Monday 30 December 2013

The Year In Review: Blogging

Something of a sad year, this one. Although it saw the (semi) return of Constantly Furious and some new and worthy blogs came to my attention, others seemed to fall by the wayside, and concentrate only on other media, such as Twitter.

And, of course, it was the year which saw the loss of Normblog and Anna Raccoon's illness-induced hiatus. So raise a glass with me, as the year begins preparations for turning.

"Absent friends"...

18 comments:

Dick Puddlecote said...

Nicely put, Julia {raises glass}.

David Thompson said...

May your year be fragrant and full of pastries. And liquor.

John Pickworth said...

Echoed here too.

A big cheer for all the Anna's, Julia's, Dick's and Leggy's... your insights, hard work and dedication is highly appreciated. Well done guys.

Mike Spilligan said...

Many thanks for your continuing efforts and I fervently hope that you don't fall by the wayside. I rarely comment as your posts are always both succinct and complete - and are what the word "astonish" was invented for, though I have to admit that like so many words it's now become devalued.

Curmudgeon said...

Hard to argue that Twitter doesn't have a negative impact on blogging. There's always a dividing line between what you blog and what you tweet, and many people who might have started blogging five years ago will now just be tweeting.

MTG said...

To absent friends.

Rickie said...

Yes whatever happened to Nannying Tyrants, his blog was getting more strange and bonkers as time went on "what we are fighting for 17 out of 17 was like slow torture for Jay throughout june, lots of Nazis stuff and smoking,


Best funny blog 2013. i think jay knew he was losing the plot and the meltdown of the blog was coming soon, but the posts were still a must read, a bit like rubbernecking at an accident.

Best blog . Frank Davis, banging on about the smoking ban.

Worst blog. Bolton smokers club

Best blogger. Harbinger on Captain Ranty, a sort of David Icke thing going on with him

worst blogger. harleyrider1978 on Frank davis, a complete cunt.

Best tweet. " we need safer fags"- Pat Nurse, and Julia for her minute by minute storm watching tweets.


Happy New year everyone

Rickie

James Higham said...

Ill raise a glass to you, Julia, right now.

DtP said...

Happy New Year. Defo to absent friends.

Anonymous said...

Happy New Year, Julia!

Thanks for the tremendous effort. As for Twitter, I still haven't succumbed and I've no intention of handing myself over to such a time vampire.

Dioclese said...

One is mortally wounded to have now survived for over three years and still been insufficiently noteworthy to have attracted your attention. I am, however, big enough to concede that I simply need to try harder...

Happy New Year. I shall continue to read you. After all, you are faintly amusing ;-)

Simon Cooke said...

Thanks for all the stories! We keep banging on - sometimes I feel it is all in vain. But things are always better said than not said...

...here's to next year. Sanity will not return to the world so Julia keeping pointing the finger and saying "wtf!"

Twenty_Rothmans said...

Yes, this was the year we bid vale to Bunni. Valiant efforts were made blogospherically to help her (the LI auction, for example). From what I gather, she died knowing that she would be remembered. Barking Spider, take a bow.

And so should you, our charming hostess. You're an early riser, sifting the corn from the effluent that people attempt to write here. You provide a constant feed of news about the subhumans who dwell amongst us.

I wish you the most splendid of years.

selsey.steve said...

I raise a glass of finest single malt (after having had a drag on a Rothmans) to all of those who rail against the Nanny State and its encroachments on our freedoms.
Julia et al, you are to be congratulated in your persistance.
Well done!
Cheers.

Fahrenheit211 said...

Julia, a happy new year to you and to all you readers. Also a very big thank you for considering F211 to be a'new and worthy blog'.

I'd also like to thank Julia for bringing me one of the blogs that I look at first on rising in the morning, your WTF stories of underclass entitlement whining, bent justice and foolish public servants has been the cause of coffee hitting keyboard on several occasions.

I also would like to remember those who are no longer with us either because their lives have ended, their circumstances have changed or who felt that they have opportunities to make mischief on other communication platforms.

A happy new year to you all, 2014 is going to be a period of 'interesting times'

MrsErdleigh said...

Cheers Julia. You are compulsory daily reading!

JuliaM said...

"...and full of pastries. And liquor."

Liquor-filled pastries. Mmmmm... ;)

"...and I fervently hope that you don't fall by the wayside."

Me too!

Mind you, since I schedule posts well in advance, it might be a while before anyone noticed... ;)

"Hard to argue that Twitter doesn't have a negative impact on blogging. "

Twitter is great for immediacy, but not so much for reflection. It's like comparing a pub conversation with writing an opinion piece.

I think they complement each other.

"One is mortally wounded..."

Fear not! A review of my side bar is on the cards for the New Year. :)

"Yes, this was the year we bid vale to Bunni. "

Ah, yes. I came late to that one, and 'knew' her mostly through Leg-Iron's blog and his fundraising effort.

Proof that technology doesn't, as some fear, rip the soul out of people.

Captain Ranty said...

I'd like to add my best wishes to the Queen of the Fiskers.

Good health, and good luck to you and yours during 2014!

Come visit me in the gulag. I continue to pick fights with our ridiculous state apparatchiks and it may end badly. This may be the year they tire of me....

Slainte!

CR.