs, where one's welcome, and can just jump in anytime. it's interaction as much as self expression. though perhaps, the former is a subset of the latter. ;)
 

Noel

Member
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Apr 23, 2007
Messages
613
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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?

At first, I didn't understand how individuals could achieve such high post counts in relatively little time. Then I realized that those people posted in a niche area where I don't venture. Blogs. I attempted a blog here to post my thoughts in and was forgotten about until your thread made me acknowledge its feeble life. I suppose my niche couldn't shelter anyone and combined with the fact that I eventually realized that I'll never look over it and its existence annoyed me, enacted me to cease any activity whatsoever. In essence, Blogs take up space and exhibit the quality of lame.
 
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