10 Things I've Learned from Blogging

Despite the obvious down sides of typing away on one's computer for hours at a time, blogging has actually taught me quite a bit over this past year. Accordingly, I thought it interesting to share some of my observations with my fellow bloggers. And perhaps, in turn, they might provide some of their own.

1) Writing: My writing has improved. As a result of practice, the ease and speed with which I'm able to draft opinion has increased. More importantly, I find that my writing has become more versatile. Blogging requires a greater measure of getting to the point more quickly, and of employing more direct language than my previous or current studies prefer. And as a result, organizing my thoughts in different ways comes easier too.

2) Lack of Substance: It's much easier to write a knee-jerk reaction based on a headline and a couple paragraphs through one's political lens, than it is to actually research the issue and provide something constructive. Rather than argue the issues raised on the merits, it's easier to spew partisan drivel, usually in the form of clichés. Who has the time?

3) False Polemics: Getting the story straight takes away from the feeling of vindication that your side is all that's good and right in the world, whereas the other side is all that's wrong and bad in the world. So, even if there's a middle ground, don't take it, because such concession may be viewed as treason for one's political agenda.

4) Manufactured Rage: Whether to a political party, an ideology, an issue or other, partisanship encourages a degree of "manufactured rage". To quote Devin, at Maxwell's House:

It refers to an individual's overreaction to an issue or event in order to further their own political agenda. Sometimes it is intentional and other times it is a product of an individual's blind partisanship. Bloggers of every political stripe, myself included at times, are guilty of manufactured rage.

Although a useful motivator, this type of overreaction fosters hyperbole and can easily turn into a distraction. Instead of adding to the debate, it misdirects discourse into a he-said, she-said game of finger pointing. See points # 5 & 6.

5) Logical Fallacies: If the partisan drivel either does not work or does not suit your fancy, then there are a variety of alternatives:

a) ad hominem - personal attack. For example, bring up one's political affiliation, profession or association as evidence of something in the debate, but which is ultimately irrelevant. And if that doesn't work, then good ole fashioned name calling may suffice.

b) Red herring - Distraction often trumps substance when it comes to debate. Although partisan drivel may not relate to the matter at hand, it will likely take the discussion in another direction, away from the initial problem with one's argument.

c) Take offense - similar to manufactured rage, put one's critic or opponent on the defensive by suggesting offensive remarks on her/his part.

6) Shock and Overstatement: Our political discourse is dominated by shocking language and gross exaggerations. People want controversy. If you can't be loved, then it's better to be the one that people love to hate. There are numerous examples, and the latest one is articulated by Joe Gandelman, The Same of Ann Coulter (The Moderate Voice):

The larger issue is that in our talk-radio, cable talk shows, weblogs, blog comments, the 21st century shows that we’re in the era of shock language. The idea is to throw an audience red meat.

In this case, Coulter didn’t just throw red meat. She hurled the entire cow.

7) Let it be: Granted this life lesson comes from the Beatles, but it equally applies to the blogosphere. If someone makes an outrageous claim, offends your sensibilities, or spews some garden variety nonsense, then it's often best to leave it alone. If you must, say your peace, and then leave it at that. Do NOT continue as it may provide a perverse sense of validation. I've learned this lesson the hard way. Why, oh why do we need to have the last word?

8) Culture: The political blogosphere possess a virtual culture. From how one provides and marks links to the shorthand used in the comment sections, there is a degree of pressure to conform to particular standards, which in my view is not necessarily a bad thing.

9) Female v. Male Bloggers: I'm not quite sure how. The more time I spend in the blogosphere, the better I get at guessing whether a blogger is a woman or man, despite the limited anonymity of screen names. I'm curious to know what the visual cues are or what it is in the writing style that indicate an author's gender. For example, I do notice that men tend to use the word "we" more frequently.

10) BS Detection: Perhaps it's axiomatic to point this out, but despite the vast amount of valuable information in the blogosphere, there's a lot of utter crap too. Some blogs provide a well-informed (albeit naturally biased) perspective. Some blogs even address issues that the main stream media neglects. But with that said, there's an awful lot of junk, which is quite literally manufactured "news". Consequently, one must hone skills in b***sh** detection. I'm still working on this, which I fear may be a never ending lesson.