After an unexpectedly overwhelming response to my last post It's Not All About You: Self-Centered Blogging, I thought I might clarify some of what I was referring to and dispel any concern that any of you were the target of my "rant". Any of you who left a comment on that post or any of my posts in the past are not who I was referring to.
Even if you've never left a comment on my site, but do have sites where you regularly or even just occasionally leave comments, I wasn't talking about you either. I am talking about those bloggers who pontificate their erudition from pedestals where they are almost untouchable to the rest of us who from their viewpoints are mere struggling amateurs or plain silly bloggers of no import to them.
Actually, I could name names, but I wouldn't do that. It could be that I'm misinterpreting those bloggers or I might start a conflict steeped in animosity and that's not something I want to do because that's not who I am.
And for those who thought that I was upset about something that had happened recently, no such thing. As some of you may recall, on Mondays I often write about topics pertaining to blogging. On Sunday evening I wanted to come up with a quick something and composed what I thought would be a relatively insignificant post about a topic that used to concern me in my earlier blogging days, but not so much of late.
This is nothing that I obsess over or that bothers me to any great extent. It's just something I remember from back when I was a newer blogger trying to understand how it all worked.
Judging from your comments, many of you can relate to this. In fact, Alana from Writercize directed me to a similarly themed post at Word Nerd Speaks. From the reactions in her comment section it's pretty obvious that commenting is a hot button issue. If you want more on this topic go over and check out that post and read the comments--they're pretty intense.
In any case, I thank you again for responding so ardently on my Monday post. One thing it did for me was expand my realization that responding to comments directly via email is tough. I tried to get back to all of you that I could and if I didn't get to you please understand that it's not you, but it's me having a hard time keeping up with things. I'm still trying to decide how best to address responding to comments.
A Sad Day in Blogtown:
Say it ain't so Joe--or I should say Stephen T. McCarthy. My dear blogging buddy Stephen has announced on his blog Stuffs that he's going out of business on his blog. His love of blogging has fizzled--so he says. I hope it's just a phase. Take a break, my friend, and come back when you're ready, but not too long mind you. Maybe some of you reading this can stop by Stephen's blog and say hello and maybe a word of encouragement.
I Really Want to Say Something About This:
In September of 2010 my blog buddy Larry Cavanaugh of DiscConnected was joined by me to witness an incredible concert near my house. The show was by prog-rock band Spock's Beard. I wrote about our meeting here and Larry gave a rundown about the show on his blog post. Amazingly enough, the concert was recorded and filmed and has been released in a deluxe 2 CD set with a bonus DVD of the concert itself. Fans of prog-rock and darn good intricate rock period would do well to check out Spock's Beard: The X Tour Limited Edition Deluxe Version. It's nothing short of outstanding. Read Larry's recent review.
Voting Now Open for A to Z Video Contest:
We ended up with an even dozen entries and they're all winners in my book. I want to thank all of those who sent in videos. Now it's up to you readers out there. Please go to the "Vote for Your Favorite A to Z Video Here" tab and enter your vote. Links to all of the videos will be found on that page. Watch and enjoy them and then vote for one.
And now for your listening pleasure: A sample of the Spock's Beard X Tour Live Concert DVD
