There was a cute little article
about blogging in the Washington Post today. And of course by "cute", I
mean it managed to reduce the storied newspaper of our nation's capital
to a weird old guy ranting to whomever will listen.
Or maybe it's more like in seventh grade when the headmaster at Town
School for Boys addressed my classmates and me as "Dudes". I'm still
cringing about it now.
So here is how the thing starts:
They consider themselves digital natives.
They're young.
They're addicted to instant messaging and social networks. And they're
more apt to dish about the drama at last night's party than the
president's latest faux pas.
OMG, WP! You, like, totally know me and stuff! ROFLMAO! :D
Ahem. Sorry about that.
Because, you know, there's nothing I love more than "dish[ing] about
the drama at last night's party". For example last night: d.w. and I hanging out with a friend and her 18-month-old twins, enjoying a tall glass
of tap water and going home at ten because I had to work this
morning. And there's no way I would ever imagine mentioning the creepy backrub given to the leader of the largest economy in Europe. Wouldn't think of it.
Onward:
"Of all the bloggers out there, there are only about 10,000 that
have an audience beyond their friends and families," said B.L. Ochman,
a business blogger who tracks online trends.
"It astounds me that
people are willing to do this stuff without getting paid," Ochman said.
"I come from a generation that gets paid for our work."
I know! What a sucker I am! Who in their right mind would ever put pen to paper for enjoyment and catharsis? Now if you'll excuse me, I've got a date with B.L. to go kill some
puppies and push a few blind old ladies into the street. That is, as
long as someone pays for things like that. Because what's the point of
doing something if you're not getting paid?
Alright, next one:
"The average blogger is a 14-year-old girl writing about her cat," said
Alexander Halavais, an assistant professor of interactive
communications at Quinnipiac University in Connecticut.
OK, just because I have a category dedicated to our cats doesn't mean I'm a cat-obsessed 14-year-old girl. But I have to admit that one hurts a little. I mean, until the zygote hatches, what else is there running around the house purely for my amusement?
But you know what? This is only the second most amazingly broad brush I've seen used this week. The winner of the award for "Most Appalling Generalization of Mothers and Tibetans" was presented this week by the peerless (and ruthless, in a ridiculously good way) mr. nice guy. Here you go.