Dooce
 

http://dooce.com/about

I know I've mentioned her before. But I'm still cracking up. Basic story--girl goes to BYU. Girl hates BYU. Girl sleeps around. Somewhere in that goes apostate. Starts blog. Fired because of blog. Blog becomes popular. She retires from "real" work with ad support from blog. Husband also retires and supported by her blog.

The part I didn't know: she is married to a former editor of Student Review. Jon Armstrong. Don't know the guy. But I did come across Dooce's description of meeting this Armstrong (when he was married to someone else). The part where she thinks this dude is cool and sexy cracked me up.

But here's the kicker. Am I (or you) interesting enough to support myself (yourself) financially through a blog? And if the answer is "yes", would you do it?

I don't know if I am interesting enough. I doubt it. But even if I was, it wouldn't work out well for me, I'm afraid. I need the kind of freedom where I can give my audience the middle-finger. And that wouldn't be good for finances.

Someone from CUF told me that in "one day" CUF had become more financially setup than CG. No $%*&, really? I had no freaking idea I was throwing money away!

Making your living writing drivel on the internet, no matter how witty, badass, jaded, intelligent strikes me as a complete waste. Frankly, 99% of CG is complete garbage. I know that. Everyone knows that.

.....

Back to the Student Review. Here's the thing that really gets me. Not only did the morons kill it, they are not ashamed that they did so, because in their stupidity they think it was due to forces out of their control.

Garbage in, garbage out, my friends. I don't know much about Dooce.com, but I'm guessing it's 99.9% garbage. Which makes CG 10x better, at 99% garbage.

My friends, the universe is giving you a message. It's everywhere you look. Embrace it.

http://www.myspaceantics.com/images/...dle-finger.jpg

LOL. Waters, why are you doing this! Come share your brilliance with the multitudes.

If I'm going to entertain people it's not going to be with a blog. It's going to be ripping their guts out with the written word.

She's got a serious following and appears to make good money. She travels around and presents at conferences, etc. She's been featured on CNN, Time, and more. I think her blog is mostly junk but I'd love to have her job. Work a few hours each day, hang out with family. Not a bad life.

not for me. sounds boring.

I have no idea who would have any interest in my blog. Nancy Grace perhaps.

</barf>

I think I've figured it out.

The very fact that she does *nothing* but blog is the very attraction to the blog itself.

"I have no particular academic qualifications, no notable education, no career accomplishments (other than getting fired--and I made myself famous for it*), and I can make a living just talking about myself." The audacity of it is the invention.

A certain sheen, or veneer is required to pull this off. Substance? No. Style? Yes. Panache? Yes. You just got hipper, by listening to me. That is the trade, so to speak, between the reader and the blogger.

Is this a life to be envied? After I put down Gandhi's autobiography, and after turning the last page of Juanita Brook's bio, and when I finally finish the Ryoma biography, am I to then read Dooce's autobiography. In real time, as it were. Day by day?

God help us all.

The ironic thing is that if and when CG finally crumbles into nothing, it will have actually restored my faith in humanity, rather than the reverse.

------

*"famous" with a small "f", not a capital one.

You can't let it go. Your legend is only growing, maybe as never before.

Yeah, spending more time with Farrah would be a drag. ;)

Why do you think he has so many hobbies?

I need someone to refresh my recollection. What is Student Review? Is it some kind of alternative Dailiy Universe?

Yes.

It died. Because 1) BYU did not allow on-campus distribution, 2) the volunteers could not make the finances work, and 3) most importantly, it editorially lost its way into a haze of silliness, inside jokes, and unintelligent banter.

In other words, after a time, it came to be run by idiots posing as 'cool kids'.

So I am listening to NPR yesterday and they have a piece on how to destroy/erase old harddrives.

To my surprise and horror, who should they be consulting about this dilemma? Yes, Heather Armstrong of dooce.com, who apparently is the most apt example of a person, in the entire world, who needs harddrives destroyed. WTF?

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/s...ryId=101042323

So she gets her blog promoted to a national audience for no good reason.

Thankfully, NPR did misspell her website.

Heather Armstrong is one of my wife's friends. They lived in London together for 6 months. I think Heather's writing is pretty funny, but I agree with your assessment for the most part, Mike. It's funny that she has become a minor celebrity. I don't really see what's so great about the blog frankly.

There are different kinds of bloggers.

Some are just about certain ideas or subjects, divorced from personal details. Imagine if Tex's posts were a blog, for example.

Other blogs are mostly about personal details, with forays into eclectic areas. An example would be dooce.com.

Why would I want to know about the personal details of a stranger? I may follow a blog for a few days or weeks, but I usually quickly tire, as they become repetitive. I find reading my own posts much more satisfying. I am blessed to be able to entertain myself.

Dooce's honesty about motherhood is her stock in trade, as well as slap-stick hyperbole that usually involves EXPLODING BRAINS or LOOK AT ME BEING NICE TO THE MORMONS.

Apart from describing the travails of her life, she's also a tastemaker and humorist in the absurdist school. She's unique, and there are very few of us who are interesting enough to make a living off of writing about our shampoo and poop-eating dog. She's got her thumb on the pulse of something, and I give her credit for it.

Interesting that your wife is friends with her -- I assume at some BYU study abroad? Perhaps your wife helped Heather ferment her rage against the BYU establishment?

No, most people that are bright are doing something more productive. Like suing people.

Yeah, London Study Abroad. I think my wife was probably a good influence on Heather at that point. That was before I had corrupted her.

Whenever I need me a hit of that productivity high, I do something creative, like write a book review or a short story. That cures the doldrums of making lots of money suing people.

Now, she is invited to the White House to share her views.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/LIVING/workl...x.html?hpt=Mid

What is the over/under on a sex tape of her emerging? As in she films it, and releases it.

It's bizarre that someone as shallow as her has such a large forum. She is the Paris Hilton of anti-Mormons.

I am listening to NPR on the way home, a business show called "Marketplace" which tries to be hip and cool, but is really boring and stupid. They are doing a piece on restaurants, and how reviews online at places like yelp.com can have a negative effect on a business. Including customers threatening to post negative reviews.

And then the reporter says "blogging is important too. Heather Armstrong is a blogger in Salt Lake City..." [paraphrased]. Of course, I am gripping the wheel saying "WTF? Her again? Restaurant reviews?" And then the reporter goes into this story about Armstrong buying a Maytag washer and having all kinds of problems over 3 months until finally she tweeted about it in all-caps, and then they finally fixed her washer 2 days later. The reporter says that Armstrong has over 1 million followers on twitter.

Holy Shiz, talk about self-promotion. One thing we have learned--this is one lazy-as-hell reporter that the best she can do is get some kind of canned response from an inveterate self-promoter. Shows you how much of what you get spoon-fed is BS with undisclosed financial interests at play......I'm not talking about anything sinister. I'm saying that the reasonable intelligent people are not the ones in the arena affecting public opinion. It's all the narcissistic assholes.

Getting fired, destroying hard-drives, complaining about washing machines--OMG, what can Heather Armstrong NOT do, this renaissance woman.

Still waiting for the self-release of her sex tape.

I've only read Dooce.com a handful of times, but that washing maching story is great. I don't care what you say. I was very entertained. I may go back and read it again soon.

I could probably drop by once in a while if she was hot. But she isn't. So I don't.