May 9, 2000

9:10 PM

Anyone know what happened to Bloat? It went and disappeared today; the page sort of redirects to the main TheWebToday page ("sort of" because "/bloat/" stays in the URL). And the Bloat list isn't in the right-hand panel of the main page, either.

Has Sally Tenpenny gone and left? :(
posted by delfuego (8 comments total)

Maybe she'll take over Winerlog.
posted by davewiner at 10:50 PM on May 9, 2000

To be honest, I thought that site did more to create the "high school" popularity debate among weblogs than any other. I mean, christ people, just make cool stuff, people will come - if they don't - who cares? Why are YOU making your weblog after all?
posted by jbeaumont at 10:57 PM on May 9, 2000

I don't know anyone who took the Bloat list too seriously. It was entertaining at times, good for a few snickers every now and then. I agree that anyone who views weblogging as a popularity contest is going to end up very disappointed and dissatisfied, not because they won't become popular (which they might), but because that popularity alone is generally unfullfilling.
posted by Calebos at 6:04 AM on May 10, 2000

What was really fun about Bloat was all the wailing and moaning and gnashing of teeth from the "community" that accompanied each update.
posted by harmful at 6:41 AM on May 10, 2000

I concur. Rhetoric, however multifarious, is rendered curiously inert when there are no vocal dissenters.
posted by highindustrial at 10:23 AM on May 10, 2000

bloat did a wonderful job of doing something the blog community needed: forcing us to not take ourselves so seriously and cutting some egos down to size. i miss it, but i also realize how hard it is to keep doing that kind of cynical commentary.
posted by brig at 11:15 AM on May 10, 2000

I'll just keep doing what I've been doing all along. Although alternative points of view and opinions are always welcomed.
posted by camworld at 12:04 PM on May 10, 2000

I'll just pass my favorite BLOAT-ism along here, as a kind of epitaph. The review they did of twernt stated that while initially likable, it had become "too twernty".

Now, every time I get ready to go there, I think, "I need some twerntiness" ...

Interestingly, though, the newblogs list is an ordered but uncommented list, bringing to mind the SPY list and certain other in/out/social-ranking lists.
posted by dhartung at 5:01 PM on May 11, 2000