Oprah's Blogging?
May 20, 2008
Oprah has a blog. At least, she thinks she has a blog. She has a page on her site where there is content, supposively writing by Oprah. I don't know. Comments are non-existent (one does understand why - Oprah could do nothing all day but answer comments, were she to open her blog to them), and trackbacks are nowhere, also.
But, I guess Oprah is trying. The question is...without giving readers the ability to respond to her writing, why is she doing this? Surely she could have a staff member check comments. I don't know. It just feels like Oprah wants to be with the "in" crowd. (I thought she invented the "in" crowd!)
I don't know. And, I actually don't care (about Oprah blogging). The truth is - blogging has become so commonplace, I'm wondering what's going to become of it. If people write content that is not meant to create conversations, and call it blogging - that troubles me. If blogging has become just something people do because "they can"...without any thought into its purpose, that troubles me. And, if people create something they call a blog, that sort acts like a blog, but it isn't really - it's just a way for them to pontificate online - well, what are the real bloggers supposed to do?
The other day as I was driving to a client meeting I was listening to my favorite radio station and the 3 DJs were talking about their blogs. But, what they were really talking about were their blog posts
.
It was obvious they did not and do not know a thing about blogging. There was discussion over what to write in a blog and how great it was that they could delete "blogs" they don't like, the next day. When I hear talk like that, it really annoys me. These are just people jumping on the blog bandwagon because someone else at the office did...and management thought it was a good idea.
It is a good idea. I should congratulate them -- especially Weslea, who is the only one who really knows how to blog. After all, they get the "conversation" part - they have open comments. But, when they say things like, "I did a blog today," and they mean a blog post... I'm wondering if I should call them up and educate them on the finer aspects of blogging.
Here's the thing. If you're going to participate in the conversation, shouldn't you know the lingo? Shouldn't you express yourself properly? Shouldn't you ASK a blogger how to do it...first???
Well, enough of this chatter. I had to get that off my chest. Oprah blogging... not really.
Good day! This post couldn't be written any better! Reading this post reminds me of my good old room mate! He always kept chatting about this. I will forward this write-up to him. Fairly certain he will have a good read. Many thanks for sharing it on www.lipsticking.com !
Posted by: sustanon | December 13, 2011 at 04:04 AM
Ardith, thank you for commenting. You are one of my best commenters.
As to the blog issue - I admit that some blogs exist merely to muse online, and share with others. My problem with those blogs, and I think that's what Oprah is doing, is that...how do I make a comment? If you're allowing me to read your writing and I want to interact with you - why are you making me take an extra step and email you?
Blogs, in general, are open conversations. Even family blogs and Mommy blogs. Someone like Oprah, who invites people into her life, should be willing then to let those people communicate with her.
Otherwise, again, she's merely created a web page. Not a blog. Wikipedia, btw, describes blog as a general term. Even in the early days a blog existed to SHARE information. Not to write without allowing response.
Of course, I'm not the one to tell you or anyone else HOW to blog. I'm merely stating that TO ME, a blog is a conversation. And Oprah shouldn't call her writing 'blogging' if she is merely trying to prove her importance, as Lee says.
To whit, I am watching to see if more of these kinds of "blogs" pop up. Celebrities sharing their thoughts, without allowing their fans to respond.
Interesting.
Thanks for your input. It's always great to have several viewpoints.
Posted by: Yvonne DiVita | May 22, 2008 at 10:44 AM
Good day Yvonne,
What an interesting topic you present. I had been under the impression that blogs came into being as a way to express personal perspectives as opposed to strictly professional or business-oriented content. So I checked on Wikipedia and found this definition: “A blog (an abridgment of the term web log) is a website, usually maintained by an individual, with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video…”
The evolution of such online personal diaries into platforms for dialog is a welcome development and a reflection of trends in business and social networking. I agree with Lee’s observations and believe there is room for an array of blogs, and I am thankful for such superb versions as Lip-Sticking.
BTW, I agree with both your and Lee's observations regarding Oprah and her blog.
Regards,
Ardith
Posted by: Ardith | May 21, 2008 at 04:47 PM
Dr. Wright, the whole purpose of blogging is conversation, even between the commentors. But, how can the commentors connect - with each other - if comments are disabled? Then, you're having conversations with people you talk to anyway, instead of meeting new people, with new ideas.
Kelly, you hit the nail on the head. IS that Oprah writing? If so, why can't we write back? She can afford to hire a staff to respond, admitting they are responding on her behalf. Then, when she has time, SHE can respond.
It works for GM.
Posted by: Yvonne DiVita | May 21, 2008 at 11:12 AM
I like and admire Oprah, but I have to agree with Yvonne. A blog where people can't comment is not really a blog, but a frequently updated web page, or what I call 'a news feed of your own thoughts'. They are just using the technology but not the spirit of the tool. It makes me think it is done out of pressure because they feel they have to get into this social media wave they keep hearing about (Yes, I am totally speculating here!). And I understand their decision. If the comment feature is enabled in Oprah's "blog" they will have an enormous amount of people participating and perhaps their support people don't think they can handle it.
I had to smile when I saw the link "Talk with Others" in the menu of her blog. That makes it pretty clear they want the conversation one way. It is great we can read her comments as she does the 21-day cleanse (if it is really her writing). Just call it Oprah's Journal, blog, that's just silly.
Posted by: Kelly Mullaney | May 21, 2008 at 11:05 AM
Oprah.com sees the forums posts as the way readers can comment and start a dialog. She wants them to start a dialog with each other, not with her. I mean that in a positive way.
Posted by: Dr,. Wright | May 21, 2008 at 12:03 AM
Lee, thanks for chiming in. But, I'm a diehard old blogger... we call them "blog snobs" around my house, so I think blogs should have comments. As a good blogger from a local blog once said (he was from Kodak) a blog without comments is just a web page.
Posted by: Yvonne DiVita | May 20, 2008 at 08:54 PM
Whoops - quick correction to my bad Math - 999 people = 1 out of 1000
Posted by: Lee Drake | May 20, 2008 at 05:00 PM
Eh? I think that it's perfectly ok for there to be a number of different types of blog poster, and different types of blog. There are (at least I like to call them) "Shouting into the crowded room" bloggers. They really do just want people to listen. And depending on who they are - I sometimes give them the benefit of my ear. You and Lena for instance I would potentially read without commenting - you both always have interesting things to say and they make me think differently about various topics. Oren Harai has a similar blog. Just because your blog encourages comments (like this one :) ), doesn't mean everyone who reads or follows it should or does utilize that feature. 90% of your posts are read in my rss reader and I never go deeper. And that's ok. It benefits me, it benefits you. There are a whole lotta people who hang on Oprah's every word. Why else do people want to be on her show - she has a loyal and following audience with a particular demographic. It's the same reason people want to be on The Daily Show (usually different people for different reasons).
So if the blog is intended for those people why must it be interactive or allow comments?
I think there's plenty of room in the blogosphere for all kinds of blogs. I think original content is what sorts the wheat (good blogs) from the chaff (bad blogs). And I think that for every blog that 99 people think is chaff - if one person thinks it's wheat that's 1 out 1000 users which is a pretty humongous number of subscribers on a worldwide scale :)
So that all boils down to - what is the point of the blog? In Oprah's case the point appears to be another "hey listen to me I'm important, and you can be too if you'd just pay attention to what I'm saying." Since she does that on ther TV show every day I don't think this is that out of character :) Oh and it's also about selling advertisement to her demographic - something else she does on her TV show every day.
Posted by: Lee Drake | May 20, 2008 at 04:57 PM