Bloggers Block

Incase you hadn't noticed....I've got a real case of blogger's block. I did what I usually do and roam around the internet reading other blogs to get inspired. That usually works. One little sentence or even a cooking recipe can jog my memory into something that happened to me.

Usually a good tool but not lately. Making sure I am politically correct leaves very little room for imagination. I don't feel that I go out of my way to offend, but I do. Someone will find something offensive about anything. They usually tell me in my comments section which is what I encourage.

I've been called on the carpet recently on something I didn't write, and made the appropriate acknowledgements to the Los Angeles Times. But that wasn't good enough. Apparently I must do a maya culpa and fall on my sword simply because I found this particular article interesting.

The week before that I posted the "Get Over Yourself" article and that was written by me and found more folks agreeing than disagreeing. But there is always the exception....for that benign article as well.

You can't please everyone all of the time...that is a given. You can't control what your readers will say in response to one thing or another. Yet blogging has become more and more restrictive. You now must police your readership and call them on something utterly childish or insensitive in their beliefs.

I wholeheartedly agree that if something gets out of hand and personalities are trod upon "call the offender on it". I did do that, but feel too much like a school marm disciplining rather than teaching. What a bloody waste of time. "IF you can't behave you can't come to my sight anymore". huh...we are all adults, why not act like one.

Misunderstandings are at the crux of these petty outbursts. Either make yourself perfectly clear in your article or you invite this type of squabbling, and time consuming making nice. I don't make nice too often, I rather use the 'delete' button and get on with it.

Think about it....you are talking to perfect strangers, so why wouldn't objections be raised? Take care of it, clarify yourself and if that does not satisfy click, click and they are gone.

Don't get me wrong...there is always room for improvement. There are acceptable ways of voicing your opposition without becoming a shrew spewing personal attacks. Let's grow up! Writer and reader alike.

Although I began by stating my blogger block I will close with the idea that this has become more of a burdon than a relaxation excercise. Careful, careful careful you just may have stepped on someone's toes.

Drive carefully, dress warm, and don't forget your umbrella.RD