About Blogs

Recently, if two weeks ago can be considered recent in this age, I set up this blog called Oddblock Station. 

Kimberly and David were really surprised, maybe even shocked to learn that their ancient, out-of-date, technology-deficient, over-the-hill father was actually able to do such a thing without any help at all from someone else. This explains why the blog is plain and simple in appearance and required a long time (more than a week of frustration) trying to figure out how post something in here. 
 

Blog is a new word or term; something I have heard younger people mention from time to time. My almost as old but faithful dictionary does not even have the word blog in it.  Therefore, definition of blog will be derived from my observations and thoughts. 

One observation is that many people all over the world treat the blog concept as a modern day version of what was once known in school as “Show and tell.” The difference today is that many do this anonymously, from the apparent safety of sitting in front of a screen or whatever, and not having to stand in front of a live audience. 

Notwithstanding the desire to remain unknown, obscure and somewhat hidden mysteries by leaving out basic personal information and posting unusual images of themselves, paradoxically bloggers will write anything in their thoughts that are seemingly without thought and will post any images imaginable that are anything but anonymous.

Nothing in a blog is in the present, live, here and now for the instant of the moment. All is in the past and of the past even though desires of the future can be expressed and even recorded for future referral. 

A blog is nothing more than a modern day soap-box for the entire internet world to read and see. Ironically, reality is that every blogger is on their own soap-box, writing and posting their own stuff. The end result is that no one has enough time to really look at, look into and read other blogs. 

Bluntly put, blogging is not about communicating with others unless a one-way information flow is considered an exchange of thoughts, ideas and information. 

A blog is the same as an advertisement spewing out wordage or a billboard on the information highway that is seen while passing by and then quickly put out of mind and forgotten.

We want to believe our blogs are focused outward but in truth they are introverted. Blogs are merely mirrors of who we are and what we have been doing. We deceive ourselves into thinking that the images reflected back at us will be visible to others when we turn the mirror around to an audience that probably is not there. 

Too many hours can be spent in a blog, wasted if you will, adding things to it, updating it, and then going back later to fiddle with and correct it.

To keep my conclusion simple I suppose I could have just said, “Blogs are a waste of time.” 

They are, but I’m not out to try and change the world of blogs. In fact, I like having my own little soap-box to climb on and spout from. This blog provides a free medium to freely publish my own material for the entire world to read and see. 

Regrettably, the result is the same as what a returned, unread manuscript brutally says. No one is interested. 

No views and zero comments on my blog mercilessly and painfully tell the same cold, hard truth…except that I do not have to pay return postage to a publisher to tell me the same thing.

Is anyone out there?

The Oddblock Station Agent