Your own homepage/blog site: how popular are they?

Minerva · Post by **Minerva** » Thu Jun 16, 2005 7:53 am

I just wonder about this.

It seems it is so common in Japan (especially among women of any age) to have their own blog site these days, talking about anything from books they read, movie they watch, share new recipes, or diary of bringing up new baby, for example. It is also common to have homepage, showing off their photographs, comics, writing skills...
There are a huge number of Fan Fiction sites around. Okay, I do have one myself (based on couple of games. Not the games in GB, though

).

Japan has long history of self published fan fictions--Doujin papers. "Doujin" seems to be regarded as X-rated disfigured anime/manga in abroad these days, but originally they just mean Fan Fictions, whether novels or pictures. And before you ask, no, my writing doesn't involve any x-rate activities, not even nakedness---oh, wait, I did write three guys in bath before... Well, my writings are mostly known for comedy values these days (my site is one year old yesterday, and I got about 35,000 hits so far. Not bad, hah?)

Anyway, I don't come across many of personal sites outside Japan. I actually think people in US and UK use internet better than Japanese, so I am not sure if this is actually the case, or I am just looking at wrong places.

So I wonder, how popular/common to have your own homepage/website/blog, apart from for your business?

ik911 · Post by **ik911** » Thu Jun 16, 2005 1:33 pm

I'm never interested in those and seeing the activeness of this thread, I guess I share that opinion with a lot of people. (

) Blogs usually contain the everyday ramblings of regular nobodies and I guess I lack the fantasy to enjoy other people's fantasy stories.

giles337 · Post by **giles337** » Thu Jun 16, 2005 1:35 pm

Well... my homepage was so special they filtered it on my school network

Magrus · Post by **Magrus** » Thu Jun 16, 2005 1:39 pm

I just have a journal online I use for my rantings, ramblings and contact with my ex's that have moved all over the place. As it is just my ex's, and one or two friends who have access to it, it isn't popular and was never meant to be done as such. It's simply my little place to write and those people can see it in all of it's glory. Whether it be my being drunk and amusing, pissed off and cruel, kinky and crude, or intellectual.

Luis Antonio · Post by **Luis Antonio** » Thu Jun 16, 2005 5:37 pm

[QUOTE=ik911]I'm never interested in those and seeing the activeness of this thread, I guess I share that opinion with a lot of people. (

) Blogs usually contain the everyday ramblings of regular nobodies and I guess I lack the fantasy to enjoy other people's fantasy stories.[/QUOTE]

True. But some of them contain very usefull/cool/insightfull rants and comments and discussions. I have a Blogger with two friends of mine, (in portuguese). There we'd post anything that comes to our mind, but always with some social reasoning.

I like it, even though many people who comment havent really read the site at all

C Elegans · Post by **C Elegans** » Thu Jun 16, 2005 6:01 pm

[QUOTE=ik911]Blogs usually contain the everyday ramblings of regular nobodies and I guess I lack the fantasy to enjoy other people's fantasy stories.[/QUOTE]

For once I totally agree with you

I am totally uninterested in the average person's everyday life, describing trivial events in a manner that lacks literal talent and style. I love reading good literature, but amateur diaries and fantasy stories seldom contain anything of interest to me. I think Salvatore is crap and Tolkien lacks in literal quality and style, so I don't think I'm the right person to appreciate fan-fiction.

The exception would be if somebody asked for my opinion, if somebody I know wanted me to read something personal or if I found the person extremly interesting.

In Sweden, weblogs (I refuse to use the ugly abbreviation!

) are most common among very young teenagers who write about their life and experiences.

Luis Antonio · Post by **Luis Antonio** » Thu Jun 16, 2005 6:10 pm

[QUOTE=C Elegans]For once I totally agree with you

I am totally uninterested in the average person's everyday life, describing trivial events in a manner that lacks literal talent and style. I love reading good literature, but amateur diaries and fantasy stories seldom contain anything of interest to me. I think Salvatore is crap and Tolkien lacks in literal quality and style, so I don't think I'm the right person to appreciate fan-fiction.
[/QUOTE]

Actually, this is due because webloggers (haha) have been sold in a first moment as internet diaries. So if you launch this product in the market as a diary, people will write silly things. That is the same to Fotologs: they should be image hosting photo albums, not a diary with photo. Tis a shame when you look at some fotolog where girls keep fighting between comments.

I see bloggers as a way to comunicate, and they're quite effective at it. But as every tool, there are the good and the bad users...

Magrus · Post by **Magrus** » Thu Jun 16, 2005 6:19 pm

*nods* All of those with access to my online journal know what it's for. My thoughts. Whatever I feel like putting out there is what happens. It's not made to be "good" literature, it's a journal. I have some very nasty and cruel rants about specific people in my life in there, and I have some very touching and kind things in there. I have drunken ramblings which can be amusing, anything which comes to mind. It's nothing I choose to share with the public, or sell as it is nothing but random thoughts. It's just not worth anything to anyone without a deep, personal attachment to me. All in all, it's my uncensored view of the world at large.

My friend Rachel is thoroughly addicted to reading it.

what she has access to at least.

Siberys · Post by **Siberys** » Thu Jun 16, 2005 6:29 pm

Site is going pretty bad now. It currently has 9 members and 88 posts and it has been 3 months since I made it. I hope it doesn't get shutdown because of the lack in posting. Though, it is, afterall, xsorbit and they are pretty reliable so I'm not too worried.

Luis Antonio · Post by **Luis Antonio** » Thu Jun 16, 2005 6:37 pm

[QUOTE=Siberys]Site is going pretty bad now. It currently has 9 members and 88 posts and it has been 3 months since I made it. I hope it doesn't get shutdown because of the lack in posting. Though, it is, afterall, xsorbit and they are pretty reliable so I'm not too worried.[/QUOTE]

That's a high contrast color scheme... I mean, the forums look ok, but you could change that white to something that wont rape my eye, aye?

I'll subscribe after some... LURKING...

Magrus · Post by **Magrus** » Thu Jun 16, 2005 6:42 pm

AAHH, yeah, the bright white/black and red scheme is blinding. I looked for a second and I can still see the white background burned into my eyes.

Siberys · Post by **Siberys** » Thu Jun 16, 2005 8:19 pm

How be that. I made it the default theme setting so it is silver and white.

Magrus · Post by **Magrus** » Thu Jun 16, 2005 8:23 pm

Sent you a PM, and that looks MUCH better.

I can look at it without tearing up now.

Cuchulain82 · Post by **Cuchulain82** » Fri Jun 17, 2005 6:38 am

@CE- Did you just cut and paste your response here from your response about fantasy lit a little while back? It seems to be very similar...

C Elegans · Post by **C Elegans** » Fri Jun 17, 2005 8:35 am

Luis]Actually wrote:
If you are a somewhat skilled writer, I think there may be interesting ways to write a diary. Some types of journals like "travelouges" or dealing with some specific issue could be interesting, it's just that most people who write public internet diaries live lives and have thoughts that are of no particular interest to me personally, and also most are overly conscious with giving a certain impression of themselves.

I see bloggers as a way to comunicate, and they're quite effective at it. But as every tool, there are the good and the bad users...
Oh, I am sure some people find it a useful means of communication but personally, I prefer to communicate in person about trivial things because it's fast and allows for other meaningful social interaction at the same time. For instance, when I discuss everyday matters with my friends, I often do that while taking a walk, going to an exhibition, etc.

And if it's not trivial but in some respect important communication, then I certainly prefer to communicate in a more focused way. Tastes differ of course, but if at all possible I by far prefer to socialise in vivo.

Cuchulain82 wrote:@CE- Did you just cut and paste your response here from your response about fantasy lit a little while back? It seems to be very similar...
Heh, no - I just have quite stable opinions about Salvatore and Tolkien and conventional fantasy fiction

giles337 · Post by **giles337** » Fri Jun 17, 2005 11:12 am

If you are a somewhat skilled writer, I think there may be interesting ways to write a diary. Some types of journals like "travelouges" or dealing with some specific issue could be interesting, it's just that most people who write public internet diaries live lives and have thoughts that are of no particular interest to me personally, and also most are overly conscious with giving a certain impression of themselves.

I'm sure some people find weblogs amusing... The same kind, I'd expect, who enjoy reality tv

That said, I must confess to, after having read this topic, take a quick peek at Aegis' MSN weblog, purely out of interest

C Elegans · Post by **C Elegans** » Fri Jun 17, 2005 3:45 pm

[QUOTE=giles337]I'm sure some people find weblogs amusing... The same kind, I'd expect, who enjoy reality tv

[/QUOTE]

There has been some interesting recent studies of "internet exhibitionism", and not surprisingly it turns out that many people feel more secure exhibiting themselves physically or psychologically, at the internet compared to in vivo social situations. Many young people who post supposedly private diaries and photos of themselves at the internet do so because they want to be assessed by their peers and assured that they are nice, pretty, good, popular, attractive, whatever, but at the same time it's much easier to shake off potential negative critisism when you don't get it in your face and not from people you really know.

In short, it's very much about getting judged by others but in a safe way.

But why are people interested in reading other's ultra-boring diaries about things so trivial so you want to cry? I don't know, but I think part of it is comparing yourself to others, and part of it is emotional entertainment in the same line as reality TV or a common soap.

winter rose · Post by **winter rose** » Fri Jun 17, 2005 7:18 pm

I have a blog. Started it recently. Only about three or four people have the link to it- its private. Im planning to give it to some other people who are close friends, will see.

I write for myself, the past, the everyday things, my thoughts etc. Its not so I can see whether they like me, but more so because I enjoy writing. And once I write it down and read it over, somehow it helps me to understand myself better. Plus I can go over what I wrote months before and it sort of helps me to think properly. Its of course also so that others can learn more about me.

Magrus · Post by **Magrus** » Fri Jun 17, 2005 7:22 pm

I write for myself, the past, the everyday things, my thoughts etc. Its not so I can see whether they like me, but more so because I enjoy writing. And once I write it down and read it over, somehow it helps me to understand myself better. Plus I can go over what I wrote months before and it sort of helps me to think properly. Its of course also so that the people can learn more about me.

Exactly why I have one. I use writing as an outlet. I don't care what form it is, I just write what comes to mind. I like being able to go back and read through it all, to get to look back on my life at that point in time and understand myself better. Not only that, I share it with certain people because those people were, or are still people who are very dear to me. I put things in there that normally would never come up in a conversation, they get to see my opinions on them anyways. They get to know a side of me they never did before when browsing through what I've written.

It's not to get a kudos from my friends, or a moral boost, or a pride thing. It's just like a filing cabinet for my thoughts, and a way for those close to me to access those thoughts. I could care less what anyone thinks, or if they even read it, I'll be writing regardless.

winter rose · Post by **winter rose** » Fri Jun 17, 2005 7:28 pm

I completely agree with you Magrus.

These days I dont get much time to write in it. And I wanted to write something for the SYM story too. Have to ask Fas to help me with my character. But then when hes around, I get no time for anything else.