I read your blog for a while. I looked at your pictures, giggled at your funny stories about other people and then I GOT INTO IT. You had really great things to say and a lot of ideas that were thought-provoking. You spurred a lot of people on to try new things in their own writing styles on their own blogs; you pushed the envelope, except not really. You pushed it in the not-so-gentle way people do when they aren’t familiar with how to do it, like making new friends by handing out your grandmother’s leftover Oxycodone and then your friends are hooked and you’re in trouble and you’re lying and stealing your way out of this make-new-friends scenario.
Yup. That’s about how it went.
I’m a joiner most of the time. I like to get on a bandwagon but – a BIG BUT right here – I’m pretty good at jumping off at just the right time. Just before it gets superbad on the wagon, just before there’s mutiny and starvation, I jump off and congratulate myself for avoiding catastrophe.
And so now we have a bandwagon and some Oxy. TRY TO KEEP UP.
I’m disappointed in the blogosphere this year, to be quite frank. I was so pumped to head to Blissdom in February, BlogHer in August, and The Blathering in October. I really had it all set up in my mind for how it would go: I would finally FINALLY meet IN PERSON all these great people I’ve known for a while and we would realize that we were twins unfortunately separated at birth but who have prospered and thrived in our own ways and have now come back together to create this unstoppable team of writing and design.
So yeah. Maybe I set the bar a little high.
Anyway, I’m disappointed that I didn’t get to go to any of these events this past year, but I’m more upset at the relationships that have gone sour among bloggers and writers and designers I respect. I’m embarrassed that the wagon I jumped upon had an underlying message of, mostly, hate. I hate that I lost some time I could have spent reading and researching more things I’m interested in rather than analyzing and discussing situations and relationships I have no business knowing about.
In short: I’m mad that I trusted and respected a writer who does some low-down, dirty stuff to other people.
Half Baked, Twice as Good 
Uh-oh. I have no idea what this is about, but it’s definitely been a weird year across the board—in real life and blog life. People have said and done some things that have left me speechless. I’m sorry you were disappointed.
You know, I’m just surprised at the mean streaks in people. For all this talk about “community” and support of each other, there are bloggers that are only in it for either a) money (ha!) or b) driving up traffic so they can get the go-hate-so-&-so message out.
Everybody’s got opinions, but I’ve just had it with the shady ones, I guess.
Yeah, I’ve definitely had my moments where the internet seemed like a bad bad place, but somehow in the end, my faith is always restored. I’m sorry you’re feeling this way though. You should come to the Blathering, we’re totally not jerks. 🙂
I wanted to go – oh how I did! And if it kills me I will be there next year in NOLA. Sounded like so much fun and that you all had an amazing time.