I have another blog that is more sports-related as most of you know. Many matters have led me to stop posting on the site for the time being. But as I go through the comments periodically there always a few odd ones. The Internet is full of assholes and that tends to show in comments sometimes. So I wrote this post on my sports blog and one of the comments from "jkfan87" said the following:
"Do people REALLY still write blogs these days? Even when it is clear
that no one reads them? It'd be one thing if you had a following and
actually made some money off it. Or thought that maybe you could make it
a career. But that is obviously not the case"
I try to be nice in response to comments like this, or at least have in the past, but it's not easy. This is a doozy of a comment for several reasons though. So I felt the need to answer his questions and give a little commentary. Because let's be honest, the Internet is full of assholes and some of them need responding to.
1. Yes, people "REALLY" do still write blogs these days. They are everywhere and you can find blogs about all topics. The fact you found my blog essentially proves this.
2. How does he know no one reads the blog? Does this asshole have some sort of magical ability to see the statistics for the post without access to the blog? 139 people read this post I linked. That's not a lot, of course. It's not no one though. Supposedly the blog I wrote for has had about 500,000 unique visitors. Again, that's not a lot, but it's also not "no one." I'd love to know how he knows "no one" reads without having access to the blog's statistics.
And also, he made this comment on a post on a blog that he had read. Like, he read the post and then said no one reads the blog. Interesting.
3. "It'd be one thing if you had a following..."
Irrelevant. Why can't someone write for fun and because they enjoy it? Why does someone have to read what is written? I'm NOT trying to make a career out of it and therefore I don't give a shit if anyone really reads. If they do, great. If they don't, I'm not going to go into my room and cry into a pillow. So how would one start to write a blog and already have a following? Because there's no point in starting a blog if you don't have a following, so the following has to be there before you start it, right? Chicken v. the egg, I guess. Have a blog and no following? Stop writing. How do you get a following if you don't write on the blog though?
4. "...actually made some money off of it."
This is remarkably irrelevant as well. Who cares if money is made at it? There are plenty of people who make a living writing and have a blog they make $0 off. They are writers but make no money from their blog. Again, if the point of writing isn't to make money then the idea of needing to make money to write is irrelevant.
5. "Or thought that maybe you could make it a career."
I don't want to make it a career. The assumption is that no one should do anything if it doesn't make money and lead to a career. Therefore, pretty much anything that is done outside of your direct job which doesn't give you money is pointless and a person should immediately stop doing this. I'm sure "jkfan87" doesn't play video games though. Of course not, because what's the point if he doesn't make money at it or it leads to a career? Pure stupidity.
6. "But that is obviously not the case."
Yes, it isn't my career. I do okay for myself at the thing that is my career, but thank you for the warning about how my writing is pointless. And also, thank you for reading my blog and then telling me that no one reads it. That's not ironic at all. Maybe you should start a Reddit threat about the irony of this.
Of course, no one is reading this and my writing this is pointless because I'm not making money. So what's the use in even responding?
I can't figure out if some people on the Internet are more stupid or more assholes...
