5 Types of Bloggers to Avoid (Being)

1 - “Paperback Writer” – the novelist

This guy is certain that the best way to get a book publisher to notice him is to write a book and throw it up on his blog one chapter at a time. This ranks right up there with fan fiction in terms of how likely it will be to make you famous. It’s not wise to expect a publisher to want to publish a book that can be accessed online for free; also, why publish a book on your blog hoping it will get noticed when publishers like Tor Books will actually read your manuscript if you just mail it to them.

2 - “I’m So Tired” – the whiner

The whiner fills his blog with dull stories about his day told with great angst; also, he refers to an ominous group called ‘they’ who are his universal nemesis. You’ll see a lot of lines like, “I had to wait for a bus this morning and was late for work! Why don’t they just build a subway” and “it took forever to get my drink at Starbucks, why don’t they hire more people?” In his world, he is the suffering hero and every problem would be solved if they would just listen to him. Why doesn’t anyone read his blog? They are keeping it from the mainstream.

3 - “A Day in the Life” – the public diary

I used to know folks who would leave their diarys/journals laying around ‘on accident’ in hopes that their friends would read it behind their back. Then, they would act like they left it there on accident as if they weren’t narcissistic morons who think everyone is just dying to read about the details of their life.

Their blog on any given day might go something like, “I woke up, got out of bed, dragged a comb across my head, found my way downstairs…” and it goes on and on like that, ending with some small ironic observation and a line like, “I guess that’s what I get for being in a good mood...” or “Hey, that’s the way the cookie crumbles!” or some other slogan only really fit for publishing on the cute puppy posters found in math classrooms.

4 - “The Long and Winding Road” – the essayist

This guy won’t shut up. He probably really cares about global warming or something so he writes these long essays that, as far as the writer is concerned, is the ‘end-all’ argument of the issue. As long as the rest of us read the blog they wrote in their spare time we will all see it their way and the debate will be over. Never mind that people spend their lives doing actual research for this stuff, a blog entry can pretty much settle any controversy. The essayist is never happy until he has filled at least five or six pages with his arguments because he is certain you will read the entire thing. (Wake up call, essayist, no one is reading the second paragraph.)

5 - “You Never Give Me Your Money” – the advertiser

CLICK ON MY ADVERTISING is probably the first thing you’ll see after closing down his pop-ups. If you decide to keep his website open any longer I’m not gonna feel sorry for you, but if you’re like me you will leave his blog for good. The guy who does this thinks he can quit his job and live off of his blog by begging people to click things. Let us know how that works out for you.

“It’s Getting Better” – the good blogs

Yes, there are good blogs out there. Here are a few I visit.

Instapundit - Law Professor Glenn Reynolds links to interesting posts on technology, law, and social/political events. Doesn't sound interesting, on the surface, but it's probably the most read blog on the internet and for good reason: it's entries are interesting and short.

SETI blog - Ever wonder what is going on at the Search for Extra Terrestrial Intelligence? Fortunately, they keep a blog.

Dr. Helen - A forensic psychologist with good insight on how the media protrays different groups in our culture. She's very educated and her work is well documented, something you won't find in many blogs.

Michael Totten - Hear names like Iraq, Kurdistan, and Kosovo in the news, a lot? This guy lives in the Middle East and travels to countries where news is happening with his camera and his laptop telling us what he sees. He has an excellent grasp on the history of these countries and his blog is the most useful website for understanding current events as it relates to foreign affairs, particularly in the Middle East.

The Homeless Guy - What's it like to be homeless? This guy knows.

Remember, good blogging can be great, bad blogging makes us all look bad.