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Choosing sites worth reading

08/17/2007 by Connie Veneracion  · Filed under The Mommy Journals


Last Wednesday, when I delivered that talk before a journalism class at the Ateneo, there was a question as to how to discern which blogs are worth reading and those which are not. Of course, it’s a matter of personal preference. But, it is also a question of experience. The internet can be overwhelming especially for someone who’s just beginning to explore it. While the information is tremendous, not everything is useful. It takes a while to get used to the medium. In time, even a newbie learns where to go, where not to go back and which sites to frequent on a regular basis.

Personally, I don’t have the patience for gossipy blogs. Not even entertainment sites. I have no need to wallow in vicarious thrill over celebrities’ lives either. Neither do I read preachy blogs. And I especially do not enjoy inane writings. I like substance. That’s why, as I’ve mentioned so often in the past, I frequent sites like Backwash. In fact, I used to have a blog there (I wonder if it’s been deleted) but I only managed to post two entries because my own blogs were moving onward fast at the time and time management could not solve the problem. I did enjoy the little time I had interacting with the Backwash community though, short as it may have been.

So, I visited Backwash earlier today and found a gem. For all you budding science fiction and fantasy writers, and graphic illustrators, check this out.

L. Ron Hubbard’s Writers of the Future Contest.

As I’ve also said so many times in the past, I cringe at sites that talk of nothing but money-making gimmicks. Talent counts; gimmickry sucks. There are ways of using one’s talent to earn money and here’s one of them.

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9 Comments on "Choosing sites worth reading"

  1. Kongkong622 on Fri, 17th Aug 2007 5:54 pm 

    Hi Connie! This is really very informative. I’ve only been doing this “blogging” and “bloghopping” thing for a few months and it’s only now that I’m starting to get the hang of it. Can’t say yet if my blogs content speaks volumes or falls under the “inane” category but I’m certainly trying to make it work :)

  2. Jon Limjap on Fri, 17th Aug 2007 6:11 pm 

    And the real challenge would be to become a blog worth reading and worth adding to feed aggregators — by the kind of people you want to read you.

  3. The Mentat on Fri, 17th Aug 2007 8:36 pm 

    Ah, truer words have never been spoken. And to think I’ve been on a blogging hiatus since…

  4. Connie on Fri, 17th Aug 2007 8:38 pm 

    kongkong, i wouldn’t count your blog among the inane. noooo… i wouldn’t.

    jon, some people judge their own blog’s worth by the number of comments they get… even when more than half of the comments say “hi… just passing by.” LOL

  5. HaNNaH GRaCe on Fri, 17th Aug 2007 10:47 pm 

    hello. i first encountered your name in marie claire mag. so i wasn’t really familiar with your work before. im a newbie in the blogging thing so you might find mine really senseless. actually i just started blogging because i was depressed and at that time it seemed like a good idea. i didn’t know what to name mine so i copied yours. sorry po ha. pls don’t hate me for that. the name kept popping on my mind. i hope your readers don’t hate me also. anyway, my main reason for blogging is really personal and i need an outlet. i’m so bad in handwriting and i always seem to lose it so thank God for technology. your blogs are amazing. obviously, you have so many avid readers. again, sorry po talaga ha.

  6. bitchbum.flawedperfection.net » How do I choose sites that I read? on Sat, 18th Aug 2007 1:29 pm 

    [...] about these factors when I read Connie V’s entry on Choosing sites worth reading. Can you apply them to any [...]

  7. julie on Sat, 18th Aug 2007 3:11 pm 

    Connie, you are one of the reasons why I got hooked on blogging. I remember reading your posts before, more than two years or so ago. I know about the dreadful December crash. I loved looking at your photos. I also was able to do some of your recipes. Boy, was I tempted to write a comment or two but never did, not until I mustered enough “energy” and persuaded myself to do so. I thought people who comment in blogs are real friends, not virtual friends. But at times, then there is a thin line between the two. You know when you answered my comment, I was ecstatic. This inspired me to have my own blog (I started using free sites when I was reading yours).

    When I saw you during the PMN mommy lunch a few months back, I couldn’t help to utter, “My idol”. I just didn’t know if you heard me.

    Thanks for the inspiration Connie. May you continue to write wonderful entries.

  8. Connie on Sat, 18th Aug 2007 3:46 pm 

    Hannah, dictionary word naman yung “sassy” ano LOL k lang yun. Lakas ba ng recall? Am happy that blogging serves as a good outlet for you.

    Julie, no I didn’t know that you’ve been a long time reader. Alam mo, I don’t respond to all comments; only to those I feel call for a response. I’m glad though that a response was enough to inspire you to blog. O, di ba, and sarap? :)

    And no, I didn’t hear you say that. If I had, I would have been uncomfortable LOL I’ve never learned how to react “properly” to the public image thing, if there is such a thing as proper reaction at all. Shy ako, in that sense hehehe

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