Monday, 11 August 2008

My Blogs, Warts and All

My blog posts are largely unedited. I don’t write a post and give it to someone to cast a ‘fresh eye’ on it. This is what I think, when you ask people to proof-read your posts before you publish they don’t only spot the mistakes they also want to express their opinions on what you have written and more often than not they sway yours and the post is no longer original. Probably better written but the originality is lost. My blog is my personal diary, though published for the whole world to see but it’s still my personal thing. It’s not a corporate or some other organisation’s blog, It’s moi. I want readers to connect with me on a personal level. I would like to meet a regular reader of my blog for the first time and make him feel he had known me since the day he started reading my blog. That is why I publish my posts, warts and all. It’s better to have a wysiwyg reputation. (What you see is what you get).
Unlike other types of publications I think the most authentic blogs should be the ones in their raw state.
Mind you, I don’t have the same opinion about other publications. A novel, be it fiction or fact, has to be properly edited before it is published because it’s not really about the writer. It’s more about the characters, storyline, plot and stuff. I think it actually bothers on criminal negligence to publish a textbook containing errors that could easily have been verified. (Lord help us if that was a medical text-book) abi Bumight? I must sha mention her name in my post. Lol.
Almost the same argument goes for news journals and other regular publications. My blog on the other hand is what it is, my blog. I’d rather be corrected by someone from Australia who leaves a comment on my blog than have a proof-reader correct me always before I publish only to fall far below expectation when I finally meet readers of my blogs in person. My writings have to reflect my personality.
Sometimes an embarrassing criticism from an unknown reader could be more effective than a gentle advice from a proof-reader pal.
Hey, that’s just my opinion you may have a different one. It’s just that I have this habit of being right all the time.
Having said that I go to great lengths to carefully go over what I’ve written a million times to verify my facts, check my spellings and grammatical constructions before I publish. So whatever error you come across in my blog, that’s me.
Maybe that is why I’m writing with a pseudonym so if my blog is considered rubbish I’d simply slip into oblivion and kill the pseudonym for good. Readers of my blog who see me later would never know I was the one and I would be saved a lot of embarrassment.

I’m aware of one thing however, that the most important factor to consider about blogging is to put the readers of the blog first.

25 comments:

Shubby Doo said...
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Shubby Doo said...

You’re right for now my blog is me…but once I’ve posted it still stews in my mind… I might keep editing… on average it takes 24 hours to ensure it is cooked correctly!

O'Dee said...

I also don't fancy having sm1 proof read my posts.

bumight said...

do people actually have other people "proof-read" their blog posts? i suspect there's something you're not telling us.

i came here to twist ur ear for harassing me to update when u haven't updated yourself, only to find out that u've updated.

oh, and i see my name again!

Afrobabe said...

Hmmmm.. In a way you are right and in another totally wrong..
You are right by saying it’s ur personal thing just shared with the world and proof reading kills it… I know this cos I wrote a blog once but my head was messed up that day, gave it to a close friend, fellow blogger and she corrected, edited, trimed, rewrote…by the time she sent it back…I could hear her voice in my head with every sentence…off course I posted my original uncorrected version…Abi Fluffycutething…
But I disagree with saying the readers come first…Its ur own personal thing, if ur readers come first you will find urself making up stories to please them…

Mz. Dee said...

Totali agree with u on every point.. xcept puttin readerz first. Wud u rily state ur mind if u did that?

Naija Idol said...

i agree with u dat ur writing reflects ur personality and from ur writing, i can tell dat u r....

im with mz dee on this one.

Flourishing Florida said...

d tin wey i dey wonder b dis? some criticize u 2 bring abt dis post?

anyway sha, blogs r pple's personal online diary & while it'd not @ all necessary 2 have someone else look @ it, self-editing is okay. i've read some blogs dat i couldn't make head & tie of wot it was they were trying to communicate cos of no editing. i mean, it was like i was being punished 4 visiting their blog!

sure typos r regular on blogging & everyone is very forgiving of it, but bad English nko? ha, me i mind o.

anyway sha, i enjoy ur posts - unedited or not. u write well

isha said...

that makes much sense, it's he general idea of blogging yeah? n e ways, is someone bothering you? I have been told I have a 'memorable' right hook.

Femi B said...

I remember b4 i opened my blog to the public, i had asked a friend to help proof read cos i guess i lacked some kinda weird confidence,anyway he did not and i just proof read myself. If i make ibon.... Ki ni Big deal!!!..(i love that song my Naeto C)

bumight said...

there! I've updated. are u happy now?

and do NOT think its because of ur harrassment!

Anonymous said...

I sort of see what you mean when you talk about the importance of the readers. If those who blog publicly are honest, we write for our audience at least as much as we write for ourselves. Otherwise, why open the blog up to comments, and why even publish it publicly?

If we really only wanted to write for ourselves, we'd type our entries in a word processor and save it locally on our computer, or type it into a private blog that nobody else knows about.

That's my two kobo anyway :)

(PS I think you should open up your blogs to comments from people who have urls that aren't blogger or open ID!)

Ore said...
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Ore said...
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The Activist said...

I am a restless person and I don't have the patience to edit. I will put up a post and edit a million times. I even make plenty errors in the comments I post on peeps blog. I will see it after clicking the "publish button"!!! You are so very better than me

And proof reading peeps posts come natural wiv some peeps I think. I will not see my errors on time and I will see in other blogs. Just imagine me o

I posted as Ore, cos I was using her laptop

Anonymous said...

i disagree- i believe that the most important thing about a personal blog is in fact the person writing it, and not the audience..
but to each his own i suppose.

Anonymous said...

ur blog should be abt u. U want the readers to connect but ultimately, it should still be all u. I don't think the day will ever come when I'll ask someone to proofread my blog post.

theicequeen said...

omg! same thing with me!!i type and publish..only go back for the mistakes i was aware of at the time i made them...something about re-reading and having posts proof read takes away from the whole point...love your phrase, "warts and all"..true dat!

but wait oh, do you know anyone that sends their posts for proof readin before they post?! hmm, than one na some kin OCD behaviour..no offence to anyone ohhh lol

Smaragd said...

Why would i want my posts proof-read? that's like giving my diary out for proof reading, inconceivable!

i usually put up my posts the very way i think them. then i go back to correct my boo-boos after publishing.

what's with u and bumight huhn? *wiggles bushy eyebrows* are we having a blog dalliance?

aloted said...

first time here..and i like wat i read so far.

proofread ke. i do my own proofreading myself...

my blog is for me..to express my views..and people are free to agree or disagree.

bumight said...

ok dude, its time to UPDATE!

Rita said...

Express yourself...

Just as we have "Lost in translation" when trying to translate in english something from a native dialect, a message could get "Lost in Editing".

My recommendation is to do "Self-editing" especially if it is a post driven by negative emotions.

Nigerian Drama Queen said...

I didnt even know people gave their posts to people to be edited...

But I always try to self edit to avoid bad grammer and such...

How u deyyyyyyyyyy?!

Buttercup said...

im afraid im guilty of editin n editin n editin before i publish a post...yea, it shud be all me, but i just dont want any reader experiencin any difficulty understandin

Sienne said...

R u kidding me??

na so this blog dey???