Sunday 17 July 2005

Rolling in the blogs

Since 7/7 (why did we have to adopt the American system of marking disasters with a date?), I’ve started to get an insight into just how effective blogging can be. Hundreds of sans-pied journalists have contributed to just about every aspect of the events of that day. Some of those injured have set out their stories and I can imagine that that has helped with some of the obvious PTSD. We have had Islamic apologists, condemners of Muslims, pro- and anti-Iraq war warriors, conspiracy theorists. Hordes of people are expressing themselves without going through the filter of professional journalism. Given that the main media is subject to the slant of Murdoch, Ted Turner or whoever owns a network and to the curse of political correctness (BBC bombers not terrorists), this can only be a good thing. Some of those blogging may well move into the reporting profession and, hopefully, will take their freshness with them. I think I can say that I have spent more time reading blogs than I have reading the two newspapers we get everyday.
Looking back over that last paragraph, I’ve roused something that does grip my goat with some bloggers. They are the sort who cannot be bothered to do anything other than Here’s a good story (link), what do you think of this (link) so that one is constantly switching hither and yin. If it’s good, stick it on the side as a blogroll. Then there are those who write ‘Me and Janey hooked up late last night and after a boozy reunion we ……… (read more). Another irritant are those who somehow restrict the number of topics one can get to at one time so that it needs constant dragging back from archives. I’ve seen one or two where the daily etc. entries scroll down as they would in a paper diary rather than trying to catch-up on a story by having to go back up when one wants the next instalment.
Another thing that I find amazing is the spread of subjects on which people blog. I’ve spent a lot of time using Google to input all sorts of random word followed by blog. I’ve not yet had a negative report. Even using the rude words seems to work. Already there are loads of blogs on what I suppose one might call the sleazy side of life. I read a while back the supposed story of the high rate hooker who went by the fromage-name of Belle de Jour. This struck me as identical to the porno books published in Paris at the start and mid-50s – Story of ‘O’ and that sort of thing. She has many imitators who – I use the word purposely – exhibit a better knowledge of the velvet brothel than Belle. I spoke about the release that bomb victims might get and I suppose the same applies to these writers who seem to be, in the main, female Some have no qualms about identifying themselves. A lady who lectures on the finer parts of fellatio advertises her book on the same subject – on special at Amazon no less. I go back to a time when women were referred to as lay-dees and I am still surprised when I find a woman/lay-dee expressing her desires and most intimate moments in basic terms on paper or – even more so – on the Internet. Back in a past life (now, sadly, no more), I occasionally had to read peoples’ diaries and personal letters and came across much free expression. But, to find this sort of self-revelation on the web is rather like being told that Maggie Thatcher practised frottage. Not that such things took place but – really – involving her!

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