The Finch Formerly Known As Gold

2 October 2003

Unvectored cogitations

No way am I going to argue with Wendy M.:

I really think it's high time we purged the following words from blog titles, subtitles, tag lines and slogans: "musings," "rantings," "blatherings," "meanderings," "ponderings," "thoughts" (when "random"), "snippets," and, for Christ's sake, "tidbits."

Maybe a title filter inside Movable Type: "Are you sure you want to use this description? It is already in use on [insert random number here] blogs." Or maybe weblogs.com can search for the string and refuse a ping from an offending blog.

This is too meta for me, I think.

Posted at 4:17 PM to Blogorrhea


I guess I'll drop my plan to rename my blog "Andrea's ramblings, musings, ponderings, and tidbits."

Posted by: Andrea Harris at 10:04 PM on 2 October 2003

Oh my god. Totally agree. I think "random" bothers me the most. "Look at me, I'm so totally out there." Argh!

Posted by: Erica at 1:47 AM on 3 October 2003

The only title of this sort I actually really like is Jim Henley's Unqualified Offerings, not so much because Henley does a great job, which he does, but because that word "unqualified" packs a spiffy two-way punch.

Posted by: CGHill at 7:36 AM on 3 October 2003

I would also add any word of five or more syllables that is presented as a cutesy synonym for "thoughts," "remarks" or "writings."

And then there's "-pundit." Prof. Reynolds could make a fortune if he had the Moxie™ to insist on reimbursement from every blogger that uses it (including more than one on my own blogroll).

And I refuse to read any blog whose name ends in "Watch."

Posted by: McGehee at 6:43 PM on 3 October 2003

How about "PunditWatch Offers Random Rants And Occasional Thoughts"? That should piss EVERYone off sufficiently.

Posted by: David at 9:38 PM on 3 October 2003

I'd be content if the original PunditWatch would post something, random or not.

Posted by: CGHill at 9:52 PM on 3 October 2003

I intend to continue to use 'rambling' on the rare occasion I write a rambling article. Because when I 'ramble' that's exactly what I do. I ramble. I note that isn't on the list but I have seen a lot of other blogs use it. I will; however; endeavor to remember not to turn it into a noun anymore.

Posted by: Kathy K at 3:55 PM on 7 October 2003

Susanna Cornett has a site called The Saturday Ramble; interestingly, it doesn't ramble at all, and very seldom is anything posted on Saturday. (Or, for that matter, any other day, but then she's busy.)

Posted by: CGHill at 4:54 PM on 7 October 2003