AOL Hires Blogger

John Scalzi writes:

So basically, my job:

1. Demystify the journaling and blogging process for AOL members so they can jump in and start doing it.
2. Encourage the writing, reading, and linking of blogs and journals on AOL and in the blogoverse.
3. Write a kick-ass blog worth reading.

Why me? Well, why not?

—AOL Hires Blogger (Whatever)

I hadn’t heard of this guy before. I’m mostly blogging this to I’ll remember it.

Hard-core bloggers are bracing for another September that never ends.

Every September, a wave of newbies arriving at college and posting to Usenet for the first time used to upset the geektopian community carefully crafted by its participants. In September of 1993, hordes of AOL newbies with net access but no clue about netiquette lumbered into cyberspace.

I recently read a snarky troll commenting on a blog (can’t remember where) that Usenet is better than it has been in a while, since the newbies are all blogging now.

My opinion of AOL is pretty much the same as my opinion of Barney the Dinosaur — it’s great for its intended audience, but that audience isn’t me. (There are plenty of kids shows that I can watch without vomiting: Teletubbies, VeggieTales, The Wiggles. But Barney? No.)

Since AOL is staying away from the term “blog”, it’s likely that the culture of the AOL journal community will be a bit insular, like the LiveJournal communities; but overall I think the blogosphere will probably benefit.