The Sacred Art Of Blogging

"I write a blog, on the internet. I write about games and books and stuff"
"What the fuck is a blog?"
"Uh, its like just a website linked to a load of computer games where I can write my opinions?"
"That sounds like a diary."
"Its not a fucking diary"
"You're fucking gay..."

*sigh*

And so my friend Ricky learned about blogging.

So why do we blog?

"I write a blog, on the internet. I write about games and books and stuff"
"What the fuck is a blog?"
"Uh, its like just a website linked to a load of computer games where I can write my opinions?"
"That sounds like a diary."
"Its not a fucking diary"
"You're fucking gay..."

*sigh*

And so my friend Ricky learned about blogging.

So why do we blog?

I don't call it a diary, I call it a very long twitter update!

sometimes i prefer blogs over forums, forums can be so...barbaric. A blog is a good medium for people to discuss things on a common level. Reviews are great, but there's not a lot of room for feedback and what not.

brilliant blog sweep, blogs are very important, pretty much everything thrawn said is what i would say.
:D

STD's?  I'm in!

Blogging is sharing your opinions about something, in your case it's videogames. Great blog there Sweep, maybe it will be stickied since our Nazi mods love sticking great blogs.

Blog = "I talk, you fucking listen"

Forum - "I talk, you make pointless noise back for the hell of it"

I can't exactly say which one I actually prefer.

i think we all know the answer to that jayge :P


Great Blog Sweep, U R gud riter!

I agree with you very much about the sense of gratification. I've never really bothered writing intellectually or in-depth about stuff on the internet before, except a small blog I maintained at Gamespot about trite things that got probably less than ten comments over it's entire history.

The thing is, we don't write in a vacuum, we write for responses, and it's great to see your writing stimulating someone else. When you do receive comments on your content, or have a discussion with someone about it, it's gratifying, and it motivates you to continue.

Snail - your comment both confuses and alarms me.

Jayge -The whole point of this post was explaining that its not as brutal as that. And this reply is evidence that some form of conversation is taking place. So its not "I talk, you fucking listen". If you dont want to read it then you dont have to, and you are free to dispute it. And besides we dont expect you to prefer anything. You're Jayge and you are a miserable bastard, we get it....

Not every blogger is the same, there seems to be a stereotype that all blogs consist of diary-like entries about people's daily lives. Bloggers such as yourself Sweep, use their blogs to write really thought-provoking articles, or to go over current news. Some people use their blogs to write articles that are the same quality of journalists, except they don't get paid for it. I totally agree with the comments too. I read every comment I get and I appreciate the time people take to read my stuff.

Great post, I agree with everything you said, well, except for the STDs bit XD. Great blog, as always.
I also like getting replies to the stuff I write.

Great blog! I agree with everything you said here. It's great having a community of people to talk with about what you love. Especially since in everyday life you would never meet this many great people who care as much about games as you do.

Sir 00Sweep strikes again, like a bad rash....

Blogs are a way for people to discuss or project a personal and sometimes factual opinion over all sorts of subjects. Its a way for people to stand up and be heard. I think the concept of blogging for responses is, well wrong, i think if all people care about is how many responses they get then something is wrong there. People should blog because they want to, not because they want to get as many comments and replies as possible. A few people on GiantBomb seem to do this and it makes me sad.

That being said i think some other people blog on GiantBomb for the genuine fun and entertainment that can be had from seeing like minded folks reply to something you have put the time and effort into. And you Sir seem to be one of them. Its always nice to see people take time to read and respond to anything on the internet, even (for me anyway) if its a negative response, they still took time to read what was posted.

Now that blogs on GiantBomb are posted on the forums i think its even better for this community specifically. Most sites have blogs kept private, only those people on your list of tracked users or friends would respond much like Gamespot. But here the community is so enthusiastic, so good and great that now we see more people being exposed to great blogs from the community. We see blogs hitting double figures in replies within minutes because people see excellent blogs. The standard of writing on GiantBomb varies, but the passion and excitement of blogging is very much the same.

Snail said:

"Blogging is sharing your opinions about something, in your case it's videogames. Great blog there Sweep, maybe it will be stickied since our Nazi mods love sticking great blogs."

I can honestly say that I blog as much as I do (too much, probably) because I just like to stir up the pot and start a discussion about whatever I feel like blogging about... if I get some comments (positive or negative) in the process, that's a good thing.  I also tend to talk about the news the staff simply can't get to.  It's good to gather as much news in one spot as possible.

There are a number of amazing writers here who are here to entertain and inform, some want the hits and comments, but I think the best bloggers here do it because they like the chatter and the art of a good discussion.

Sweep, don't stop what you're doing because you've got one of the best blogs here.

The satisfaction I get from leaving comments is what drives me. I like to cruise around the site looking for blogs to read. I sometimes find a beautifully written blog with no comments, I then leave some random thought or a long comment that could be considered a blog itself. I even blogged on someone's Wall one time. I try to be positive and encourage the blogger or if they ask a question, I respond in kind. Sweep you are one of the first bloggers I found that made me think outside the box and it's one of the reasons I continue to come to this site. Others have picked up the torch and continue to write thought provoking works of blogging and if I haven't found them yet, shame on me or maybe, I'm just not in the mood to read.

"Snail - your comment both confuses and alarms me.

Jayge -The whole point of this post was explaining that its not as brutal as that. And this reply is evidence that some form of conversation is taking place. So its not "I talk, you fucking listen". If you dont want to read it then you dont have to, and you are free to dispute it. And besides we dont expect you to prefer anything. You're Jayge and you are a miserable bastard, we get it...."

"Snail said:

"Blogging is sharing your opinions about something, in your case it's videogames. Great blog there Sweep, maybe it will be stickied since our Nazi mods love sticking great blogs."

You never cease to amaze me....continually you confuse me with your hatred of Moderators."

i like pie

"Sir 00Sweep strikes again, like a bad rash....

Blogs are a way for people to discuss or project a personal and sometimes factual opinion over all sorts of subjects. Its a way for people to stand up and be heard. I think the concept of blogging for responses is, well wrong, i think if all people care about is how many responses they get then something is wrong there. People should blog because they want to, not because they want to get as many comments and replies as possible. A few people on GiantBomb seem to do this and it makes me sad.

To be honest, I don't think your friend Ricky was completely off with a diary comparison. Instead of writing in a notebook for intrinsic purposes, you are able to place those thoughts on a public forum to generate a discussion and help evoke others to express similar or opposite feelings. Of course they are different in the obvious sense of one being private and the other public, but they serve a common purpose for the publisher to manifest a thought. There is nothing gay about that... Unless you pick daisies and watch Desperate Housewives, then you are the UBER GAYZORZ..



I keed, I keed.

"Hamz said:

"Sir 00Sweep strikes again, like a bad rash....

Blogs are a way for people to discuss or project a personal and sometimes factual opinion over all sorts of subjects. Its a way for people to stand up and be heard. I think the concept of blogging for responses is, well wrong, i think if all people care about is how many responses they get then something is wrong there. People should blog because they want to, not because they want to get as many comments and replies as possible. A few people on GiantBomb seem to do this and it makes me sad.

If you're not writing to provoke people, why bother transcribing your thoughts? If you were only writing for yourself, you would just think it, or not publish it. The reason to post something like this up in a public forum is to start a discussion and stimulate thought. If you're not interested in the opinions of other people on your subject, there's no point (metaphorically speaking) of putting pen to paper."

I did, rowr. Lies can moderate my blog whenever he likes ;)

shhh im trolling lies in your blog.

"shhh im trolling lies in your blog."

I fucking love your setup Sweep.

And blogging...

Hey now, don't you DARE get all philosophical on us!!!  You're supposed to be saving the world...one bite at a time.

Sweep is blogging about blogging... Heavy, deeply philosophical stuff!

Another great contribution to the site, Sweep. Whenever I see your icon at the top of the left-hand column on my profile, I probably get just as excited as you do when you receive a comment. I regularly read your blog and value what you have to say for several reasons. For one thing, you're a fellow video games enthusiast. For another, you have a lot of interesting ideas. Third, your written expression is flawless. And finally, you're a damn nice guy. All this comes across in your thought-provoking, easy-to-read blogs. That's why you've achieved the recognition you have - not because you blog a lot, but because of the quality of your blogs and of your character. You contribute something incredibly valuable to this site, Sweep. Don't ever stop.

Also, as a final thought, I totally get the whole silent high-five thing. Makes me feel all warm inside when I overhear games being discussed by other people.

I think we're alone now...

Invisible high five FTW. Myself, I am a picky blogger. I had a blog on the go, but deleted a few posts. It's been something I've been meaning to start again. I also told Bru I would write up something on Scott Pilgrim (a comic book) and I always keep my word no matter how much procrastinating I've done. =)

Thanks for the inspiring blog Sweep.

*feels the love*

Thanks guys. I'm touched, in places I hoped I would never be touched again.

SUPPRESSED MEMORIES FTW!!

*Here's some more comment crack*

Loved the post Sweep. GiantBomb is a truly amazing community.

First off, very nicely written. Second, I like how you brought up the fact that reviewers reference other games in their reviews, as I have found myself doing this on more than one occasion. While, in certain instances, it is fairly difficulty to not compare a game's quality to another similar title (especially if the games seem like copy-and-paste jobs of each other), I try to let a game stand on its own two feet and not compare it to anything else, so my comparisons tend to be "the gameplay is very similar to" and so on, especially for titles that I am reviewing that might not be as mainstream as others. For instance, in my Tasty Planet review, I compared the gameplay to Katamari Damacy, since both games ask you to travel around the world picking up anything and everything in sight, so long as it was smaller than you, as I figured a fairly large portion of those reading the review would be familiar with Katamari Damacy and I could therefore save some time in my explanation of the gameplay.

That long example aside, I definitely agree with you in that fact that you need to read more than one entry, review, etc. from a person to truly see who they are, which is one of the main reasons I joined Giant Bomb in the first place. While I could've stayed at GameSpot and made new relationships with those who also stayed behind, I found it much easier to just follow my friends who I had been familiar with from three years of tracking them on GameSpot. Definitely the right choice.

You nailed it Sweep. The guys at Giant Bomb created something truly special.

You certainly do deserve the title! Best blogs on the site!

Blogging can be a great experience, but my interest definitely waxes and wanes.  You seem to be pretty consistent with it and as long as you're enjoying it, keep up the good work.

Blogging is only useful if you have something new to contribute, if not, just don't even bother.

This is what GB needs more of mate, keep them coming. Peace