Blogging About Blogs: Neil's blog-- hot or cold?

Another late-night post from Neil mentions the house guests he hosted after Mike Ford’s memorial. He entertained old friends, and they spent time discussing literature and remembering their friend. His creative, poetic style at the beginning of the post seems to reflect the literary atmosphere he was surrounded by earlier in the day. Neil shares the sad news that his aunt has also died.

His tendency to recap the day’s major events and include his personal thoughts definitely gives Neil’s blog the character of a traditional journal. I find it fascinating that someone in the public eye is willing to share their journal with such a large audience. I’ve read anonymous blogs that included intimate details about the blogger’s life, but it does make a difference when the blogger is identified. It strikes me as a brave thing to post unedited thoughts for many people to read, particularly when it’s someone well known. One of the reasons I find it difficult to blog on a regular basis is that I spend too much time editing and worrying about the finished product. Daily blogging requires a style similar to Neil’s, where one simply writes whatever is on their mind at that time without worrying too much about the finished post.

I think that the internet, in general, is a very cool medium that demands an interactive level of participation. You don’t just read the web—you are continually scanning, clicking links, and moving in and out of different windows from topic to topic. In regard to blogs, I think that some blogs are cooler than others. I would say that Neil’s blog leans more towards the hot end of the spectrum, because it is more like a traditional journal in its structure and tone. There’s no direct participation in the form of comments, although Neil clearly spends some time responding to outside feedback.