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It’s My Blog and I Can Write if I Want To

Posted by Jonquil on · 18 comments
xjonquilx | Mepis, Ubuntu, Fedora, Linux, Oh My!; By Jonquil McDaniel 		Mail this story
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I pay $7.95 a month for hosting a blog because I enjoy writing. I don’t profess to be a professional of any sort, much less a technical writer. I enjoy writing though so I take the time out from my busy/hectic work/school/home schedule to write about the new things I learn about Linux. Why Linux? Because it’s the operating system I’ve been using on my desktop for the past 6 years. I don’t always get everything right (after all, I AM NOT A TECHNICAL WRITER), but I like to think that I at least help some people ease the transition between Linux and Windows. I don’t write for system administrators but for the common public. With this in mind, I try to make things as easy as possible to understand. That may mean skipping over some technical details, but that’s ok. The new user doesn’t need to become a system administrator to run Linux on their desktop.

I have found during my writing experience though that a LOT of the Linux community is very rude and whiny. System administrators read my posts and critique them as if they were school assignments, usually with little respect shown towards the time and research it took to write them.

If I was really writing for the Linux community and not myself, I would quit just because the community obviously does not appreciate my input (or anyone’s input for that matter except their own). This isn’t just a trend I’ve noticed on my blog but on other people’s blogs as well. We bloggers just can’t please the Linux community unless we happen to be programmers, system administrators, technical writers, or the like.

The number one problem I see in Linux being adopted more on the desktop is the attitude of the community. When I first started with Linux 6 years ago the community was a lot different. People were helpful, friendly, respectful, and they didn’t treat me like I was a moron. Now I find the community is mostly filled with complainers and criticizers. There are times I ponder whether I should even bother answering comments or not. Or shut comments down completely.

Show some respect when you comment on someone’s blog. Remember they’re not doing it for you, and they’re not getting paid by you to do it. If the layout isn’t what you prefer so what? It’s not your blog. If they don’t say what you think they should say so what? Again, it’s not your blog. That’s not to say that suggestions are not welcome but it is to say those suggestions should be made respectfully and don’t be surprised/angry if your suggestions are taken with a grain of salt.

To those who do not like what I have to say, that’s fine. To those who do not like my layout, that’s fine too. Go spend the money to host your own blog and do whatever you like with it. Everyone is entitled to their own creative outlets. Stop trying to live through me.

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Comments (18)

Jeff91 ·
8$ a month? I'm not sure how much traffic this blog sees but I know there is cheaper hosting than that out there for such content >.<

~Jeff
theBeez ·
Well, his exposure on LXer will give him some traffic. But why is it on LXer, it's an old discussion that will never be resolved.
TxtEdMacs ·
The Bees,

We have routinely seen worse by self assessed technically competent writers, hence, why not some exposure for those where Linux is still new and wondrous? Getting over the barrier just to try Linux or other free software offerings is not easy task for those without experience. Thus, reading someone with admitted, limited technical skills and at their level could entice those that have an interest but restrained by primal fears.

Where is the harm* giving a beginner's site some exposure?

YBT

* If the writer routinely gets the details wrong and is blind to their failings, yes that could be harmful. Otherwise as a recruiting tool such a site could be more effective than one written by an experienced hand, but who has forgotten the fears of a beginner.
Grishnakh ·
I have to agree. $8/month sounds a little steep. I have an account with fatcow.com and I think I only paid $3 or $4/month by buying a 36-month block. Obviously, this is a shared hosting account (the kind where you share a single physical host with lots of other accounts, rather than having one server all to yourself), so it's not high performance, but you don't get that kind of performance until you pay a lot more than even $10/month.
dixiedancer ·
There are lots of blogs about Linux written by us "ordinary users" who aren't technically inclined. We write from an "alternative (as far as Linux blogs go) point of view." And believe it or not, we get lots of readers who find that point of view either:

Dumb, or Refreshing, or A useful window into how "ordinary desktop users" see things, and/or A reminder of how they felt when they were new.

I'm really surprised at the responses I get from Linux gurus that I really respect (I find them in forums and stuff, writing lots of really helpful stuff). Most are complimentary and encouraging. Keep writing since that's what you like to do!

I don't pay for my blog at all, though... I use the free WordPress and still enjoy lots of readers and helpful comments:

http://robinsrantsandraves.wordpress.com

Koriel ·
My hosting is $3.99 per month on a monthly contract with 250gb traffic bandwidth, been with them 5 years now and its been very reliable.
theBeez ·
@TxtEdMacs,

Don't get me wrong: I'm all for giving newbies a chance and if that was the prime motivation, I got nothing against an extra headline. But I was talking from the viewpoint of the readers - and for those there's nothing new here.
ComputerBob ·
Jeff91, the title of this thread should be "You're doing it wrong." I see that you haven't hired an editor yet. ;)
helios ·
Glad you didn't criticize me like that...I ARE an editor....

yeah, like horses are ballerinas
jdixon ·
> ...yeah, like horses are ballerinas

You've never seen the Lipizzan stallions?
vainrveenr ·
Quoting:Jeff91, the title of this thread should be "You're doing it wrong." I see that you haven't hired an editor yet. ;)
.. although it is conceivable that the thread title could be corrected with the addition of a single word beforehand, e.g., "Concerning Your Doing It Wrong".



helios ·
You've never seen the Lipizzan stallions?

Not in tutus and slippers...of course, I don't know what they do off the clock.
jdixon ·
> Not in tutus and slippers...of course, I don't know what they do off the clock.

Seriously, Ken. If you haven't seen them see if you can track down the old Disney shows featuring them. They're something to see. They're not quite ballerinas, but they're the closest equine equivalent.
helios ·
No, I realize their magnificence. I saw them in Belgium when I was stationed in Germany.
theBeez ·
@helios Hmm, I thought they were a Spanish breed trained in Austria. Were they on tour or something?
dinotrac ·
Beez --

They travel. As a kid, I saw them in D.C..
jdixon ·
> No, I realize their magnificence.

Then at least you know what I meant.
Jonquil Story submitter ·
True there's cheaper hosting solutions but the server I'm on is quick and stable, which is a lot more than I've seen out of the likes of hosting solutions like Go Daddy. I'm also on a rather nice hosting package and got my first year free.

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