QandO

April 22, 2004

On blogging...
Posted by Jon Henke

Robert Tagorda comments on the rather personal and subjective nature of blogging style...

Most significantly, I make no effort to earn a living from my posts, and I attract a mere fraction of the traffic that the wildly popular Wonkette does. And therein lies the beauty of blogs. We may have varying philosophies, styles, and interests, but we nonetheless occupy the same sphere. The medium itself encourages and thrives on personalization.

For a while, I wondered whether I ought to be snappier and snarkier. I considered posting more links and fewer extensive commentaries. I even questioned the wisdom of casting doubt on the Bush administration, blasting Republicans, and criticizing "my side" as much as I did, since it tended to fluster conservative readers.

Like Tagorda, I've found that a criticism of the Republicans tends to draw more fire than criticism of Democrats. (and criticism of Rush Limbaugh really gets your dander up...:) No real surprise there, since most QandO readers will tend more right-of-center than otherwise.

That, too, is satisfying. I really don't want this to become an echo chamber. If I'm never challenged when I read a blog, the author is probably pandering to his audience, rather than genuinely thinking.

Tagorda hits the nail on the head here, too...

In the end, however, I just resolved to follow my instincts. No matter how hard I try, I can't construct the punchy lines that Mickey Kaus writes. Snark doesn't come naturally to me. When I read about a political strategy or a policy proposal, my inclination is to think through the problem before developing a reaction -- a process that often involves a Nexis search or a transcript check. I like challenging myself to think beyond partisan or ideological terms, and such reflection usually takes time.

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