Playing silly bloggers! *

Ok! So I've written about the activity of blogging; now I turn my beady-eyed attention to the protagonists - of which, of course, I am one. I've been writing this blog for over a year now and have quite enjoyed it as an outlet for my literary pretensions. But now I'm thinking this "outlet" is not really an "outlet" at all, but more of a "cul de sac" kind of activity.

Now I'm as self-obsessed as the next egomaniac blogasist, but it has become apparent that, whereas I can pretend to be a giving and generous blogger, many others are quite brazenly only interested in having their own blogs read, and never (heaven forfend!) allowing themselves to even accidentally read anything anyone else has submitted!

Since joining a couple of blog lists I've been inundated by about five people wanting to become my "friend". I was ecstatic and suffused with warm fuzzies at the thought of being included in someone elses intimate circle of virtual blogging buddies! Does this mean that someone, other than my two loyal family members, a few benign and kindly lurkerbuddies (you know who you are :>) and the cat, has actually read and smiled at my ramblings? ... Yeah right; I should coco!

Apart from the ones written by the clever cats themselves, it appears these "friends" all have agendas (and blogs) that are overtly selling something; from arty farty crafty artefacts to the boost-your-self-esteem, find-your-inner-goddess, chakra-stroking kundalini-unleashing mind-numbingly boring new age claptrap. I don't want it thanks. When, in the spirit of catcomradery, I sought out a few blogs of ostensibly like-minded catfolk and left apposite comments, do they bother to pop over to check out who I am? Not on your nelly - or maybe just the once, to see if I'm likely to be a serious contender in the world of wannabe literary icons.

Thing is we bloggers haven't really got time to read anybody else's meaningless drivel, as we are all too busy writing our own meaningless drivel. Is it just another brick in the wall of post-modern, post-ironic, self-involved individualism? If true, eventually this wall will be much too high to surmount: and anyway who's going to take the time to look up high enough to notice this monumental metaphor? We're all too busy scrabbling around in our own small corner of overcrowded planet Blog. A bit of a conundrum for us 21st century cybersaddos eh!

Oh! It's just occurred to me; It's probably because I'm not selling or saying anything of interest to these UberBlogasists. Maybe I should have a serious rethink and get Austin to actually do the blogging himself along with the likes of Fluffy, Furball, Fui and Eric. At the very least he would be part of the gang :P

* Revised title courtesy of my little brother, who's much funnier than I am :P