Comments on: Political Geekery

By: Because We're Young

Because We're Young — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 13:50:48 +0000

Thank you Charlotte, much appreciated. Will keep at it and do a bit more linking!

By: Charlotte Gore

Charlotte Gore — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 13:46:06 +0000

Funnily enough another reason why you see the ‘same old faces’ is because commenting and engaging with other blogs is the ‘standard’ way to get noticed. As is linking to other people’s blog posts. Most bloggers have systems that try to pick up every single link they get, and if there’s one thing guaranteed to attract the attention of another blogger, it’s a link to one of their posts.

Sad but true.

I guess there’s probably more to it than that. I’ve never really done anything to consciously promote my blog other than muck around on Twitter. These things always just seem to take care of themselves somehow.

The usual advice is to blog often, keep it snappy and that’s really it. Funny’s always good, but failing funny there’s always honest. People like honest.

By: Because We're Young

Because We're Young — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 13:15:52 +0000

Hi Charlotte,

Was pondering your comment about the silent majority, of which I am trying to break out. I would say one thing, and believe me this is NOT a “country club” style dig by any means, I love your blog and many others (Obo, OH, Anna, Penguin etc.). Also, this isn’t really “for” you as I have never commented on one of your posts before, more of a general observation since yoou brought up the topic. Longwinded this, sorry.

I find when I do comment, or ask the odd question, I tend to get ignored or perhaps lost amongst a conversation between the regular commenters. I also write a blog (fairly new) but have no idea how to get it to a wider audience? Any advice? And I won’t be offended if you say my blog is rubbish/boring/repetitive, but since you clearly have a talent for this sort of thing, a bit of feedback would be great and might haul me out of the silent majority for good!

By: Beyond the valley of the blogs | Anonymong

Beyond the valley of the blogs | Anonymong — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 16:33:26 +0000

[...] at Charlotte Gore’s blog there’s a rather good article on political geekery, which makes two very good points. The first being that if you’re reading this blog (or hers [...]

By: Charlotte Gore

Charlotte Gore — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 13:27:04 +0000

Yeah, it’s a bit unsettling for me too. Tis why I sometimes spell things out in blogposts that I know all the people who leave comments will already know. I actually have no clue about the mystery silent audience. They might be lost knitting fans for all I know.

By: Antisthenes

Antisthenes — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 13:22:36 +0000

“Only a tiny tiny tiny fraction of people who read blogs actually leave comments, that’s why you see the same names over and over. The huge majority read in silence and are completely anonymous and unknown”.

I wish I had known that before maybe I would not be so keen to make a complete prat of myself by leaving a comment. Then maybe not, nobody knows who I am or where I live except perhaps MI5, CGHQ and million other snooping government departments any way if they are reading this then “up yours”.

By: Charlotte Gore

Charlotte Gore — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 12:33:31 +0000

Only a tiny tiny tiny fraction of people who read blogs actually leave comments, that’s why you see the same names over and over. The huge majority read in silence and are completely anonymous and unknown.

Just saying

By: prm

prm — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 12:30:40 +0000

Boudicca said it – how many of ‘us’ are there? I too see the same names. If I mentioned, say, this blog, DK, LegIron, Longrider, Timmy, OH etc etc I suggest y’all’d know several.

It’s been on my mind recently as to how one actually does something. Merely venting doesn’t interest me (and I relly think DK dropping the faily unpleasant imagary is a wholly good thing here), and I’m with CG on the leaflets.

If I may wax lyrical, when I listen to Historical podcasts, I often double-take when I realise whtever momntous event is being described, feeling as though it appeared out of the blue. Yet I’ve been listening as, step after step, events unfolded. Do-able, conceivable events. It’s this disparity between little ol’ me and Big Changey Stuff (not the Obama type, natch) that bemuses me.

The psychologist Maslow pointed out something similar; he asked his students who would be the next great psychologists, and they shuffled and looked around blankly. Then he said ‘If not you, who then?’

Surely we can use this internet thingy to do a little more than backslapping and confirming we’re not the only ones…

By: Scott

Scott — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 08:37:24 +0000

I’m special! Very happy indeed now!

By: Antisthenes

Antisthenes — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 07:16:43 +0000

Long since has any of the news channels or news presenters presented news in a balanced way, that does not sell air time or justify the high salaries of presenters. It is more lucrative to appeal to viewers baser instincts by sensationalising news and belittling stories and people and being generally nasty to one and all especially in the political arena. If at the same time you can score points for your own favoured ideoligy even better. No Brillo was doing what all presenters do these days mocking, bating and hamming it up for his audience. Better that he was a dinosaur rather than a modern day creep at least they were honest and non partisan.