Crabby Blogging Lady

Patricia of Communication Exchange brought up an extremely interesting issue; it concerns a psychology study– “cyberpsychology” to be exact– that performed a content analysis on MySpace blogs (which, according to the authors of the study, are no different than other blogs and bloggers on the Internet (I’m not sure I agree with that, however).

CyberPsychology & Behavior
Blog Function Revisited: A Content Analysis of MySpace Blogs

Abstract

The present study concerns the content of MySpace blogs and whether it differs from the blog style found on sites specifically designed for blogging. A content analysis of MySpace blogs was conducted to investigate trends in purpose, format, and style and to compare these across sex and age categories. Most blogs were written in a positive tone, and the main motivations for blogging appeared to be writing a diary and as an emotional outlet. Findings also indicate that while there were no significant sex differences, blog purpose and style differed across age groups; for example, bloggers over 50 were more likely to use the blog as an emotional outlet with a negative tone. Bloggers between 18 and 29 predominantly used a semiformal language style, whereas bloggers over 30 were equally as likely to use a semiformal or formal style. Results suggest that MySpace blogs are not dissimilar from other forms of blogging because they provide an important outlet for emotion and self-expression.

The study is brief, only five pages long (with one page of references). I did not read it thoroughly, but I did skim over it. The general consensus among the study group is that blogging is, by far, an emotional outlet. Patricia, in her usual perceptive manner, brought up some good points and food for thought:

One of the most fascinating findings was that older bloggers (those over 50) tended to have a negative tone to their blogs.

This finding runs contrary to everything I experience each day in the blogging community. As an over-50 blogger myself (and I think one with a fairly positive tone), I try to visit many other older bloggers. On the whole, I find us a remarkably positive group. Of course, there are a few exceptions (e. g., Crotchety Old Man Yells at Cars, Crabby Blogging Lady). These exceptions, I think, occur because these senior bloggers use a negative style in a humorous way to foster an image of a curmudgeon. In real life, they are nothing like their on-screen personae.

Patricia asked for input from her readers. So here’s mine.

Firstly, I am not in the “over 50″ group. I am in my early 40s. I appear older perhaps because I have more traditional values (and a heck of a lot more common sense) than my younger peers.

Secondly, I have several other blogs besides this one, and I can say that perhaps two out of the dozen I manage are emotional outlets. This blog is where I rant, and I have another where I share my personal life (to a degree)… the other 10+ blogs are informational or political blogs. I did not see these types of blogs addressed in the study.

Thirdly, I wonder of the study is accurate when they opine that MySpace blogs are much like all the other blogs out there. I have found this to be exactly the opposite.
I have seen my share of “emotional outlet” blogs, but I don’t see a great deal of them. I’ve seen a few MySpace blogs, and I seriously doubt MySpace blogs are a great deal like other blogs.

I’ve been blogging, on and off, for almost ten years now. Blogs that are emotional outlets are in the majority, but my experience has shown that they are not THE majority. I have seen a large share of informative blogs, political blogs, blogs as a creative outlet (such as, showcasing Etsy wares), and for activist causes (tree-huggers, etc). I believe of all the blogs, most are political or informative. Mine are more entertainment/informative. Just as Patricia said, “senior bloggers use a negative style in a humorous way to foster an image of a curmudgeon.” True. It’s all about having fun. :D

Finally, I think older people have more to complain about. They’ve been around longer, and the world is going to hell in a handbasket. Sure, sure, you can say that about ANY generation, but this age in which we live is going downhill fast. Not only do we have the eternal forces of slavery, tyranny, propaganda, and apathy, but it’s broadcast around the world in “real time” over and over and over again. And technology, while convenient, exacerbates the angst with the means to control the masses by Big Brother. No wonder we’re negative, perhaps more negative than any other era in time, ever. ?? All the while, the younger populace is consumed with the latest gadget, promo keychains, iPhone app, or whatever, not caring about anything except their own microscopic personal world!

That’s my two cents, from the non-senior Crabby Blogging Lady.

Wonder if this lady got her “buck” back after this surprise in her meal.

BWAHAHAHA!! I am just hilarious!!!

A customer at a local fast food restaurant in Newport, VA., claims to have gotten more than she bargained for when she received her order.

Katherine Ortega alleges that she found a fried chicken head in the box of chicken wings she ordered Wednesday.

Ortega said someone who wasn’t looking closely could have easily mistaken the chicken’s head for another piece of chicken like a leg or a wing. The chicken’s beak, the cone on top of its head and some feathers are visible.

Ortega said she wants to know how the chicken’s head could have made it past inspectors and into the hands of a customer.

“I usually look at my food, but I shouldn’t have to look that closely to see that,” Ortega said. “My 5-year-old probably wouldn’t have looked. He probably would have thought it was a chicken leg and eaten it.”

This lady must be a first-time mom. Cuz if you’ve had as many 5-years olds as I have, eating a cooked and fried chicken head doesn’t even BEGIN to scratch the surface, especially if the kid is a boy.

And oh sure, if he’d bit into that fried beak, no doubt he’d need some dental implants Plano pronto… but if the stomach doesn’t need pumping, it must be OK. Kids are like rubber and their stomachs like cast iron, I always say. HA!

Photo and story from Cybersalt.

Muauahahahahaha!!! I’m winning the fight against spam!! Yessss! Victory, glorious victory!

I’ve discovered the glorious wonders of spam-fighting software! Yeehaw!

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

For months, I’ve ranted about how spammers were essentially destroying my blogs, not to mention my sensibilities– the filth in some of that spam makes my hair stand up. If you don’t have a Wordpress blog, you have NO IDEA the filth that comes in spam form. This isn’t the standard “best way to lose belly fat” stuff, this is real horrid junk. What IS IT with Wordpress blogs that gets it?! I never had such a time with spam with my Blogger blogs. Yick.

So anyway, I was spending a lot of time deleting spam. So a friend suggested Ban and Bad Behavior on top of Akismet, and it’s working! Hurray!

However, I’ve also heard reports that some people are not getting through to my blog, and are sometimesnot able to leave comments. For some reason, the software thinks you are a spammer. I don’t know how to fix this yet; I’ll look into it.

But spam is LOSING!! Haha!!

Unbelievable! Before you know it, I’ll be having to send Hallmark cards! I’ll have to SMILE at people, I’ll have to clean the house and change out of my comfortable housecoat!

Yes, folks, another person has found The Crabby Blogging Lady just another warm, loving, adorable fuzzball. That, or it’s a big hint that I need to shave my legs again this year. Whatever.

I was featured in the Sunday Suck Up Times!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Do you have ANY IDEA what an AMAZING and COOL honor this is???

Neither do I.

But it’s real nice to get more traffic.

And Don is *almost* as crabby as I am. So, from one crabby person to another: Thanks for the link love, man!

I got another award! I’m still in shock.This is, what, my fourth, fifth award?? This time it comes from Staci of Just Bloggled, and it’s the Queen of All Things Aww-Summm award. Wow. I’m flabbergasted.

All these awards are starting to make me wonder about something:

1.) Either I am not crabby enough,
2.) People just love crabby ladies, especially blogging crabby ladies, OR
3.) People are comprehensively consumed by my artful brilliance and eloquence and they can’t HELP themselves in their adoration.

I’m inclined to think it’s #3. (If only I could get them to send cash!) Maybe with a smidgen of #2. I don’t think it can be #1, because I still get a good share of nasty emails and comments. So I don’t think I can ramp up the crabbiness without threatening my U.S. citizenship or something.

I do believe I have discovered the perfect balance of crabbiness!

Many thanks, Staci! I will cherish this award with all my dark little heart. So now for the “rules.” Hm, apparently this is a consitutional monarchy as there is some form of Magna Carta I must adhere to. Bah, I can always banish the precepts like the progressives do… Are these rules “living” and “breeeeething” by any chance? Heh heh.

List seven things that make you awe-summm.
Pass the award on to seven bloggers you love.
Tag those bloggers to let them know that they are now Queens of All Things Awe-Summm.
Don’t forget to link to the queen that tagged you.
If you would like, copy the pic and put it on your sidebar so everyone knows that you’re a queen.

So…. 7 things Aww-Summm, huh?

• 1. Up until I turned a frail and fragile 42, I was able to arm-wrestle (and WIN) anyone who dared try me. I especially loved embarrassing the teenaged boys, who were so snooty in their arrogance and condescension. Haha! My secret? Don’t try to wrestle the opponent’s arm– maintain your position and allow him to huff and puff until he’s exhausted. Then, WHAM! Ya GOT HIM! Oooo just thinking of it makes me want to go stake out another teenaged victim, heh heh!
• 2. I am a FIRM believer in “Children should be seen and not heard” at the dinner table. Adult visitors LOOOVE me.
• 3. I’m a Christian– born-again, baptized, Holy Ghost-filled, radical Christian. I’ve studied philosophy, law, and history, and am completely convinced in the Christian religion– it’s truth and it’s purpose. Thanks to this, I am no longer the wallflowerish, insipid, unhappy, shrinking violet that I was as a youth. There’s something wonderful about not only being bold and outspoken, but being assured of the facts in doing so.
• 4. I love Disco and Funk. If that doesn’t prove beyond any doubt that I am the Queen of Aww-Summm, then I don’t know what is.
• 5. I used to have my own radio show, at a small radio station in New York State. One of the most popular segments of my show was “In Case You’re Stopped and Questioned on the Street.” It was usually a statement or brief story of meaningless but educational trivia, such as, “Did you know that a group of geese is called a ‘flock’ when it’s in flight, but the group on the ground is called a ‘gaggle.’ ” For some unexplicable reason, people loved meaningless trivia in short bursts. I suppose this was an early precursor to blogging, eh?
• 6. I never owned a Barbie doll until one was given to me at age 14. And it was too late– for by then, I had already formed the realization that my life has a purpose beyond being eye-candy for men. :-p
• 7. Not only am I the Queen of Aww-Summm, I am a queen of organization. I have file cabinets with receipts in chronological order; my desk is one huge organized bookcase with everything in its place; all my kids’ homeschool stuff is in racks organized by age– each kid has their own rack of notebooks, papers, etc; I have all my nails and screws organized by type in little plastic drawers; I am a fiend when it comes to the household members picking up after themselves. I AM DA QUEEN!!!!

*pant pant*

I am exhausted after all that bragging! Please don’t make me do it anymore!

And so… now I get to pass this along. Well, of course, no one is obligated to do this. And being the QUEEN, I don’t feel that I am obligated to pass it on. I’ll leave this as an open invitation– feel free to participate (men allowed) and come back and leave your link here, so I may run to see your reasons as to why you are so aww-summm.

Thank you, royal subject, for reading this far. And now if you will excuse me, I am spotting a young blonde and a white hare trotting across my chess board, and must go whack them on their heads with my scepter. Bye bye.

UNBELIEVABLE.

People, I don’t know what’s happening in this world. I just don’t know.

I received word last week that someone else likes me! I now have FIVE whole friends! What am I going to do?! I am thoroughly unprepared for the barrage of well-wishin’ and card-exchangin’ and nicey-nicey compliment-givin’ I have to do now. I guess that means I’l have to vacuum the area rugs, start laying out the doilies, and make little scones and herbal tea, for all the company I’ll soon be getting. Darn it.

Cactus Jack Splash– one of the finest horses I ever did virtually meet– has awarded me the Pasionate Blogger Award.

Crabby Blogging Lady– While she says she is crabby, it really is passion coming out.

It’s hard to believe that a horse has more sense than most people… but I guess it’s true. Thank you, CJS, for your friendly neighs my way. Won’t you be my “neigh”bor? HAHAHAHA! Just HAD to say that.

So.

Well.

I guess I have to reach out and pass it along.

Nah, I don’t have to if I don’t want to, do I? Can I keep it all myself? After all, now that I am no longer crabby, but passionate, my selfish desires and rants have a new angle! Yeehaw! I think I love you, you gorgeous gelding. Next time Mr. Crabby tells me to shut my complaining mouth, I’ll shoot back that I am passionate. That’ll learn him!