Erdos Had The Number First

I think one of the main problems with bloging is the lack of context. You can read my posts, but often I will not really provide any context to what the discussion I’m having really is.

It’s more like reading peoples letters than reading someones journal. It is not like a journal largely because it is meant to be read by others. Journals are often not really meant to be read by others. While there are those who want their journals to be read, by and large a journaler is writing for themselves. Blogs, on the countrary, are to be read by others. In fact, not having your blog read is a sign that you are unpopular or unintersting.

But back to my original point: given that blogs are meant to be read by others there is a problem in that so many blogs lack context that allow them to be read by those who are really other. Sure, if you know me, you can read almost all of my blog entries and they will, within reason, make sense. If you don’t know me, however, some of the will most certainly not.

This lack of context is a real problem for me when the world has begun to view blogs in a more serious light. Bloggers are now journalists in some instances. I think I would prefer that the whole idea of blogging be removed from a special case of writing and treated more like traditional publishing. We are already (as Americans, at least) comfortable in using our feelings about publishers to color or desire to read a given work.

If we do this, then no-context blogs will be finally reduced to what they are: bad writing. Like this, for example.