I’ve noticed a trend, and I’m wondering if it’s because I’m lazy or because I’m passionate.
For almost a week, last week, I became a Large Mammal in the TTLB Ecosystem. I noticed that I am back down to a Marauding Marsupial in my blog hits. I was proud, then disappointed. For a time I ranked up there with some blogs I really admire. Big White Hat. Texas Fred.
I also noticed that many of my posts (for whatever reason) this past month were peppered with scattered expletives.
I stand naked before you now with either a reason or an excuse, and then a question.
First, some background: I have been in law enforcement (as many of you already know) for over 30 years. I have worked for both Federal and local LE systems. As you might imagine, I’ve somehow sopped up some colourful language over the years — to include words you’d not yet imagined in your personal lexicon.
With the FBI and the Marshals, you kept your lip zipped in the bullpen and then purged in the field if necessary. With my current agency, I’ve pretty much continuously possessed a “potty mouth” except when trying valiantly to be on my best behavior in various academy classes. And yet I warn my students: some things may slip out; I’ll do my best to slip them back in.
The confounding thing is, I’m not undereducated. I’m facile with the multisyllabic word or two, and took my BA and then my Masters with regard to command of the Engrish Rang-grage.
And yet I’m wondering: too many poo-poo nasties for my readers?
Weigh in now, preeze. Should I tone down my f-and -s-bombs? Or does it even matter?
BZ
http://www.theguyfromboston.com/playvideo1.asp?video=/videos/senators.wmv
If you sound like this it might be just a bit much… just a bit.
I think that if a person talks politics these days it’s kinda hard NOT to use a foul word or two, considering the players.
IMO BZ, you are one of a few that can get away with the occasional F bomb, and not come off sounding unintelligent…Passion about issues causes the verbiage to be colorful.
As long as you don’t pepper every sentence or paragraph with foul language, IMO it adds a certain depth to your opinion that we don’t see in the MSM…
That being said, I am not one of those fucking ingrates that cant understand the sarcasm behind the shitty writing or the ever present bastards that occupy our blog world.
LMAO
I have normally fluctuated between flappy bird and adorable little rodent for the last year and a half and then last week I suddenly dropped to insignificant microbe; then yesterday I was back to a rodent. The Truth Laid Bare must be having problems.
I avoid foul language for a number of reasons, but I can’t say I never use it.
You can say fuck 10,000 times in every post and it won’t effect your TTLB standing in ANY way, TTLB is ranked simply on your linkage and hits, how many folks link back to you and how many visits you get, that’s all…
TTLB is a fucked up ranking service, they are totally unreliable and their rankings tend to fluctuate greatly, don’t take it personal in ANY way, Bear had a damn good system once upon a time and then he had to go and improve it, well, new and improved sucks, and I took him to task over it too, and La Shawn Barber and a couple of other so-called big time bloggers got their pretty pink panties in a knot, because I told the truth…
And now La Shawn has dropped him altogether, but do you think she ever came back and said she was wrong for jumping MY ass?? Just like a couple of other sanctimonious old bats that are never wrong, ain’t gonna fucking happen, so, just fuck it ALL… LMFAO…
Regarding TTLB problems in the somewhat recent past:
TexasFred’s » Blog Archive » The Truth Laid Bear and Systemic Problems
As a point of order, and to keep anyone from calling me a liar, La Shawn Barber IS still ranked by TTLB but she did away with his logo and little ranking script thingy on her site…
Can’t have the sanctimonious doing too much research trying to prove me wrong now can I?? 🙂
Texas Fred: and yes, sir, I understand what you’re saying. But absent that, what I’m posing as the overarching question is this: am I driving AWAY readers or disappointing readers because I am tending to trend towards “bad words” now more than in my prior posts. Distilled down even more: am I driving away readers with my language? All things being equal, are my hit diminishing because readers are disappointed or revulsed at my language?
BZ
BZ, if you are, they’re readers you didn’t need to begin with, that’s MY feeling on it…
You use proper words man, and you use them in proper sequence too, I was impressed…
BZ, man, don’t sweat it, I’ve heard some folks say that they would NEVER frequent a blog that allowed the use of the “F” word, well, I also know they lied about it because they still show up here on a regular basis…
Be you man, be YOU!! To thine own self be true my friend, what have you got to lose?? No one pays you for this bullshit do they??
It’s not like you might piss off someone and they’d try to kill your blog or anything like that, you know, like maybe mount an email campaign telling everyone you said a bad word, it’s YOUR blog, say anything YOU like, and if someone bitches about it, remind em, it’s YOUR blog and the door has a red box with a white X on it, if they click that X, then everyone’s happy, well, at least you are…
That’s MY .02 worth…
And unless Site Meter says your hits are decreasing, forget it, TTLB rankings mean DICK!
Well, I suppose that’s one way of examining it. . .
BZ
BZ, as this is your site why is this an issue? Surely anyone who visits and is in any way offended, although why they would be is beyond me unless they were a troll, would be able to take themselves and their delicate sensiblities to one of the other trillion or so other sites in blogland.
There is nothing offensive in any of your posts. Strong language that a gentleman such as yourself and the other gentlemen who are regular visitors might use either in posts or in comments is quite different from that which might be used by a vulgarian.
This question has cropped up on some of the other sites which we all frequent and makes me wonder who, or what, is sowing these seeds of doubt.
Please put this out of your mind, enjoy your weekend, take a deep breath, and return to what you do best…keep posting in your own unique style, of course……what did you think I was going to say?
First off. If you want a good indicator of how your doing don’t look to TTLB. My status only proves that I am a link whore.
You should look at two things. First your sitemeter will give you some idea about your traffic. Then burn your feed with feed burner and figure out how to turn off any other rss feed so that all rss traffic goes through feed burner.
I don’t currently pay much attention to my sitemeter or my rss traffic. I haven’t even disabled my no burned rss feeds. I suppose I should. Having the stats down would help me figure out how many readers/subscribers I have.
Finally, nobody can really tell you if you are “Too Profane.” Just write deliberately. If the best way to get the point across is with a certain word then use it.
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BZ, I do sometimes use “potty” language, but generally as an indicator to the degree of anger presented when I write a post. You are probably somewhat similar. The thing is content. You generally have well thought out posts and if you throw in a *-bomb once in a while, so be it! Like I always say “fuck’em if they can’t take a joke!”
I think some day I’ve got to have someone kinda paid professionlal monitor my blog, and to instruct me on what to do and when in the Blogosphere. RSS feeds and hits and that kinda stuff just leaves me blank. There is SO much stuff I could probably do that I’m not doing. I’m actually considering going to next year’s Blogworld Convention, wherever that is, to see what I can do for the blog itself. It could be a ton of fun, also. This year it was in Las Vegas, Hugh Hewitt was there — and a few others. Quite frankly, it sounded like a WHOLE lotta fun. Imagine: a convention that is solely centered on BLOGS. Wow. I think I’ll start saving my drachmas.
BZ
Skip hiring a pro, BZ. At this point in blogovolution, there is no such thing as a professional: We’re all charting unknown territory.
As for the foul language: Doesn’t bother me one fucking bit!
Expletives used sparingly carries more weight and power.
For me, personally, I don’t enjoy the foul language. It’s a turn-off. But that won’t keep me from looking past the language and more to the substance of whatever it is you are posting about.
I guess I was raised very squeaky-clean-like. I rarely curse, unless I’m by myself (like in the car, angry at someone).
Prolific foul language is something I associate more with leftwing bloggers, who drop the eff-word in every other sentence. Blogs such as yours, and others who comment here, reminds me that the right-wing blogosphere does not travel “the high road”, and we can be just as course, just as “offensive” (not just in language, but in how we malign the other side).
am I driving AWAY readers or disappointing readers because I am tending to trend towards “bad words” now more than in my prior posts. Distilled down even more: am I driving away readers with my language? All things being equal, are my hit diminishing because readers are disappointed or revulsed at my language?
I don’t know if you’re driving away readership. Blogs are blogs; they fit all purposes and levels of discourse, and no one is probably expecting to read a scholarly scientific journal on most personal blogs. However, for anyone who wants to be taken ABSOLUTELY seriously (think, publication quality), I think dropping the foul language can’t possibly hurt.
I do get irked in my personal life when there are people out in the public square who let fly with foul language, not caring who might be overhearing, even if it’s young kids.
I just don’t have the need for vulgar language, unless there’s an actual “purpose” for it.
BZ, I wouldn’t come to your blog if you were overly foul.
I agree with Wordsmith. I look past that and into the content. I am as far right as you can throw me too.
I kind of think poop jokes are funny. I just won’t go to the sex joke stuff. I find that to be overboard, but you never do that stuff. Even if you did, I would just look at the content anyway cuz I like ya. You are a great guy!
Texas,
Oh yeh, what is wrong with TTLB. I have been trying to get back on with them and they don’t send me e-mail confirmations so I can sign up. It is like it is broke or something. They won’t even respond to my e-mail about it.
If the blogger has interesting or important things to say I don’t pay attention to the F-bombs and whatnot. But if the F-bombs are pretty much all there is … well, that’s a blog I tend to avoid in the future.
Save the vulgarities for the really angry rants. That’s when they have a purpose! LOL