May 17, 2008
A question for bloggers: What other blogger are you most jealous of?
I'm not answering my own question though... because I'm too jealous! It's enough that I'm admitting it here and acknowledging it. And what is it that makes you jealous of another blogger — or another writer if you are a writer or another artist/musician if you are an artist/musician? It's only partly the success and admiration that other person has won. It's also that you know the other person's work is good, and it's good in a way that makes you feel that it was the sort of thing you could have done or almost did. You realize that feeling is delusional — which becomes crushingly obvious when you notice you think you deserve credit for the way you could have thought of it too and done it.
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17 comments:
I've had my Blog for 2 years, but the one thing I lacked is an Instapundit link to any of my posts.
Ann, you are the Blogger I try to emulate (even though I am a partisan who tries hard to understand the new Hate speech coming from the Left) -- but I am most envious of Atlas Shrugs because she is read by most of the policy people I want to read mine.
Eventually, I want to do a Bloggingheads and get some interviews. But that is another time.
Wow, the post was just a big ol' pile of neurotic self-confession...I can't believe with this blog, you would be jealous of anyone elses! Good Gravy, Mr. Trump, I'm sorry you're not Warren Buffett!!!
Jealousy is just self-hatred reflected in another; why not just cut out the middleman and go right straight for the depression?
I greatly admire Sundries internationalism, sort of Mary Quant with a Carmen Miranda hat! Plus, she can be serious with a joi de vivre I can only aspire to! But if I could be that way, I would be that way, so I don't sweat it!
You've a great deal to be jealous of yourself, doc, don't forget that!
Hell, after 6 years of blogging, I just got to where you are in a tick of views, but ah, well... I've got bigger fish to fry!
Well I am not really a blogger but as a commenter I am very jealous of Bissage. How can he be so funny when he has to put on his hockey helmet and ride the short bus to the special school every day? It's very impressive and I am jealous.
I'm jealous of the Anchoress' wimple.
And Ruth Anne's curriculum vitae.
I think I'd look better with the wimple on my head than a CV, though.
Cheers,
Victoria
Ann,
I read your blog more than any other, but if I was a more serious blogger I would want my blog to be like Tom Maguire's "Just One Minute"
dbp
I'm actually kind of jealous of Instapundit because he does very little writing of his own yet is hugely popular. He must just strike the right mix of what a LOT of people want to go read.
For the longest time, Lileks.
But I recently figured out, much to my surprise, that I'd much rather teach than write all the time. That was a shock. So now I'd definitely have to say Nina, who strikes me as having achieved the perfect balance of teaching, traveling, writing, and various other adventures.
The question in this post is directed at bloggers. I suppose I only half qualify, having written one fairly regularly for a few months but then having slacked off the last few months. I'd say the blogger I'm most jealous of is IOZ, at whoisioz.blogspot.com. He expresses my pet philosophy of left-libertarianism with extreme and cutting wit and with detailed knowledge of particulars. I'm not jealous of his homosexuality or of his athiesm, however.
I'm not a blogger, but this seems to be the proper place note that Instapundit appears to be photoblogging more in the Althouse vein these days.
Victoria: Your having the proper reverence towards Catholic bloggers, the Sisters of St. Cathode ask that you cover yourself with filaments and take pains to make yourself fully incandescent this evening.
I will glow like a glowworm tonight, Losergrrl! BTW, always wanted to ask you, why did you choose that ID?
Jealous? I guess I'm not the jealous type as I want to spread the word on other bloggers who I admire...some for their originality and humor, some for the sheer amounts of information they impart, some for the skilled writing style, and some just because. There are some very high traffic blogs that I think are highly overrated and sometimes I shake my head when I see hundreds of comments on nothing, but I'm not jealous over that, just amused, especially when the blogger takes himself/herself too seriously.
I started blogging as a way to work thru my grief after my Mother's death and a divorce after 32 years of marriage. I continued blogging when I became virtually housebound due to a broken back. It didn't occur to me for a long time that anyone else would care what I blogged or that anyone would want to read my blog. It was a strictly personal venture. I got an Instalaunch the 2nd month and saw my hit counter jump from about 300 to 10,000 overnight and that blew me away and I realized I needed to spruce things up a bit and put a little more effort in as a matter of personal pride, but the quality and quantity on my blog is still dependent on how little or how much pain I'm experiencing on a given day, how nice the weather is outside, or how many other people I have around to talk to in real life.
I guess I'm not jealous because I don't feel I'm competing. I'm not looking to use blogging as a stepping stone into a better job or as a way to get a byline somewhere. I'm just a middle-aged woman trying to stay in touch and up-to-date and to have some quality interaction with other bright, thinking people.
PS:
I guess if I am jealous of any blog it is the blog that makes money. As a one who struggles to live on a small amount of retirement never meant to be my sole source of income, I wish I could find a way to legitimately make money online.
I'm not jealous of any blog or blogger (while I'll cop to being riddled with flaws, jealousy is not one of them, online or IRL), though there are many I admire and a few with some talents and personal qualities which I do see as worthy of emulation, in one way or another.
That said: Although I don't think it's a necessary talent, per se, for blogging, I think it's a very special one indeed to be able to inspire and maintain, in the aggregate, a diverse, creative and smart comments community which is also large and consistently active (as well as the the reverse: "a large and consistently active comments community which is also, in the aggregate, diverse, creative and smart").
I'd probably put that near the top of the list of the skills for which I have immense respect.
There are many bloggers (present host among them) whom I respect and admire.
There are none of whom I am jealous. They're all scratching their individual itches, as I am mine, and because mine is mine, I scratch it better than anyone else.
Yeah, "jealous" is a loaded word.
I admire Lileks' writing, Ace of Spades occasional flashes of comedic inspiration (too infrequent of late), and Jeff Goldstein's bizarre blend of the high- and low-brow.
Jealousy, though, yeah, it'd have to be of those who can actually make money at it while still retaining their unique voices.
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