Blogging about Blogging

I have recently been mixing it up a bit with some pretty sharp posts in areas where there are strong - and vocal - online constituencies, i.e., gaming and software. It has been a tremendous experience for me watching how - and where - my words got interpreted, quoted, re-published, re-purposed, and used as fodder for a host of online discussion threads. Something I've both written about and observed I've had the opportunity to witness first-hand: the interplay among multiple online and offline media outlets, including mainstream print media, their online daily and weekly offerings, blogs, blog aggregators, message boards, discussion forums, and comments on my own blog.

And it isn't just point-to-point communication, with people extracting information from or linking to my posts, but discussions taking place both within my blog via the comments section and then crossing into other venues. It is also fascinating to see the distinctly different character of discussions taking place, depending upon the nature of the venue and the vested interests of those doing the commenting. The gamers and techies will have their take, while the financial analysts and investors often have a completely different take. And this is part of what makes the online world so great. Provided that people remain constructive and back up what they say.

Few things irritate me as much as people who comment but do so without substance. Ok, you may think my perspective sucks, but why? Do you have facts and/or opinions to support that view? A simple "that sucks" does nothing to advance learning or to further the discussion and, quite frankly, is a waste of time. And time is one of our most precious resources - please don't waste it. And if you've taken the time to both read my posts and have further taken time to comment, please make it worth all of our whiles. And yours as well. I am listening and I respect your view, no matter how divergent from my own. I really do.