Is blogging credible?

1. 61

   Annabelle74posted 12 years ago

   "Blogging is graffiti with punctuation" Contagion. I didn't know whether to laugh or kill myself!
   The question is, is this true?
   AnnabelleRC
   <snipped-no promotional links>

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      manthyposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I think blogging is very credible infact it may be the only form of media that isn't corrupt!

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         jfay2011posted 12 years agoin reply to this

         blogging is really great.  you can be short and to the point or just go off on a wild tangent and write about anything you're thinking about.  It's also a good way to advertise about things without sinking a lot of money into it.  I'm going to start blogging on other sites too, but I want to make sure all my content is original to each site.

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      BradyBonesposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I remember when I first started blogging. What I thought and what I learned soon became very far separated. Soon I found myself lulled into the false hope of reciprocation, visiting like-blogs and leaving engaging comments that seldomly paid off in return visits.
      After spending so much time not blogging just to get my blog noticed, I began to question whether I had any right to write with authority on my passion, which was creative writing. My posts about the writing process and various writing exercises I had come up with seemed empty, even though they probably would have helped someone if only I'd had a larger audience.
      
      Time has taught me that it's better to just focus on your content and be true to what you believe is right. Traffic will come in time, and the people who choose to stick with you will be your validation. If that never comes, you've got to make a decision as to whether it's still worth your time. If you blog for yourself, it may still be time well spent.
      
      Now if you consider those points as a potential reader of a blog, you should realize that your patronage is worth something. In the end it is the reader who decides whether a blog is credible. (Other bloggers often come with their own motives and hopes of reciprocation, and shouldn't be counted on for validation.)

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         manthyposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         Well said

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2. 64

   jcmayer777posted 12 years ago

   I hate to say it, but I placed almost no stock in anything I read online.  How many people do you know that write reviews on products just for affiliate commison? 
   
   I cannot tell you how how many times I've looked at other writing sites and read reviews on them. Invariably, I find at least one person that touts the site as the greatest thing ever and has their referral link plastered all over the page.  You go to their profile and find they've written two articles.
   
   There are some things in life I know very well.  I've found just plain ridiculously wrong info on blogs, some of which is so far removed from the truth, it's almost painful.
   
   I do enjoy opinion pieces, provided they are not stating opinion and attempting to pass them off as factual.  I have found great how-to type of info as well.

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3. 79

   Greekgeekposted 12 years ago

   It's a bit like saying "Are journals credible?" Define "journal."
   
   Blogging is a publishing platform, no more and no less. It usually lacks an editor, so for that reason it's less respected than literature that must be passed by an editor or editorial board. However, considering the shockingly poor quality control even on sites like TIME and the BBC these days -- to say nothing of the popularity of HuffPo -- you will find better-quality blog writing  than some professional publishing platforms.
   
   It simply depends on the blog. Of course, I don't tend to think of blogging as a place to post reviews, although I suppose one could do that. I blog to discuss the same stuff I used to research and study in academia, relating it to contemporary issues and translating it into a style that's more accessible to non-academic readers.
   
   I've learned about SEO from well-researched blogs (and avoid less reputable ones). I follow my favorite sports team via a good blog. I read excellent fiction and get into thoughtful discussions of social issues and current events on friend's blogs.
   
   Define blog?

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4. 59

   robynaposted 12 years ago

   Yes, it really does depend on the blog. I have written a blog for over 3 years on a health condition my son has. I don't give medical advice, just mom advice. That's something the doctor doesn't give. The blog is fairly popular for such a niche topic. I do reviews of things like books about this health condition and receive nothing in return (affiliate commission, etc).
   
   The moral of the story is that it's hard to have a "one size fits all" statement for blogs. There are so many that cover everything you can imagine and then some. I do get what you're saying though about people reviewing things positively just to get a commission. But every blog is not like that. Really.

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      Cardisaposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I too have a health blog that gets more views than my earlier blogs. I find that blogging has it good points and there are those people who prefer to get their info from blogs because they are more personal. Whereas a website publishes more technical articles, blogs are mostly from a personal point of view that most people can relate to.

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5. 74

   Richieb799posted 12 years ago

   Blogging is freedom of speech, to some extent lol

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6. 82

   GmaGoldieposted 12 years ago

   There are two types of bloggers - those who chatter and those who write with high quality content and hours of research.
   
   Sadly there is no name for those who care about the content. Why is the writer who spends hours sometimes days researching and writers 1200 words, adds in pertinent videos and photos called a blogger.
   
   I look at the extensive work of some of my fellow hubbers and feel the term "blogger" is not appropriate.
   
   As wordsmiths, we should coin a word that aptly describes the writer who seeks to deliver quality, unbiased content. Albeit we are being paid a commission whereas the journalists are being paid a salary.
   
   What should a high quality writer online be called?

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7. 79

   Greekgeekposted 12 years ago

   Blogger. There's no need to come up with a separate term, any more than there's a need to come up with a separate term for poets of good poetry and bad. They are poets. They write poetry.
   
   Leave the reader (again, there are good readers and bad) to judge.

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      manthyposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I think it depends on who is writing the blog, I mean take it for what it is worth.

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