Friday, April 27, 2012

X-Rated Posts


I have to say that I was not looking forward to X, not at all.  It is probably the letter I have worried about the most during the challenge.  My usual fall back plan of googling “words that begin with” didn’t yield great results.  I just can’t see myself writing a post on Xanax or xylophones, or even x-rays (though I’m sure I’ve had more than my fair share). Then inspiration struck when I was visiting this blog, and read the Q post.  Yes, I realize it’s a bit of stretch to get an idea for X from a Q post, but here’s what happened.

I was tossing around the idea of X-rated posts as my topic, not in a dirty way (minds out of the gutter please), but in a “what makes you uncomfortable” kind of way.  I’m sure we’ve all seen a lot of different blogs, in a lot of different styles this month.  Some of the posts have encouraged further perusal of the blog, some have had me looking for the “follow” button as fast as I can, some have really made my day.  Then there are The Others; the ones that have had me clicking the X in the top right corner like a madwoman, the ones that have me feel like I need a shower, the ones that have made me feel like I overheard a conversation I really wasn’t meant to hear, and the ones that have just annoyed me in general. 

Don’t get me wrong; I really, really look forward to clicking on different blogs every day.  The vast majority have at least been a look at something from a slightly different perspective, or a new fun fact; something positive.  So I decided to try and figure out what it was that made me decide I would NOT be coming back to certain blogs, and here’s what I came up with:

Too much personal information – yes, we’re all sharing a lot about ourselves with a lot of people, but for me there are limits.  Hearing about your struggle with infertility is one thing, detailed posts about the state of your cervical mucus is quite another.  I also do not feel the need to know if you post naked or not.  I don’t consider myself a prude, that’s just not in the need to know category.  Bodily functions are also another topic that will send me clicking away from a blog in a hurry.

Language – yes, there are times when only a four letter word will do, and I’m no stranger to them, but when the post has more words I wouldn’t be comfortable using in front of my mom or my boss, I’m not inclined to keep reading.

Tone – this is a much more subtle one, but if a blog’s main intent seems to be to educate the illiterate masses (i.e. those of us who aren’t the author of said blog), or to preach a religious doctrine, or to promote a political ideal I tend not to come back.

Now for the fun part and the part that was really inspired by the blog I mentioned earlier, what are the things that you consider “x-rated”, that make you uncomfortable, or very unlikely to return to a blog?

8 comments:

  1. I tend to avoid the blogs that want to teach me how to write, that are all about kids and family life, religion, politics, fantasy....wow....I could go on apparently.

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  2. foul language is a turn off for me too. Also, sarcasm or bitter rantings. I prefer to be uplifted or encouraged or just made to laugh. Good post.

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  3. i am just looking for all types--but don't want to read x rated ones for sure--but i don't mind being taught or educated as long it is interestingly done--xcellent post

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  4. This is the best post I've read all week. I'm so glad I clicked on it.


    Great idea for that pesky letter X

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  5. Definitely the best "X" I've read. I suppose since they pretty much let anyone have a blog these days (and almost everyone does), there is something out there for everyone. Some people might be interested in mucous, not I, but you never know. I just like people to be authentic. Even if someone says something in a blog that turns me off, I do have to respect if they are really going there and saying what's on their mind. Good post!

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  6. What an excellent blog you linked to! (Thanks by the way, that was a lovely surprise when I clicked on it!)

    There's not much that will make me uncomfortable when reading someone's blog (though descriptions of cervical mucus would probably make me squirm). I agree with your point about the tone of a blog though - I don't mind being educated about something, but not in a way that makes me feel patronised. I like it when you find someone who just wants to educate you about something because he/she finds the topic so damn interesting themselves that they would probably have exploded had they not written a post about it ('enthusiastically nerdy' I like to call it).

    I'm also quite impatient when it comes to how a blog looks. I don't mind people personalising their blog (things would be pretty boring if they all looked the same), but if I have to fight my way past too many flashy adverts or clicky links in order to get to the blog post, I lose interest very quickly.

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  7. Interesting post! But now I'm worried about my own blog... a lot of what I've been writing is related to what I teach, so I hope I haven't been committing the crime of annoying tone! I haven't been thinking about that at all! But it's a good thing to keep in mind I guess!

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  8. I post about my life. I try to be somewhat classy and yet funny at the same time. I dislike reading blogs by people who don't have a filter. It's hard to explain but if I get grossed out and think to myself "why would she talk about her husband shaving himself in THAT place" or if someone says something humiliating about a family member that would hurt their feelings if they saw it, I'm out. Also if the commenters are rude to each other.

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