Bloggers of the world unite # 2 (well most of us anyway...)

Girlz With Gunz # 29

Yesterday's Paul Haig posts on various blogs around the world (here) showed the camaraderie that can exist in this part of cyberspace and to me was an example of why I love doing this blog.
I have been an avid follower of blogs ever since I got a computer of my own, which was only about four years ago.
My two eldest boys are computer whizz-kids and have been since the year dot but it was only when I went back to 'school' for the first time in about thirty years that I realised the necessity of a computer in this day and age and was faced with a very steep learning curve as I had to have written instructions every time that I went to burn a CD for example. (See Luddite.)
Let's just say that technology and I are not the best of friends.
At the age of 49 I still cannot drive a car.
But being as obsessed with music as I am I soon discovered blogs and the wonders that they can contain. Soon the idea came into my head that maybe I should start my own blog and everytime I went to ask my sons if they could help me set up one I was invariably given the answer... "later".
Fast forward a number of years to the tail end of last September and I thought "bugger it, let's see if I can set one up without their help" and lo and behold five minutes later here was this blog.
Of course now I had a blog and no readers but after putting the word out to friends and leaving comments on other blogs my readership started to grow.
At this point I would like to mention Bumkuncha over at the 'Pathways To Unknown Worlds' blog (here) who linked back to a couple of posts of mine and also to the writer Dennis Cooper (here) both of whom were really instrumental in seeing me attract a large number of new readers, so much so that I just passed 50,000 visitors a couple of weeks ago.
As somebody who has been on a disability pension for over fifteen years you probably have no idea how much of a new lease of life this blog has given me, and there is no alterior motive - there are no advertisements on this blog.
Every day I wake up with absolutely no idea what it is that will be put on this blog for that day. It may be something that I have come across on the web or in the news or something that someone said or invariably something that rises up from my very over crowded brain (and believe me when I say that. You truly wouldn't want to live with it, trust me)!
So as I said before it was great that yesterday there we were, people from all around the world that in most cases don't know each other, all blogging about the same subject.
And it felt really good!
Doing this blog has also introduced me to a number of people that I otherwise would have never met and in some cases our relationship has moved from the comments section and on to facebook or private e-mail.

Just when you think it's all going good...

So last weekend I decided that I would start a new blog devoted purely to music that I like. It could be any style. There was just one other criteria and that was that it is not readily available all over the web, in other words hopefully pretty unique. So imagine my disappointment (and I am not sure if that is the word to describe the way I feel) when I discovered that another blog is just ripping off my content and putting it on their blog. Now I am not going to mention the name of the blog here and give them free publicity but guys that is NOT what blogging is about. I am of course not the only one they are ripping off but I can't even be bothered entering into a dialogue with them as I have seen where that has got the other people who have tried i.e. NOWHERE! It has been pointed out that at least they do credit where they are ripping off from and for that I suppose I should be grateful. Blogging is not hard work and hopefully mine will make you laugh or think or turn you onto something that you have not come across or...but it is all (mostly) my own work (and is fully credited if not).

Which brings me on to one last thing...

"Listen; I don’t want to include you to the degree of giving you unlimited access to my life or mental space, That's not what blogging is about. It is, or should be light, casual, offhand & your obsessive, almost stalkerish comments are spoiling it for me. I don’t feel it’s necessary yet to ban you outright either, since your interest is mildly flattering, but I will if you persist in this crap. What I want is for you to chill out & stop acting like some sadsack pathetic little puppy desperately seeking my attention and approval. I don't know you and I really don't want to. What I did nearly thirty years ago in terms of music is really of very little current interest to me & when & if I decide to write about it it'll be at a time and place of my choosing. So once more, just STOP."

(Eh?)

Yes that is reference to comment that I left at a blog.
What may you ask has prompted such a response?
Well here is the comment in question:

"Anyway I came across this:
http://kiwitapes.blogspot.com/2008/03/coming-april-1st.html
Any of your label releases on it?
Also picked up a really interesting Hip-hop and NZ book at the op shop the other day. A good read, just lent it to a friend to look out (sic) and can't remember the title.
Regards/"
M

To backtrack. I found out that this blog in New Zealand had very kindly put a blurb about mine calling it "interesting" (which hopefully it is) and I added it to my bloglist and would look at it once every couple of weeks and to be honest mostly enjoyed the author's 'pro-situ/anarchist' writings/links as well as his backstory gleaned from his blog about the fact that he had run a record label in NZ back in the 70's (hence the reference above. All I know about NZ music has been got via 'Flying Nun') and the fact that he had produced magazines as well as running an Anarchist bookshop in the city he lives in.
Sound like the sort of fellow that you would enjoy a beer and a natter with in the pub?
Yes I left some comments.
I would think that there were between 8-10 in the past six months and all were related to music. An example being that when he had mentioned that he couldn't unzip files (!) I even went to the trouble of uploading a couple of individual mp3 files of a band that I knew he liked (it was on his blog) and doubted that he would have as they were the 'B' side of their latest single.
So I apologise for that "crap" but if I may point out that my interest is in the music not in you, and don't worry-your blog has been taken out of my list and I will ban myself.
There, now we both feel better.
To the rest of you, please feel free to leave comments. I think it's nice to get some feedback and I am not in the slightest bit paranoid I can assure you and finally if you want to send me some mp3's could you please make it:
SHANKAR - 'SOUL SEARCHER'
(Received thanx to Burning Dervish.)
&/OR
SHIN E - 'LIGHT YEARS'
(Both are Bill Laswell productions that I have never heard.)
You can send them in zip format as
I DO know how to extract the mp3's.
Regards/

PS: Do grab that 4 CD Kiwi Tapes set. A great intro to NZ rock especially in conjunction with the 'Flying Nun' 25th Anniversary boxed set which is available if you look for it.