Author, Investor, Speaker, Mentor
For me, every blog post starts with a single thought. It might be triggered by something I read, it might just come from out of the blue. Usually, I don’t have time to blog the thought right then and there. In the past, I would try to hold the thought in the back of my … Continue reading How I Blog
I recently got embroiled in a bit of a contretemps on Matt Yglesias’ blog about my post on Charles Murray’s recent comments about the European model. Yglesias is a self-identified progressive, which means that many of his readers think of “capitalism” as a dirty word. One of the commenters really disliked my concept of the … Continue reading Am I a horrible person whom children should jeer and pelt with dung?
Is anyone else bothered by the near-invisibility in the blogosphere of the Russian invasion of neighboring Georgia? Only time will tell whether comparisons to Hitler’s aggression are overblown or sadly prescient, but I do find it disturbing that Digg’s front page has no mention of the invasion (though it does find room for “Man has … Continue reading Russia Invades Georgia, Internet Yawns
I’ve written a couple of posts recently on how throwaway posts often draw the greatest response, and how serious posts do not. Several of the comments on these posts have pointed out that comments alone aren’t the best measure of blog engagement. The redoubtable Devin Reams wrote: “Some of your deeper stuff may be more … Continue reading What is the right measure of blog engagement?
Jonathan Morrow at Copyblogger has an excellent post up exploring one of the great mysteries of blogging–why throwaway posts often draw a better response than carefully crafted essays. He offers two key insights: Class clowns get more attention than valedictorians Most casual blog traffic is driven by the desire for diversion All too true…I doubt … Continue reading Valedictorians, Class Clowns, and Bloggers
If all the blog bling providers were eaten by hungry grizzlies, the world would be a better place. I get incensed every time I try to load a page on TechCrunch–I’m trying to read a simple article…I don’t want to have to wait for the page to render. It’s almost as bad as Windows startup. … Continue reading I Hate Blog Bling
One of the great mysteries of blogging is the fact that throwaway posts that take about 5 minutes to write attract as much or more attention as carefully composed essays. Most recently, this throwaway about the sex life of Wellesley girls (which let me use one of my favorite post titles, “Geek Girls Are Easy”) … Continue reading Why Do Throwaway Posts Get The Most Response? (Hint, it’s all about the hate!)
I hate those bloggers who take long breaks, and then post something like, “I know I haven’t blogged in a long time, but I’m so busy that I just don’t have time, and I’ll be back at it soon.” Alas, as Pogo said, we have met the enemy and he is us. I could tell … Continue reading A Farewell To Dead Caterpillars
He’s rude, crude, and lewd, but as usual, the Fake Steve Jobs has the last word on blogging codes: “Look, when it was just civilians being attacked, that’s one thing. But now these a-holes are attacking bloggers. Including a blogger who’s friends with Tim O’Reilly. This is where we draw the line, folks. You want … Continue reading The Last Word On Blogging Codes Of Conduct
Why is it so much easier to comment on other people’s blogs, rather than posting to our own? I think it comes down to this: It’s much easier to come up with great answers than it is to ask great questions. Good blog posts implicitly or explicitly ask the reader good questions. They make us … Continue reading Wisdom = Asking Good Questions