In Which I Don't Get the Right Answer...
I've been asked to think about codes in terms of the blogs I've read. Hm. Damn good idea, but I'm not sure I know where to begin, or if I'll get anywhere worth being once I begin.
First, it seems that blogs do indeed have codes, and that just as codes vary from culture to culture, they also vary from blog to blog. I love Nonsense's blog, and he seems to have certain codes for certain words/topics. President Bush = negative, Jewish culture = respectful humor. Certain words or phrases have come to mean certain things for him, he writes with his own code, his own personal meaning. You know?
Less about codes, and more about memes, I was re-thinking about Kottke's blog, which seems -- in itself -- a meme machine. It pumps out loads information, and since Kottke has a bigger following than many blogs, he spreads the information too. Are all blogs meme machines? I want to say yes, but feel hesitant to do so. Maybe they are all spreading information, but Nonsense's and Coffee's blogs seem less about spreading/making memes and more about blending personal anecdotes with external things (politics, movies, etc.). Kottke, on the other hand, is "heavy on the links," and on random information, so I tend to put him above the other two in terms of meme-ing (I made that up). Interestingly, I prefer Nonsense and Coffee to Kottke.
First, it seems that blogs do indeed have codes, and that just as codes vary from culture to culture, they also vary from blog to blog. I love Nonsense's blog, and he seems to have certain codes for certain words/topics. President Bush = negative, Jewish culture = respectful humor. Certain words or phrases have come to mean certain things for him, he writes with his own code, his own personal meaning. You know?
Less about codes, and more about memes, I was re-thinking about Kottke's blog, which seems -- in itself -- a meme machine. It pumps out loads information, and since Kottke has a bigger following than many blogs, he spreads the information too. Are all blogs meme machines? I want to say yes, but feel hesitant to do so. Maybe they are all spreading information, but Nonsense's and Coffee's blogs seem less about spreading/making memes and more about blending personal anecdotes with external things (politics, movies, etc.). Kottke, on the other hand, is "heavy on the links," and on random information, so I tend to put him above the other two in terms of meme-ing (I made that up). Interestingly, I prefer Nonsense and Coffee to Kottke.
Labels: Blogging
