Plogging, Or Papercasting

Jason Clark has some good thoughts on Kester Brewin’s idea of “plogging,” which suggests turning your blogthoughts into a self-published book. Whilst Jason suggests there are some problems with the word plogging, I agree that this is a trend we will see A LOT more of in the year ahead.

As for what word or phrase we could use to describe it, well how about “writing a book.” Seriously, what is the difference between keeping a working journal as a way to create a book and keeping a blog?

The only real difference I can think of is the social nature of a blog; but a great many blogs I read seem to generate few if any comments (you could add this one to that list). So in one sense whilst this blog is different to the journals I have kept because other people are reading it, the extent to which the content is changed by that reading is minimal.

But maybe, even that minimal feedback is significant. After all, the blogthoughts that do get referenced, discussed or commented upon represent a collective editorial act (or maybe a kind of market research). For me, even this small amount of feedback is fascinating because part of the reason I re-started this blog was to help me organise my thoughts on the writing projects that sat uncompleted upon my desk.

So whether we call it plogging, papercasting, or just publishing, this is a trend to watch in 2006 and a trend that yours truly will be a part of.

[tags] Plogging, Papercasting, Publishing, Self-Publishing, Blogging, Theology and Culture [/tags]