Blogs Blogs Blogs: Response 2/11

I only have the expectations of gossip I have heard about blogs. A blog always has been this place where I imagined people could write about their personal opinions on random subject matters. And complain. I wasn't against blogging, just not interested in reading people's opinions or expressing my own. I am not much of a gossiper, and usually just ask people I know well for opinions. I do not generally feel the need to talk about what is on my mind to an audience I don't know. 

In another class, I was told their is no prompt for blogs, so, coming into this class I went about my blogs with that notion.. and quickly realized that is NOT the case as all my entries "need improvement." But perhaps there is a happy median that makes blogging different from your average literary response. Anyways… enough of my half rant half answer to the first question, "What are our expectations of blogs?" I am not sure what other people expected, but my expectations were met: opinions, snid-bits, paragraphs and the like of stories to help enlighten, entertain, etc. 

My expectations of individual blogs:

Open Salon- A place where people can talk about whatever is bringing them down emotionally in life. (The word salon gives me this impression.)

Redroom- A more elegant and sophisticated place with dim lighting and educated company, but still somewhat edgy. A place where one might try and talk about something out of the ordinary in a unique way. (I go to a semi expensive restaurant in my home town that has a similar atmosphere called the red room).

I Love Typography- Really boring… marketing gossip about typography and how it draws in it's audience. Nerdy talk about nerdy details. (This opinion came from a typography lesson I had in a marketing course.)

The different thrusts mostly went along with my expectations. With the exception of Redroom being a place for writers. But I was along the right track.

Elements:

Open Salon- I was surprised by the tone and the approach. The author's tone seemed upbeat throughout. Even though the subject matter didn't give me the same impression, the tone made it sound optimistic. Quotes like: "When this happens, walking goes from a controlled transfer of energy to the barely controlled ricochet of a drunken sailor; an almost-but-never-quite-in-control battle for balance," or "Whereas I once used to sit on my own hips like a tourist on a bus, watching the scenery go by as I walked, I now miss the scenery because I’m out behind, pushing the damn bus." I was picking up on the humorous approach to such a dramatic subject. 

Redroom- For this blog, I found that the subject stood out. A writer honing on such a specific detail of, in my opinion, nothingness. Writer's have this automatic stereo type of being especially outrageous. So to have one obsess over minor details was hilarious. Also, I had not really thought about all the different entry points, and exits of a letter. Especially not to the extent she had done so. I found it funny when she said, "Aas always,  I  don't proof-read my emails, which saves time, but there are always mistakes, and I'm sure there are people who've received an email from me who wonder how I ever became a writer when I don't know subject-verb agreement.   It's amazing, actually, how many writers I know whose emails are riddled with mistakes.  They don't bother either.  You'd think we'd be more self-conscious." The inclusion of the mistake was the icing on the cake. 

I Love Typography- Voice. Exactly what I expected. Dorky obsessions with the little details in the curvature of a font. A title which goes well with it's subject matter. Also, definitely directed to a certain audience. The other blog sites were much more versatile. So I suppose the theme also stood out.