tirsdag 31. mars 2009

Bloggers Challenge 2009

Good-day, non-existing readers!

Today I have a special assignment, I'm going to write: "Your story of how blogging has helped you connect to a global audience and what this connection has meant to you. e.g. the friends you have made, what you have learnt about other cultures, how you are able to share your passions with others, how you are able to use blogging to share your views on topics"

So, first off. Who's actually reading this blog except me, my English teacher and some poor American students who have been forced to, by their teacher? Well, I don't really know. Please comment somewhere if you're actually reading this by your own free will, if not I suppose you're a ninja. Yet, I have received comments from like three different people, so I haven't really "connected to a global audience". And is there really a global audience?

Personally, I don't read a blog voluntarily. They are either uninteresting or written in a wrong style. This could mean full of spelling errors, insanely advanced language, claims without evidence and so on. This makes it boring. I have not made friends through blogging, I have become even more certain that the southern states of the US are full of rednecks and I don't have a "passion" for most of the themes I'm blogging on and I don't share them as no-one reads my blog. However, I think I'm pretty able to "share my views on topics".

However "my views" might easily be dismissed as the rantings of a wacko, polar bear-eating, atheist, commie and anti-christ himself. On the other hand: Why would I care? I'm largely doing this to get top marks in English, and if nobody reads my blog, it's hardly my fault.

15 kommentarer:

Sue Waters sa...

Hi Gah, what can I say? Well I'm not a ninja :) and I am reading your post.

And I love both the humor and honesty of your post. Any post that makes me laugh has done well.

Besides which I can relate to reasons why others struggle to engage with blogging because it took me a year from being introduced to blogs to becoming a blogger. I still find it amazing today that I went from being known as the reluctant blogger to the Edublogger :) .

You have a natural writing ability I wish that I had the same skill - best of luck.

Gah sa...

Hi, mrs. Waters!

You are obviously not a ninja, because then I could not possibly see your post. However, you are actually not reading my blog voluntarily either, so you'll have to go in the category with forced people.

I'm quite sorry about this, but you have been placed in a cage with my teacher and some American kids. For compensation, I can declare you a half-ninja :)

Thank you for the compliments on my writing ability and such. I guess it's a way of making blogging more fun for myself, and perhaps for all non-existent readers that might appear.

Sue Waters sa...

Hi Gah, but technically you can't put me into the forced category :) But I do like the idea of being a half ninja -- does that mean I can make raids?

And here is why...I could have a)chosen to not visit your blog b) and even if I did - not take the time to comment.

Yet I did ... and trust me I don't praise many on writing ability. You have a skill that many of us wish we had. Wonder what you would write about if it was your choices of topics?

Pamela sa...

REading, of my own free will.
Not a Red Neck.
Sunny Colorado.

Gah sa...

Hi again! It seems I have a few readers after all :)

Ms. Waters: I had to enter the Bloggers Challenge as a school-thing, and you seem to be hosting it, so you kind of had to read it. And I've seen that you have commented on the other blogs from my class. If I was mean, I would remove your status as half-ninja.

As for my chosen topics, I just finished a paper on conflict diamonds (I can e-mail it, if you'd like to read it) and I've done several things on the IRA and the Troubles, school massacres and the NRA, political systems, philosophy and ideologies. I'm very much into politics and international relations.

Ms. Warner: Great to have one voluntary reader. Have you only read this one post, or are you spying on me? :)

Sue Waters sa...

I'm glad you aren't mean Gah because I've been busy planning the half ninja raids that we could do.

So I assume that the blood diamond trade was a topic you wanted to write about as opposed to topics you are being required to write about? So what are your career plans when you leave school?

Gah sa...

Yes, I chose conflict diamonds, and the other topics I mentioned are largely also chosen ones. After I leave school this spring, I'm heading to a city called Tromsø (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Troms%C3%B8) to study political science (international relations).

I'm intending to get a master's degree, hopefully with several semesters abroad. If my results are good enough, I will apply for a trainee-program in the Norwegian department of foreign affairs. The only problem is that they accept less than thirty people each year and about 600 people apply.

If my results are not quite that good I will do something else; perhaps working in some NGO (perhaps the UN), become a high school teacher or work in any department in the government.

Or at least, so I think. And by the way: You reply frighteningly quick.

diander sa...

Reading of my own free will, and I agree - excellent writing ability! You have great "voice" in your writing, an I also appreciate your sense of humor. Not a ninja... but did enjoy reading your post from my home in Chicago, IL.

tasteach sa...

Congratulations on your win in the Edublogger student competition. Make sure you visit the Edublogger to get your badge which you can add to your blog.

PLNaugle sa...

Gah, you should maybe consider a career in political satire. I am a fourth grade teacher from New Orleans, Louisiana and nobody forced me to read your post, but I'm glad I did. I agree with Di that you have great "voice" in your writing.

I do not consider myself a redneck since I was born in New York and educated in Pennsylvania. I'm kind of intrigued with the ninja thing though.

Good luck in your future pursuits and keep on blogging.

Gah sa...

Thanks everybody. I didn't intend to win anything, but don't really mind either :)

So why did I win? I guess my post was simply the least bad, and to some extent humorous. It must be dreadful, for teachers like yourselves, to read lots of boring posts that all say the same.

However, I do believe there's reason to think about why students are blogging. Is it just to do something modern and fancy, or is there an actual purpose to it?

However, thanks for all your compliments - they are appreciated.

PLNaugle sa...

Isn't it fun to connecct with people using a new and fancy technoloy? We teachers are having our students blog as a more engaging way to journal. If you were just writing a paper or in a journal would you be getting comments from people like us?

Express yourself, share it with the world, and maybe you'll get comments and feedback, that's what blogging means to me.

planetbendigo sa...

Another Aussie says "hej". V witty writing, & good to reply to the comments. brings back memories of travels to Norway.
Send us some of your rain!

Penny sa...

Hi Gah,
No-one has made me read your blog, and I'm voluntarily looking at it from New Zealand. Not in the cage - yay. Good fun. I hate blogging, but I find it interesting reading other people's blogs. Keep it up :) Penny

Gah sa...

Wow, I have a new comment! This stuff here is quite old, and I have stopped blogging. For now. Anyway, new comments are always appreciated, although rarely read. If I make a new blog, I will post a link on the front page.

Did you find me through the whole Edublogger-thing?

This is actually making me want to start up another blog. Intriguing! Perhaps blogging has profited me after all? :) That would be rather ironic, I suppose.