If you can't write, don't? » YugaTech | Philippines Tech News & Reviews

If you can’t write, don’t?

Marc opens up the question: “Blogging is Not for Everyone.”

I beg to disagree.

Problogging, maybe. Andy Hagans even brought it down to your ability to write.

First, I believe that blogging, though still in its infancy, can be considered within the level of emails and even texting (SMS).

If you compose and email and click on that “Send to All” button, that same act is akin to clicking the Publish button on your blog. Sometimes, the contents of that email may only contain a single line of “Hello!”, a quote or passage you’d like to share to friends and officemates, or even a link to a recent news you’ve just read. You may get a reply, you may not. Your friends/officemates may also forward your email to others.

Like texting, when you forward a quote or a joke to someone (or a set of friends), you share something by communicating it to them. Again, you may get a reply or not at all. The sms message may be forwarded to others as well.

See, it doesn’t mean that if you can’t correctly spell the line “tnx 2 u!”, you don’t have to go along the SMS bandwagon and call the other party just to tell them “Thank you” instead of texting them. These txtmates had the airwaves as their internet and their Message Box as their feed aggregator.

When the “email” became commercially available, people and businesses claim they don’t need it because they want to “personally connect”. Now, emails have become one of the cheapest ways to communicate with as many people as you can.

And I believe that blogging is just sending an open email to as many people who wants to read that email.

P.S.“I had this old friend who kept on sending forwarded messages almost everyday it got so annoying I really hoped I could un-subscribe to her feeds.”

Abe Olandres

Abe is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of YugaTech with over 20 years of experience in the technology industry. He is one of the pioneers of blogging in the country and considered by many as the Father of Tech Blogging in the Philippines. He is also a technology consultant, a tech columnist with several national publications, resource speaker and mentor/advisor to several start-up companies.

https://www.yugatech.com

10 Comments

Manuel Viloria says:

19 years ago

If people didn’t do certain things just because others doubted their skills, a lot of things would not have been invented.

No one would’ve stumbled or bumbled along, no fortuitous accidents would’ve happened.
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markku says:

19 years ago

It is quite unfortunate that we have come to confuse the term “blogging” with “problogging,” which is a totally different beast. Blogging per se is all about communication, which is essential to human relationships. Blogging is simply communication through a non-traditional medium. Now what we try to communicate is another topic, and beyond the scope of our advocacy from keeping a weblog. :)
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Abe Olandres says:

19 years ago

I know that there’s supposed to be different contexts when approaching the “bandwagon” that is blogging. There’s the context of branding, monetization, advocacy, etc.

However, I would like to stretch it as far as to consider it as a common form of communication, thus the examples I outlined above. Blogging may not be as common as texting or sending emails, but I believe that they’re on the same evolutionary path.

Ten years ago, texting was only for those who want to have txtmates and eyeballs, much like a hobby or a pasttime. Now, even journalists do text interviews, student grades sent via sms, and all that stuff.

Different strokes for different folks. It’s how you see blogging fit your needs or wants.
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jobert says:

19 years ago

The best writing advice I got is from Stephen King: If you want to be a writer, all you have to do is to start writing.

The best blog advice I got is from Chris Pirillo: When you post, keep it short. Keep it pithy. Go straight to the point.
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Noemi Dado says:

19 years ago

Not all bloggers can write effectively but they might have insights that provide unique content. Each blog has its niche. It’s up to the visitor to stay, read, bookmark or leave.
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MarcMacalua says:

19 years ago

I think Andy’s taking the “blog for branding” context. We may not know it, but most people are closet brand managers, always finding ways to improve and strengthen their own brands. From the clothes we wear, to the pictures we have on our Friendster profiles. They tell a story and help position ourselves in people’s minds.

You might say pink blogs aren’t there to sell something, but they still have brand building (or brand destroying) capabilities. It’s like wearing a tacky shirt to a party or sending out an email full of grammatical errors to your boss. If blogs are that tacky shirt, it might be better to wear the tacky shirt for private parties only :)
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Aaron says:

19 years ago

I think blogging is for people who really wanted to, regardless of whether he/she can express himself/herself properly in words.
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david llorito says:

19 years ago

yuga: i agree. but i do think that ultimately only people who are really crazy about blogging will stay as bloggers til the second coming. I could sense that there are millions out there who have stopped visiting their own blog after making their first post. writing indeed is not for everyone. i mean, i met lots of people who think writing is just a waste of time.
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Miguel says:

19 years ago

Perhaps because: desire to problog + inability to write == splogging!
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