Making Sense of Blogs: Procrastinating in the Phantom Blogosphere

There are buttons in this world that deserve pushing.

Literally. See them on the edge of your screen? Those Google advertisement bars? Yes - please push them.

It will validate at .05 a click.

Maybe leave a comment to let me know you were here.

I'm just saying.

In the deepest, dankest, most dilapidated reaches of our psyche, we all share one very special desire. Freud knew it, though he may not have voiced it very well. We ourselves are aware of it, though we keep it sequestered deep within so as to not insult anyone. As a global blogging community, we are ashamed to an extent that we would rather lie, cheat, and steal in order for this very common element to remain buried. And the funny thing is, it has to do with communication.

We want to be heard. It's the purpose for our existence, and why we continue to get up every morning and slog through our days. Some folks, with $25 vocabularies, might wish to suppress others' needs to communicate by compressing an idea to a slanderous definition: Narcissism. Ladies and gentlemen, this is not a bad word. To be aware of oneself, and to bray and brag of our deeds and adventures, is assurance that the human race will survive. At least until the big one drops.

I'm a writer, and have been since I was old enough to figure out what the hell I wanted to do with my life. I do this so I can teach, therefore putting food on my table. I do it so I can socialize with others of my ilk, relying on the brother/sisterhood bond to continue a conversation. I write because I don't have washboard abs. I write so I can have sex.

Yes. Sex.

The male peacock needs to be heard in order for the hen to arrive and witness his provocative dance of love. You have heard me use this metaphor before, but it works. However, the peacock doesn't do this simply to get his rocks off - no, he's doing it because reciprocation validates his inner-self. It's wonderful to strut alone all day in front of a mirror, but there can be no validation without feedback. The colorful writer needs feedback. Feedback is happiness. Feedback is sex.

Feedback is critical to a healthy sense of well-being. Not to say someone should re-organize their ethics, morals, or behaviors to accommodate anyone, but the response to a 'Look at me,' needs to be shared. A sense of self is just as important as propagating the species, if I may be blunt. We tell jokes to illicit a laugh (we are funny), a sad story to garner sympathy (we are worthy of pity), and pull the little girl's pigtails/kick the little boy's shins to gain their attention (we are worthy of affection.) We do this so we will feel good about our place in the community, reasserting ourselves as the gods of our own kingdoms - our minds.

As for being Bloggers, we write for the feedback and the dialogue it creates. We write so someone unattached can offer validation - hopefully in a positive manner, but often it comes in the form of critical analysis. Trolls.

Nasty, nasty trolls.

But that's alright- this is where the writer's sense of self comes into play. Just as there can be no bad press, there can be no bad validation.

Validation comes to the Blogger's world through three means- comments left after a post, sharing of the article, and a grateful click on the advertisements posted on the Blog's page. A writer will maybe see a nickel, maybe a dime on average from their blogs, unless of course they syndicate them and have thousands of readers.

For me, just be be up front, I see maybe $10.00 a year if I'm lucky. Guess what that does to my self image...

I could, of course, be doing something else with my time. As I write this, I have two short stories opened in Word, and a good friend's piece begging to be read and commented upon. On my desk lies an outline for a course on American Lit that needs editing so it can be offered this July. And there are, always lurking, the final edits from a novel in progress, gulping for air, asking for just a little snuggle time. Just a wee bit. Enough to remind me that I do, in fact, have a worthy project underway.

But these projects require a different level of focus. If you haven't noticed, the name of this Blog is non-sequitor (spelled incorrectly on purpose, mind you). This project allows me the freedom to work off the cuff and tackle smaller topics without the level of detail required in work that might actually pay a bill. Here, I can open up and seek instant gratification from random babblings. As a reader, what could one expect to gain from this type of post? There's no recipe, nor any tips on luring the big bass from the deepest recesses of Lake Omywannatrythatagain. Hopefully, I offer entertainment.

Some days are a hit, and others, a miss past the barn door.

But it serves me.

And that is what is important.

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