I had no idea there were so many purists among bloggers. 

In a way, it’s pretty heartening. Especially Marocharim’s insistence that it’s all about the writing. I suppose some of us started that way. But as time wears on, I’m pretty sure that the number of people who continue writing for writing’s sake must dwindle. There will of course, be a privileged few will find that they can still afford to fan the flames of idealism – both financially and in terms of available time. But others will take different paths. Some simply lose the fire; others realize they need to have more time for financially rewarding activities; and yet others come to the acknowledgment that they have the skillz to make writing a financially rewarding activity. 

What’s wrong with that? We all need to make a living. So there’s really nothing wrong with making money off of your blog; and bloggers who don’t make money do not necessarily occupy a higher moral plane.

And besides, who’s to say that a blogger has sold his soul? My own standards – standards I do not demand that others adhere to as well – are quite basic. 

When a blogger tailors his writing to follow the money that I become comfortable believing that he has lost integrity. When he spouts drivel, for instance, that he does not believe in with moral certainty because he’s gonna get paid for it, I call that integrity-challenged. When he promotes stuff, or people, or places, or whatever simply because he expects money or stuff in return, I cringe – but (and this is important) I don’t care. 

Like I tell people, you don’t like what I wrote, go find something else to read. 

Sure, we all want a pristine blogosphere – but that’s not gonna happen. Hell. We don’t have a pristine blogosphere anymore to begin with.  And guess what? The blogosphere will not implode even when the hacks outnumber the purists. Hell. Look at media. It’s still there isn’t it? And we bloggers still pull quotes from their newspapers and broadcasts.

At the end of the day, all it really boils down to is caveat lector. Reader be-fucking-ware. 

Having said all that, I have to say that although I agree with what lies at the heart of Pat’s post – that bloggers should avoid selling-out – I need to agree also that the blogosphere cannot be policed. In fact, there is not even any need to police it. 

The blogosphere is a dynamic environment. There may be times when the hacks gain the upper hand, but then even they will eventually suffer a backlash. At some point in the rise of hacks, the readers will realize that they’re being manipulated, and they will start seeking out the smaller blogs – the indies, if you will.

Inevitably, as these indies start attracting attention – kinda like the story of FV’s life eh? – they will themselves become a potential marketing tool. Hacks will again proliferate like wolves in sheep’s clothing and for awhile, the readers will eat it all up. But then, a tipping point will eventually be reached and the wolves will be exposed for what they are, and readers will again seek out the new indies. 

And so the cycle goes on. The best we can hope for is to make the period of indie integrity last longer. And our best hope of doing that is to try to keep each other honest. Somehow, I suspect this is what Pat meant to say when he called for us to ‘police our ranks.’

No need, gentle-folk, to take the man too literally.

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