Next Blog

I guess I shouldn't be surprised. From time to time the subject of blogs comes up in conversation and 98.37 percent of the people don't know what a blog is (43.78% have never heard the term).

Aside #rand(): 95% of all stated percentages in all published studies are lower than 82%, which is the number of statistics that are completely made up. This makes the 98.37% number stated above a relatively rare result and, therefore, highly significant.

After learning what a blog is, most people wonder why anyone in their right mind would want to write one and what sort of person they (bloggers) might be?

Aside #2: Very few people consider me to be in my right mind.

The first assumption is that bloggers must be very self-centered. This assumption is supported by a general impression that everyone is more concerned about getting their 15 minutes of fame than in doing anything worthwhile. Even fame for doing something stupid or badly seems to be okay. If it weren't, where do reality shows, small claims court shows, and Jerry Springer find people?

Another data point supporting the self-centered conclusion can be found right here on blogger by clicking on the "Next Blog" button at the top of this post. How many blogs can you find this way? Not very many before you find someone who has sent the blogger header into oblivion with custom CSS. Why do people do this? It seems to me to be an attention grabbing technique. "LOOK AT ME! LOOK AT ME! NO! DON'T GO! STAY HERE AND READ MY BLOG!

I'm disappointed when someone doesn't have the "Next Blog" button. I sometimes like to click it to see what is out there. Occasionally (though not often) you can find something interesting. But my stroll down the blogging avenue rarely goes more than a half dozen clicks before I am tripped up by someone who has dug up the sidewalk.

Like I said, I guess I shouldn't be surprised.