Problogger’s M’log Madness!

This blog is temporarily interrupted to bring you this Problogger m’log rant.

A few weeks ago, I ranted about Problogger Darren Rowse’s obsession with content. Guess what?

Yesterday, Darren was at it again with a heart-warming pseudo survey/post on his blog, simply asking “What is great content?”

Problogger’s Followers speak… does his content ever listen?
The curious part of this survey is how the responses to Problogger’s survey do not match at all his own content. Here’s a sample of a few comments:

  • “Todd” says: … make sure it’s full of substance!
  • “Heather of Maternal Spark” says: I enjoy reading posts that really allow me to connect with an idea or concept and understand it well. I like to read beyond basic ‘common sense’ info to be provoked into thinking down paths I didn’t see on my own. And funny is good. I like funny.
  • “Alisa” says: 1) Hooks me in from the first line; 2) Tells a story with an arc (Beginning, middle, end); 3) Makes me respond emotionally (laugh, cry, stare at the wall and ponder, bang my fist etc); 4) Changes the way I see the world
  • And my favorite comment comes from “Bryn Youngblut,” who says: I honestly think great content is writing something you are passionate about. If your just writing something to get traffic and hits then it will usually reflect in your writing. …

Welcome to the Nougat Shop... Would like to Try Some M'log Content Today?
Metablogs aren’t Blogs
Bryn, Todd, Heather, Alisa, and most of Problogger’s followers are catching onto something Darren isn’t: A blog about blogs is not a blog. Blog posts tell stories. They are emotional, passionate, and funny. They reflect the author’s view of the world.

Metablogs like Problogger may contain “content.” They may drive traffic stupendously (as Problogger does). They may provide all sorts of good information. They may even make heaps of cash.

But that doesn’t make them good blogs. It makes it a good “m’log.” Uber-brainy (but Tinman-ish in the heart department), this fast and furious meta-version of the stuff real bloggers are cranking out daily is often useful, sometimes tasty, but almost always nougat — empty calories.

If you were so inclined, you might even call them blog leeches. Sucking off the life of bloggers, who could be spending time, well, blogging. Or at the very least, kayaking on a river somewhere and having another bloggable experience.

Home Problogger Home!
This doesn’t mean Problogger doesn’t have his place and his space, with a very useful set of knowledge. It just isn’t on his blog. The content he is generating belongs on his website. His blog page should be for something else, something more radical. Something human.

What should he be generating on his blog? I can’t answer that specifically, but I can tell you that Bryn Youngblut, Todd, Alisa and Heather already are providing a few clues.

Elizabeth Howard

Elizabeth writes literary non-fiction, haiku, cultural rants, and Demand Poetry in order to forward the cause of beautiful writing. She calls London, Kansas City, and Iowa home. 

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