I don't like blogs

I'll be honest. I hate blogs and bloggers. I respect the idea of a weblog as a publishing source. But having recently gone around the internet, and read some blogs by some very emo kids, I realized I hate blogs. I mean, I always knew I did, but I put up with it. I put off taking the weblog class for so long because of my long standing stance against blogs. However I've come to realize a blog is a useful tool and have recently softened my stance.

Which begs the question. Do I become a blogger or just a guy publishing on the internet? I downright hate the idea of being one of those people that blogs about their daily life like it's a journal. I hate journalling. I feel really weird reading a personal blog about some punk 13 year old kid's love life and self mutilation. However, I have also found blogs which are not only useful but insightful. Real people with actual opinions make an interesting read. I no longer think of the blog and blogger as being this ranty little thing about someone's personal life. Which let's be honest, there are too many of out there and have built a nice little stereotype around the concept. A stereotype I myself have believed since the dawn of blogging.

Having been on the internet since I was seven, I can honestly say I've seen it all. I was there when the web was opened to the public. I was there when AOL 1.0 came out. I was there when there was still a mating call of the servers that you actually listened to and had to wait five to ten minutes to hook up and that felt fast. I was there when people started blogging. And let me tell you, even back then, I thought it was creepy.

My opinion has changed now that I am blogging. I see the usefulness of it, and from a psychological standpoint I understand why people blog about their personal lives like they do. But what I wonder now is what do I do with this thing. I feel I have no audience yet, and question how or if I should go about getting one. Do I blog about my life and random thoughts, or do I find a theme? Do I make a notebook or a filter? I am tempted to just restart the whole damn thing and pretend to be a 13 year old girl and see what happens.(I have this fantasy about tricking some psycho pedophile into meeting me at a public place and calling the cops on him)

My real reasoning for a blog seems to be a self publishing thing. When I make it big do I keep this around so the world can see my genius? Is that a little cocky? I think what I'll do now that I've actually gone against my own personal code and created a blog is keep it around even after the class is over. I'm thinking I might go out of my way to find an audience now and test out my abilities as a writer. Every post before this was just a testing ground anyway. But that would technically require me to actually use my name on the internet. I don't like that concept. I don't know why, maybe it's something from way back in the day when it was well advised not to use your real name on the internet no matter what or maybe it's just because I can do whatever I want this way and not have any consequences for my actions. It could also be an irrational fear of the internet becoming sentient due to the many different A.I. programs being created out there being linked through it and turning into a Skynet situation and the need to remain anonymous to avoid detection.

Um, where was I?

I am a writer. This is my blog. Yes blog. Not weblog. It's my blog. I've finally decided I'm going to be a writer for real now and this is where I begin. Now I need to find an audience and maybe a good pseudonym to use. Because Captain Koala is a good handle, but I don't know if I should be signing everything as "The Captain" for much longer.

Since I was seven. Damn. I can honestly say I was there when people talk about the early internet. But that's a story for another time.