There are so many blogs out there. A bazillion mommy blogs. A kagillion other types of blogs…but those don’t matter, right? 😉 I mean, even my kids have little blogs, which they NEVER update. But they decided because I have one, they should have one too. Too cute. But if I catch any child stalker types on my kids blogs, I’ll sic my dog on ya.
Anyhoo…
So there is this new Tweeter? Twitterer? @motherhoodfilm Who twatted? Tweeted? Twitted? This morning. It was a two part question. One was something about what is your greatest accomplishment as a mother. The other part, though. She asked if there was a difference between writers and bloggers. And, by the way, if you don’t follow her on Twitter, you should. Plus,the movie comes out on Oct. 23 and it stars Uma Thurman, Minnie Driver and Anthony Edwards. It looks great and I’m looking forward to having a GNO and seeing it!
But…
I said yes. There is a difference.
Anyone can blog. Let’s be honest. All you need is to sign up for a free blogger or wordpress account, come up with a name that hasn’t already been taken and start writing about your life. It’s that easy.
The catch is. Being able to write in a way that engages your audience. Am I right? I mean, if you are talking, on a daily basis, about the consistency of the baby food you made and what color it turned your kids poop, chances are you’ll find some other bloggers who can relate. But will they keep coming back? Perhaps if you write about it in an entertaining way that is catchy and keeps the readers drawn.
You don’t have to be a great writer to have a popular blog. Have you read some of the super popular ones? But they suck you in. They write posts in a way that speak to us. That makes us talk to the screen. Or call our moms and cry to them. They make us hug our children a little tighter. And appreciate our husbands that much more.
Well written blogs aren’t necessarily written by writers. They are merely people who decided to start blogs because they felt that they had something to say.
So, is there a difference between writers and bloggers. Yes. There is.
Sometimes, you come across a blog that is both. A blog that is written so beautifully. That you spend an hour reading all the posts you can, soaking in the delicious words of that writers life.
Other times, you can’t get off that blog fast enough because the words stink like the dirty diapers they are writing about.
What do you think? Are bloggers and writers different, as Motherhood so interestingly asked. What is it about certain blogs that keep them in your reader?
Inquiring minds want to know 🙂
Oh, and leave a link to your blog and maybe one awesome blog that you read daily (besides mine, of course 😉 ). Thank you!!
I think maintaining a blog has made me a better writer. Writing and blogging are both part of the Venn diagram of life.
Here’s mine: http://blog.feefifoto.com/
And here’s one of my favorites: http://www.peapodsquadstuff.com/
Anyone can have a blog. Not everyone can write. Once in a blue moon you run across someone who marries the two, but those experiences are few and far between — at least, they have been for me.
That’s not to say that I don’t still enjoy reading blogs by non-writers. I do, and often. And it goes without saying that I LOVE reading the works of writers who don’t blog.
But the question’s a no-brainer. Two TOTALLY separate things.
The end.
I agree, anyone can have a blog. The writing itself (as long as it’s not horrendous) doesn’t really matter to me, if I can relate to the person in some way.
I disagree to some part. I see a blog more as someone who post all giveaways and reviews- for me a writer is someone who actually WRITES something, uses creativity and their mind to form a post – does it have to be good? no but it is still writing.
. I see myself as a mom writer more then a mom blogger- I am moving away from getting products and hosting giveaways. Am I am great writer- not yet. I am using my blog as a way to practice and hone my skills to be a decent writer.
It is a good question to ask, What are are “Blogging” for- to get stuff? To hone your marketing skills? or is to actually sit down and creatively get out the things that rattle around in your head? I expect some good and lets hope civil debate out of this question.
I agree to aspects of all of the previous posts. I enjoy reading posts that I can relate to. I tend to get annoyed with constant tweets about giveaways.
I have a blog, but I wouldn’t really call myself a blogger or a writer. I can’t seem to find the time to update it. Someday I will. People constantly tell me I should right a book. Maybe my blog would be a good place to start!
I agree. To some degree it is like writing a novel that sits in your closet and writing one that gets published. Anyone can sit at a computer and hack away at the keys, talking about themselves (isn’t that everyone’s favorite topic), but not everyone can do it in such a way that other people actually want to read it. I aspire to be a writer. I struggle with writing about my mundane existence in a way that invites people to read and return. To tell my stories, which are ordinary and commonplace, in a way that is extraordinary and unique. And sometimes I think i achieve that. Most days I am simply a blogger, chronicalling the story of my family online for anyone who may find it. And often I feel like on those days i have failed a bit, that I’m not doing my story and my family justice because i was too tired or preoccupied to tell my story in a way that would engage the outsied world. But I keep trying. because today perhaps you see me as only a blogger. but I hope that tomorrow, you will see me as a writer. But whatever title you give me, I just hope you come along for the read.
I think maybe she’s overthinking the issue. Isn’t a blog basically an online journal for most anyway? I know some use it for money, giveaways, whatever, to each his/her own. I don’t claim to be a writer. I just wanted somewhere to put my memories, cuz I’m getting old and can’t rememebr. if others can laugh too, that’s great, but if they don’t, that’s what the little x is for in the upper right hand corner, right??? RIGHT y’all??? LOL
My blog http://auntcrazyhere.blogspot.com/
A fave blog http://stacyinprogress.blogspot.com/
I do both – I blog. I write. More often than not the blog posts I write have little to do with any personal angst I’m dealing with, or my personal take on this that or the other thing going on. I write my blog in order to WRITE. Writing, like anything else, is an exercise. Writing REQUIRES exercise – but the exercise is mental. Writing blog posts everyday is one way to exercise the mental muscle required to become a WRITER. So I do both. I blog. I write. And I can write, in some way, because I blog.
Was that confusing?
I always thought the UrbanDictionary.com definition of a ‘blogger’ held pretty true:
Blogger is a term used to describe anyone with enough time or narcissism to document every tedious bit of minutia filling their uneventful lives. Possibly the most annoying thing about bloggers is the sense of self-importance they get after even the most modest of publicity. Sometimes it takes as little as a referral on a more popular blogger’s website to set the lesser blogger’s ego into orbit.
Then God forbid a blogger gets mentioned on CNN. If you thought it was impossible for a certain blogger to get more pious than he was, wait until you see the shit storm of self-righteous save-the-world bullshit after a network plug. Suddenly the boring, mild-mannered blogger you once knew will turn into Mother Theresa, and will single handedly take it upon himself to end world hunger with his stupid links to band websites and other smug blogger dipshits.
~~~
LOL So true.
I read books for writers. Blogging and writing are like night and day in my mind. I think if a person wants to write, they should turn off the people inside the internet, pull up a plain text editor and write without intention to publish it to the blogosphere for comments. Writers are poets, artists, storytellers and musicians who write their own lyrics. They collect words together in notebooks and journals because they love to create. They don’t claim to have a “voice” or part of some movement. What I see in blogs: diaries, cookbooks, scrapbooks, trade shows/conferences where you can ENTER TO WIN! and articles. I’ve yet to find a story written by a writer our here that I never want to end like I do in novel.
I sill like blogs though, I’ve just never found one that completely captures me like a novel would.
This is excused from the “blogger” definition (totally epic writing and the first and sometimes only blog I read in a day)::
http://pleasefindthis.blogspot.com/
I am a blogger, not a writer. Kel over at OrdinaryArt – now that’s a writer. I am a blogger. There is a difference.
My sister is a writer. I am just a blogger. I don’t scrap book – I blog – it’s is a living breathing journal of my daughters childhood years and the things that happen in her life. As a working mom, I realized I didn’t have time to sit down and fill out a baby book or create cutesy photo books with Kodak or snapfish. But, I can sit at my computer on my lunch hour and document how we went apple picking or her first hair cut or her first pair of shoes.
And, IF, in this process,every once in a blue moon, I am able to string some words together that make someone laugh and go Wow – that really sucks, but that I really funny all at the same time, than that’s great. Or, make someone go – Wow, that looks like fun maybe we should do that – than great. But, I wouldn’t call myself a writer because of my dumb luck some days – nope…I am a blogger – and I can be found here: http://madalinesthemagnificentmayhemmaker.blogspot.com/ and here: http://www.thetownsendbakery.blogspot.com/
OH – since you asked, if you want, check out my sister – the I am only a studying chemistry because my mom says that writing won’t pay the bills: http://thewanderingsagittarius.blogspot.com/- and read her Murphy & Me Series (http://thewanderingsagittarius.blogspot.com/2009/06/murphy-and-me.html) …it’s good stuff…
if the blog makes me laugh, I keep comin back. Writers or not.
I think there is a difference for sure! That is not to say writers don’t have a blog, or by having a blog you are not a “real writer”. What defines a writer anyway?
I have a blog because I enjoy it, and it keeps me focused on my desire to be a writer. It helps me practice my voice and keeps my eye on my prize. My blog is for me (don’t get me wrong, I love readers!) but blogging does not define my success…I need more.
My blog is http://www.warmheartshappyfamily.com
A blog I love because I laugh out loud at every post is http://barefootfoodie.com
I agree.
My favorite blogs are the ones that make me giggle, I’m not going to lie. And I usually giggle because they write so well.
I write a blog mainly to keep myself writing daily. My goal is to be a published author and I don’t always have time to work on my novel. So I write my blog.
Sometimes I read blogs and I’m all “why the hell is this blog so popular?” I actually see a lot of those….”BLAH”GS. That’s what I call them.
Sometimes I’ll find a gem with only 10 followers.
I don’t fancy myself a writer, I butcher the English language way too much for that. Sentence frags, ellipse abuse and made up words. I blog. I’m a blogger, but not so much about poop. I guess I make people laugh, cuz they keep coming back, though I’m not sure if they are laughing with or at me.
Just like anything else, different stroke for different folks. Just because it’s not something I’d write doesn’t mean it’s not good. I see blogs as an online diary and so I tend to read blogs where the owner expresses themselves the same way.
I’m not one for reading long dialogues or diaper stories or potty stories. I’m just in a different place in my life from these topics.
I
I beleive there is a difference. I am a writer who happens to blog. I am not a Mommy Blogger although at times I write about my kids. I see my writing, which is friggen hilarious at times, as first person non-fiction with an edge. Ooh, I should write that down.
Oh and just in case, yes, I did catch the typo. I before E. I know.
There is undoubtedly a difference between a writer and a blogger. LIke you said, anyone can start a blog. That doesn’t make magically make them a writer.
I mentioned 2 blogs in my last post that are recent finds of mine that I’m really enjoying. I am also loving http://www.pajamasandcoffee.com/.
Bloggers and writers are different. It’s easy to write a blog post and much harder to write a book.
http://greenearthjourney.com
http://redcurlgirl.blogspot.com
I agree that they’re different. You can be a writer and have a blog but you’re not necessarily a writer just because you blog.
What keeps me coming back is something that I can relate to. I am not looking for a person who is down on life and uses their blog to vent every little complaint although I like to vent on my blog so I think it is okay sometimes. I like positive, upbeat, encouraging blogs that are ‘real’!
http://www.sixflowermom.com/
http://myenchanteddandelions.blogspot.com/
Blogs. Sigh. I do agree they are different, but blogging is so different. Voices were sooooo different two years ago.. I read all types of blogs, blogs that engage, make me laugh, get me mad, etc..
There is definitely a difference — and for the most part I agree with you. I blog because I want to express my thoughts and exchange ideas, I want to document my children’s lives so that I can remember it to eventually do a baby book, and I want a place to post the cute pictures that I plan on blackmailing my children with. I blog because it gives me a place to do those things and I enjoy the conversation it creates w/ my two whole readers (ok, so maybe more like 5…;) ).
I am a writer (not a fictional writer mind you), but you’d probably never know it when reading my blog because it’s not where I truly write. From time to time I’ll blog something that I know could be turned into something good — but I don’t do that on my blog. I do that on a piece of paper, using a pencil, because that’s where my true writing happens.
I do not blog in order to write. Nor do I require that the bloggers I read be writers. All I require to read a blog is a compelling reason to read it. Do I know you irl? Then I’ll probably read at least every couple of weeks. Are you extremely funny? I’ll probably check in once a week. Do we have a similar faith and do you reflect on that? I’ll probably read you once a week. Do you tell a story that I just can’t get enough of, no matter how poorly you write it or how infrequently you update it? Then I’ll probably check your blog on a near daily basis. All that goes out the window, though, if you can’t tell me which there/their/they’re to use. 😛
Anyway … you can find me at http://mommymamamom.blogspot.com
And a blog I love to read is http://cdhmomma.blogspot.com
Great post, Melissa! I blog because I love to write… I need to write… but I don’t think I’m a great writer. But still, I blog. Because I love to write. I need to get these posts out of my head and online or on paper or something. I love comments, and I love the connections made through blogging. I am happy with my blog, even though I’ll never be one of the popular bloggers. I love reading old posts of mine, even, and smiling at something I wrote about, like something silly my child had done. It’s a scrapbook of wonderful memories… an online journal, a great way to make friends who have similar interests… and blogging is done by people who love to write. Period! 🙂
Perhaps anyone who puts pen to paper or finger to keyboard is a writer; be she “good” or “bad” at such a task – the answer lies in the eye of the reader.