Blogging on Sacred Music
  • mjballoumjballou
    Posts: 993
    Do you blog on sacred music of a more traditional sort? It can be EF or OF or Anglican Use or Eastern Rite. I'm not particular. I'll even extend the question to "art music" and/or "classical music." I did this question a couple of years ago. And now I'm doing it again because so many blogs have died or just faded away. I'm going to the Catholic New Media Conference at the end of August, 2012. Somedays it seems that the blogosphere is full of nothing but people talking about their families or their good works (both of which are laudable topics) or church politics (a dangerous area for most).
    If your blog is primarily about liturgy and music, I'd like to know about it. And yes, I know about Chant Cafe and the New Liturgical Movement.

    Many thanks in advance to any who reply. Of course, you can find me atSacred Miscellany

    MJ Ballou
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  • As you well know, MJB, I'm well over 200 years old, so I've unfortunately chosen to ignore my personal blog so as to irritate more people via the Cafe. It's an outrageous situation. In no ways should JT encourage my opinions in any way associative way with CMAA. Go figure. I really need to pay some attention to the quietude of my whole four followers at Musica Optima.
    Thanked by 1mjballou
  • marajoymarajoy
    Posts: 781
    I have one, and I do blog exclusively on music and liturgy! No personal stuff, other than when it relates to my church job! :-P

    http://marajoy.blogspot.com/

    (ETA: I can't say I update it that often, perhaps once a month.)
    Thanked by 1mjballou
  • mjballoumjballou
    Posts: 993
    Charles - you are barely 150, don't exaggerate! However, I appreciate your need to enhance international aggravation.
  • CharlesW
    Posts: 11,934
    Blogs are based on the assumption that the writer has something important to say, and the reader has time to waste reading it. I don't read them, and think their novelty has worn off.
  • chonakchonak
    Posts: 9,160
    It's good to see people exercising self-discipline and using their time well when they choose what to read.
    If only people would do the same in choosing what to write!
    Thanked by 1E_A_Fulhorst
  • CharlesW
    Posts: 11,934
    Mjballou is right that blog topics are mostly family, etc. It seems there were more blogs on more serious subjects at one time. But as stated, "so many blogs have died or just faded away."
  • marajoymarajoy
    Posts: 781
    Blogs are based on the assumption that the writer has something important to say, and the reader has time to waste reading it.

    You could say the same about any written thing. Does that mean that everyone should stop writing, unless it is 100% useful?
    Some people read for enjoyment. And some blog writers write for enjoyment.
  • CharlesW
    Posts: 11,934
    I agree. But some have too much work to do to spend free time reading blogs. I haven't read them because of a lack of time. Since I retired from teaching in June, I may look at some of them, with some serious subject restrictions. Some blogs don't seem targeted to the readers most likely to have interest in the theme or subject covered.
  • marajoymarajoy
    Posts: 781
    Fine, but that certainly doesn't call for putting them all under the blanket statement of "wasting time" and a "novelty worn off."
  • CharlesW
    Posts: 11,934
    Well, blogs are no longer flashy tech wizardry. I think they are taken for granted now. If you don't have much free time and much work to do, they can be a time waster. With some writers, too, you kind of know what they will say before they say it. So why read it?
  • MJ, I still dream of blogging on mostly sacred and some concert (classical) music, sort of a 'tales from a Catholic musician' sort of venture. It would be partly educational, covering documents and sharing resources, and partly narrative. Quirky and substantial. For liturgy geeks, lovers of sacred music, and the curious.

    The blog name would be 'Singing Mum', of course. At this point things need to wait until I make a proper heroine's cape for an emerging liturgical operative, or until Dominic is a little older. So, I'm prob two years away from the dream.

    Until then, I'm observing other blogs and mulling things about in my tired mind.
    Thanked by 1CHGiffen
  • marajoymarajoy
    Posts: 781
    Well, CharlesW, maybe next time you should think twice when you go into a thread ABOUT blogs before you start bashing them.

    So you don't care about blogs? Well guess what... nobody cares about your opinion of blogs. :-)
  • mjballoumjballou
    Posts: 993
    Okay, everyone just calm down. Here are my 37 cents on the subject of blogging.
    1. It has become increasingly difficult to target potential readers
    2. It is likewise difficult for potential readers to find blogs of interest in an overcrowded cyberspace
    3. I rarely comment on any blogs that I do read. I'm way past "me too" and when I don't agree, I'm not interested in a squabble
    4. Linking to your blog through Facebook has worked best for me
    5. Blogs can be an excellent way of surfacing the writer's own ideas - and that's good too.
    6. I don't worry about traffic
    7. I read very few blogs myself, probably 1/4 what I read three-four years ago
    8. Perhaps blogging is a worn-out term and we'd be better to think of constantly updated web sites.
    9. I have work to do this morning.
    10. Thanks to everyone for their input - and if you know a worthy blog or sacred music forum/web site, let me know.
  • CharlesW
    Posts: 11,934
    If anyone knows a good music blog, please mention it. I am willing to take a look. However, I stay off Facebook, too, because it can become a huge time waster, just like those "all about me and what I did" blogs. Marajoy, you must have a blog somewhere, to react like that. Evidently, I haven't read or heard of it.
  • marajoymarajoy
    Posts: 781
    Duh... see the 4th comment...

    CharlesW... I do not care if you (or anyone) reads my blog. That's not why I write it. This was a pleasant thread with people sharing their blogs for anyone who was interested, until, for no reason in particular, you decided to come in and criticizing them. If you don't have anything positive to add about blogs, perhaps you ought to leave this thread, or start your own thread where you can criticize them all you want.
  • Chill out. Let's just talk about blogs, OK?

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-diB65scQU
  • GavinGavin
    Posts: 2,799
    I'm not sure if this is a blog or what. I don't know what Tumblr is. But it's a Tumblr.

    http://soyoureachurchmusician.tumblr.com/

    It's written by a facebook friend, and it's quite funny. Be advised that there's some measure of foul language there, so the easily offended should probably avoid it altogether.
  • Adam WoodAdam Wood
    Posts: 6,451
    Tumblr is a microblogging site, for short and (usually) visual-heavy content with few design frills.

    And that soyoureachurchmusician blog is HYSTERICAL.
  • mjballoumjballou
    Posts: 993
    I think Tumblr is where are the people who used to write one-liners went in the visual age. Thanks, Gavin.
  • CharlesW
    Posts: 11,934
    I think it must be wonderful to have all that free time to write and read blogs. One of the privileges of idle wealth, apparently. ;-) Not serious about that at all. I don't do Facebook, so it is unlikely I will link to anything from there. I still think the majority of blogs I have seen were probably of interest to the family and friends of the author, not so much to anyone else.

    Marajoy, when you start paying my CMAA dues each year, then you can tell me what I can offer an opinion on.
    Thanked by 1Spriggo
  • Ally
    Posts: 227
    Thanks Gavin, that soyoureachurchmusician thing is GREAT! I needed that today!!
  • CharlesW, I am giggling and can't help raise an eyebrow and point out that you have more free time than you think judging by your frequent comments on the forum. By Jove, you even have enough time to repeatedly comment on a thread that doesn't interest you.
    Now that's impressive!
    Maybe Marajoy felt you were raining on the parade, and insinuating that blogging (which she apparently does) has little value in general. Maybe that would be needlessly irritating to someone in her position. Just a guess.