Blogs aren't dead, you jerks.

I really dislike the flood of articles that predictably appear at the end of each year, proclaiming the blog to be dead, asking if blogs are finally dead, or bolding declaring that blogs aren’t dead after all. What a miserable existence, to peck around for a new angle every 12 months, searching for a scrap of information as to whether or not something is alive.

In the spring of 2021, my blog celebrated ten years, an occasion I celebrated with fancy cakes and pricey flowers (just like a funeral except NOT DEAD!) And it reminded me of why I love good old-fashioned blogging and how it will never die….

Take, for instance, this little story from Wilbur’s Travels about an overnight train ride in Georgia and an unexpected roommate. Posts like these aren’t exactly made for search engine optimization and there’s not much in the way of complementary Amazon ads so I suppose these heartfelt missives aren’t exactly the most lively of a commercial product but MAN reading stuff like this reminds me how travel just makes you feel alive. Pieces like this are an absolute delight, the kind of thing that stays with people for years and makes them want to see the world.

I’m reminded as well about how any subject, truly, anything at all, can make for an incredible blog post. I just adored this fascinating piece on determining what, exactly, is the oldest pub in London. Should you count a pub that was rebuilt or moved to a new address after the Great Fire? What about a pub that was demolished and renovated thanks to the Blitz of World War II. What about renovations in general - how much is acceptable after, oh, 500 years or so? If more than half of the original building has been swapped for modern materials, can it still be a contender?

It’s much more than a fun thought exercise in what, exactly, makes something old. It’s also a critical look at stretching the truth in modern marketing. The odds that the building advertised as being Shakespeare’s favourite tavern might have a most tenuous connection to the Bard at the best of times. But does it even matter? So what if it’s all modern conjecture so long as you’re having fun?

And thus, I blog on.

Read more on my Substack: https://vanessachiasson.substack.com/p/blogs-are-alive-and-cupcakes-make