Top Ten Reasons you should not Blog

10. It’s time consuming – Kind of like watching TV, it wastes valuable time. You could be creating real content, spending time with your kids, your wife (no, reading her blog does not count as spending time together), or enjoy spending time off the grid daily instead of between jobs…

9. The blogosphere is already overloaded – Yes that’s right, there are lots of good bloggers out there, in fact at this point my humble technorati ranking is at the bottom of the list along with thousands of others (yes past the 1m rank). So why would you start or continue blogging at this point? The content has already been covered by the press and at least five other bloggers, would your comments on their blogs be sufficient?

8. It’s not journalism – So don’t pretend it is…..

7. There are too many rules – Yes rules…. even though it’s the journalistic outlet of the new web 2.0 era where everything converges in an underfined mashup of entreprenureal creativity…… there are rules about how to be a good blogger, how to not piss off the best bloggers, how to be a corporate blogger, how to get good technorati rankings, how to get A-list bloggers to link to you, and how to write lists……. There are even books on the subject :)

6. You don’t want to become another victim – yes many bloggers get victimized and bullied by the community. It’s probably one of the saddest things I have seen when a group of bloggers who most likely were beat up in middle school throw their A-list blogs around at people’s opinions….. because they can (see number seven – don’t piss off the A-list bloggers is one of the important rules)

5. There are no good platforms – ?? what Live Writer, typepad, radio, wordpress, blogger, community server, blah, blah, blah…… yep they all suck to some degree…. I have started and killed about ten different blogs because I didn’t like something about the platform, uploading pictures sucks in wordpress…. btw, this is a good thing, it will help encourage improvements like this and this.

4. It’s not profitable – yeah everyone thinks they are going to write a great blog, be an A-list kind of blogger, put up some adds and get some revenue. Or maybe they’ll have some people refer to their blog as their resume and get the next big job or find the next great partner…. or maybe they’ll just rent their chest and clear $10k…… um, good luck the long tail theory doesn’t work here – you have to be an A-list blogger first…. Guy isn’t even in the top 20!!

3. Your blogosphere colleagues won’t explain their jokes – um yeah – Jeff Jarvis, Mike Arrington, Robert Scoble, and Dave Winer….. quite posting inside jokes – they are crowding up my rss reader and it’s annoying :P

2. Why write your own, you could just claim the number one blog and be done
1. There are better things to do with your life……

10. Learn how to Get Things Done

9. Learn how to Draw

8. Learn to make Wine
7. Go Fly A Kite

6. Go Surf (even if it’s cold)
5. Learn to Dive (even if it’s cold)

4. Go get in a boat (even if it’s cold)

3. Use all of your vacation….. and some of your sick time

2. Use the 1m lines of text in a book…. or a new OS…..

1. Start a videoblog :)

Digg this post Del.icio.us Furl

37 Responses to “Top Ten Reasons you should not Blog”

  1. MamaDuck Says:

    LOL and yet here we are ;). Our list is up if you’d like to look – http://lilduckduck.com/ducky-moments-in-time/240

    Have a great day!

  2. Rick Says:

    #10 It’s only time consuming if you want it to be and see it as a checkpoint in your business plan.

    #9 The world is overloaded with people, too. For the vast majority of people who blog it isn’t about the money, or business. You don’t have to know every one in the world, and you don’t have to see every blog there is.

    #8 Usually, no, it’s not journalism. And your point is?

    #7 Ignore the rules.

    #6 Ignore the bullies.There is no reason to associate with them if you don’t want to.

    #5 I’ve never seen a perfect piece of software for any purpose. It’s an unattainable, unknowable goal. Just pick the one you like best, or dislike the least, just like when you vote.

    #4 For some people it is profitable, just like anything is. How many writers make the best seller list? How much software is known by everyone? For many people the business blog is marketing, which makes money for the rest of the business. It isn’t a money maker itself. For non-business blogs, the point isn’t the money. The blog is a hobby or a creative outlet.

    #3 If you need the joke explained, are they your colleagues? Again, ignore it.

    #2 Purposely left blank

    #1 It depends on what you want to do.

  3. Jersey Girl Says:

    So many reasons not to start…I’m glad I didn’t read this before I started…I may have passed the experience by! Enjoyed reading your list.

  4. Kerri Says:

    And here I thought I was contibuting to society. Now I know better. :D

  5. Shadows Edge Says:

    Nice list! I particularly like that its a “Why not to” do something list. ;)

  6. Pass the Torch Says:

    Yeah, more true than I’d like to think…

  7. Nathan Says:

    11. Endless pressure to come up with new lists. ;-)

  8. Dr Quincy Says:

    He he, excellent list.

    Of course the Internet needs another blogger like the music industry needs another band. The point is musicians only form bands because they love music . . .

    Keep it up!

  9. Chris Says:

    And yet, we still continue to blog no matter what. We all must be insane

    Thanks for commenting on my List

  10. Martin Says:

    Good stuff Josh,

    WordPress should make you read this as part of their terms and conditions when someone decides to go a blogging. :-)

  11. Trav Says:

    One of the worst blog entries I have ever read. And no, I can’t be bothered explaining why!

  12. R e n é e Says:

    Against all odds, we still blog about everything under the sun like there’s no tomorrow.

  13. Sanjeev.NET » Blog Archive » links for 2006-08-17 Says:

    […] Top Ten Reasons you should not Blog (tags: blogging articles 2do) […]

  14. financialfreedumb Says:

    I can imagine #6 being so true…Read my post on bullying. I’ve learned to just do my own thing.

  15. Janice (5 Minutes for Mom) Says:

    its funny cause it’s true…

    that was your point right? or were you just in a really bad bloggin mood?

  16. obliam Says:

    Perhaps it is a case of
    “ours is not to reason why, ours is but to do and die.”

    But lists sure make good blog posts, check out my 5 reasons to have a list on your blog.

  17. Razib Ahmed Says:

    ” It’s not profitable – yeah everyone thinks they are going to write a great blog, be an A-list kind of blogger, put up some adds and get some revenue. Or maybe they’ll have some people refer to their blog as their resume and get the next big job or find the next great partner…. or maybe they’ll just rent their chest and clear $10k……”
    Unfortunately, you are right. Most people have shortcut intention and as a result, they suffer. Blogging is just like every other profession. If you want to shine, you must work hard just like every other field.

  18. uncommoncommon Says:

    good list pro!and thnks for visiting my list at http://www.worldofindia.blogspot.com

  19. Becky McCray Says:

    And to think I was foolish enough to do a “best of my blog” list!

    Thanks for a great laugh!

  20. Nick U Says:

    This was very funny, but, perhaps more importantly, it was clever.

    BTW, Thanks for commenting on my list.

  21. Rob Herbst Says:

    I think your list is great. Very funny!

    Thanks for commenting on my list about 10 cool features of the google search box. I’m glad you liked it.

  22. Nick Says:

    Hi again,

    Linked to this post at http://malpracticejournal.blogspot.com/2006/08/with-liberty-and-web-lists-for-all.html

  23. someone Says:

    U r right..besides who’ll then read people’s blogs? There need to be audiences too to read those millions of blogs.

  24. mll Says:

    Complètement d’accord ! I agree ! That’s why I’ve deleted my blog. we don’t live when we’re in front of a screen. But, I must say I can’t help reading some blogs, especially one I’ve found great. The blogger is funny and kind, his posts are varied (funny and instructive) and it’s for me a good way to improve my English. I really don’t understand why he gets very few comments on his posts. (I’m usually the kind of person who write comments on blogs that get few ones, I run away from the others, I hate “stars” or should I say, bloggers who think they are stars)
    Anyway, congratulations for this post.

  25. Razones para NO tener un blog - RegioBlogs Says:

    […] Y si, creo que pueda haber razones para NO tener un blog o dejar de hacerlo… […]

  26. mll Says:

    I forgot to say…maybe you should ask a psy why people blog, their explanations must be very interesting…
    (I like blogs especially when the owner of the blog answers to people who write comments :))

  27. All these reasons and I still want to do it… « A Clogged Blog Says:

    […] https://joshmaher.wordpress.com/2006/08/14/top-ten-reasons-you-should-not-blog/ […]

  28. zooplah Says:

    Kind of like watching TV, it wastes valuable time

    I know those who would claim the opposite: that not watching TV is a waste of time :)

  29. Too many topics, too little time. » Top Ten Reasons you should not Blog « Messaging….. Technology…… Life….. Says:

    […] Top Ten Reasons you should not Blog « Messaging….. Technology…… Life…..: Top Ten Reasons you should not Blog […]

  30. joshmaher Says:

    thank you everyone for your comments, and Mll… I always reply :)

  31. becs Says:

    Re your point number 5 regarding wordpress images. Yes they are a bit sucky. Even suckier if you use windows live writer to upload them to wordpress. One refresh and they are gone in a puff of smoke.
    However I have found neutral ground between wordpress and windows live writer – let live writer upload images to ftp webspace. Its now a perfect harmony :)

  32. Sujan Patel Says:

    This post has motivated me to quit blogging…wait then I truly be lost so I am going to sleep on it

  33. joshmaher Says:

    hehe, that’s funny….

  34. It All Ends Here I guess. . . « Breath of the Eastern Wind Says:

    […] Well, can’t say I didn’t thought of it but it really makes a difference when you see others make a point of things you yourself have considered. So I saw this and have well known for a long time how alsmost every single detail is true. And I might just be walking my way out sooner or later. It’s just my eagerness to provide info through my blogs are keeping me from going out the door. But then what are these info for if they serve no audience? And if they do, I hope to hear from these quiet people on whether I should stay or bail out of this blogsphere. I am a novice blogger and my blog is typically young, I am not saying people are dying to read my blog and that they should beg me to stay. I’m only wondering whether all of these (my little work) provides any significance or not to anyone. I predict it is the latter thought. 10 hours to go before I make my decision final. My initial goal was just to be a personal blog but it has seemingly evolved into numerous broad catergories that I have to split into other blogs. Now I intend to concentrate on my anime blog and had hoped it would be the hub or the center linking all great anime sites, blogs, download centers. And where each and any of the members of those might get to know each other here. It is a huge and daunting task. And I am more so discouraged by everyone’s silence. Well, I might just have to give it up then…10 hours from now…until perhaps someone says somehting I guess. […]

  35. OgMog: beta » Top 10 Top 10 Lists of 2006 Says:

    […] 3: Top 10 Reasons You Should Not Blog: I’m sorry, that last joke wasn’t at all funny. Why do I even try? What am I doing? […]

  36. apec Says:

    Invite yourself through some http://trapec.info/

  37. job-list Says:

    very-very interesting…

    try this

    http://job-list.blogspot.com

Comments are closed.