The Onion on the Secret Conceit of Bloggers

This week's edition of online humor site The Onion has an opinion piece that could come from the keyboard of many a blogger: "If Someone Wanted To Publish My Blog Entries For Money, I Wouldn't Say No" (Safe For Work, but one of the ads in the rotation has a bad word).

Even though most of us blog for ourselves and our immediate circle of friends and family, who among us doesn't harbor some small, secret spark that our writings will get discovered for their staggeringly insightful/heartbreakingly poignant/bitingly sarcastic/uproariously hilarious observations contained within?

(It's kind of like, "If you blog it, they will come.")

Written by blogger "Ben Tiedemann" (of Ben Tiedemann Tells All -- it's blank, don't bother looking), it's all about how the writer specifically does not have fantasies about getting featured by Esquire, or writing for the New York Times' Arts & Leisure section, or getting a syndicated column, or landing a 3-picture movie deal, because someone serendipitously discovered the genius that was his blog.

As fantasies go, it ranks up there with getting discovered by a talent agency on your trip to the supermarket -- it happens... but probably not to you.

But as long as it doesn't get in the way of your blogging, or your life, why not?

If you got discovered because of your blog, would you turn down your chance for blog fame, or would you take the money and run?

Thanks -- Joe

Tags: the onion, blogging, secret conceit, blog fame

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This entry has 3 comments: (Add your own)

#3 Comment from monponsett
5/4/07 9:54 AM | Permalink

I actually started blogging for fun, then AOL discovered me. Before I knew it, they were handing me money and sending me to Houston to blog for them. I was on the Welcome screen, and was all pleased with myself.

Three years (weeks) later, I was a nobody howling into the void again. Even AOL passed on offering me work when they started a group sports blog, even though I won their only sports blog contest in a landslide. That's like having the talent agent discover you at the supermarket... then sort of really look you over, and be like "Nah."

Right now, getting a prize package worth $2500 from AOL is the best I've done blogging. Writing the foreword to a friend's near-anonymous book is #2. Getting a gift certificate from CCToday for interviewing a cheerleader is #3. Seeing my earnings at Helium.com jump past $.30 is #4, getting a link from Scalzi is #5, and #6 was having Mottram read my blog into his own void on SBL radio.

And I've been incredibly lucky for a blogger, almost historically lucky.

I just hope someone notices me now, let alone pays me. I expect to entertain a core audience of about 5 until I ditch blogging to develop some other means of expression.
#2 Comment from seraphoflove9001
5/4/07 7:47 AM | Permalink

If I didn't have to conform to anyone eles's ways and if I could still write the same things...then sure...I'd do it! :o) Why not?!
Lisa
http://journals.aol.com/seraphoflove9001/Pleasedonttakelifeforgranted/
#1 Comment from dpoem
5/3/07 9:35 PM | Permalink

Hmm... If I got "discovered," I suppose so long as I didn't have to change anything and write FOR anyone, I'd take the cash.

-Dan
http://journals.aol.com/dpoem/TheWisdomofaDistractedMind/

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The Onion on the Secret Conceit of Bloggers