Blog-shopping

My bloglist grows steadily ... my normal way of finding new ones is perusing those already on the list and seeing who's on theirs. But occasionally I browse through, using the "next blog" function, just to see what comes up.

This evening I set aside about 15 minutes to explore and came up with one winner. The rest?

If it's not in English ... next. I quit at 30.

If it's mostly photos ... next. Eight of those.

If the intro contains a Bible verse or "this blog is a chronicle of my walk with the Lord" ... next. I got lucky tonight -- just one!

If it's intended for a limited audience such as family and friends ... next. More than 10 tonight.

If it's dedicated to a topic that doesn't interest me in the least (such as gaming) ... next. One of those this time around.

What I look for in a blog is word-density, with frequent updates. The topics can be public (politics, religion) or private (one individual's outlook and experiences) as long as they meet the aforementioned criteria. Humor is always a plus -- I find that people with a sense of humor are far more likely to be rational and readable.

This is not to say that I hold any illusions whatsoever that my blog is making anyone's heart go pitter-pat. I often despair at the dearth of topics that occur to me.

If it's personal angst, I'll usually post somewhere else (another blog or personal journal on the hard drive) unless I think it might be something that others can relate to...

My philosophical/political acumen is pretty weak. I have opinions, of course, but doubt that they break any new ground in discourse.

And then comes the fundamental laziness that prevents me from exploring a topic in depth or creating a series.

A large function of this blog has been venting - just laying it all out there. I have known a lot of people who could have benefited greatly from this exercise. It clearly keeps me from rehashing the same old tired themes ... but then the ideas start to dwindle.

Frustrating for me & everyone...