One of the things I dislike about blogging is the volatility of posts: you write your heart out, and in a couple of days it's disappeared into the aether, too far down for scrolling, rarely to be seen again.
Perhaps this is why Doug Pagitt has decided that blogs are not a good way to conduct discussion and debate. I disagree, but personally need a different format to keep up with what I've written. I just don't find online archives a good way to browse back.
Hence I hearby declare the word created, and announce the arrival of Plogging: Publishing a hard copy of your blog.
I called the book (sic) - "an adverb used in brackets after a copied or quoted word that appears odd or erroneous to show that the word is quoted exactly as it stands in the original" - which sums it up pretty well I think. Mine is a beautifully bound edition of the unexpurgated posts, comments and tags from this blog, July - December 2005.
It's really easy to do through Lulu - an excellent online publisher, which I think is going to radically change the nature of publishing as we know it.
Hardback edition available [here]
Softback edition available [here]
PDF previews of the first few pages are available there too. I'm personally really excited about having a hard copy of the blog - it runs to 260 pages or so - and being able to browse a book, rather than a screen! Looking through it, it's amazing to be reminded of the stuff people have contributed... dirt, humour, insight. Doing so makes me want to challenge Doug to think again. Going private on discussion may not do everyone a service.
No I don't expect any sales. And no I haven't considered copyright of people's comments ;p
Enjoy
Technorati Tags: Books, Emerging Church, Lulu, Plogging, Blogging
Love this idea... it is something I will certainly do at the end of "Telford year1" the blog for me is a record of the journey, so to be able to have hard copies inc comments will be V useful...
Thanks
Posted by: Mark Berry | January 18, 2006 at 10:58 AM
Fantastic idea. I ordered a copy immediately. However when I realised the shipping more than doubled the cost I cancelled double quick. Sorry.
Posted by: Graham Doel | January 18, 2006 at 11:19 AM
looks great - and a good recommendation by Christ Brain ;-)
One question how did you get the content off your blog - the only way I can see to do it is manually... Does typepad offer some whiffy PDF export option??
Posted by: gareth | January 18, 2006 at 11:31 AM
Yes, the shipping is rather prohibitive. If you'd really like one Graham, I've got a few on order (much cheaper shipping bulk) which I was going to let a few people have, so you could buy one from me...
I use Ecto, which helps. I downloaded the Word template from Lulu, set up various styles to format the various sections, then cut and pasted. Didn't take long once the system was up and running. In future I think I'll do a regular save to Word to ease it at the end of the year.
That said, if anyone from Typepad is out there... A more sophisticated export is a feature I'd love.
Glad you liked the cheeky Brain recommendation - couldn't resist ;-)
Posted by: Kester | January 18, 2006 at 12:54 PM
sweet
Posted by: jonny | January 18, 2006 at 04:47 PM
Wow - that looks VERY cool. I'd love to have a hard copy too. However, the 1 posts I have on Typepad seems a **bit** daunting right now. My fiancee saves all her posts in Word when she types them. Yah, she's smarter than I am. This would definitely take a long time, but I really like the idea of plogging.
Posted by: Adam | January 18, 2006 at 05:54 PM
Uhh, shoot. I meant to type in 1093 posts. Yah, 1 post doesn't seem too daunting. 1093 posts does.
Posted by: Adam | January 18, 2006 at 05:55 PM
Ouch... seems like you're wife has done the right thing there!
Seems like Amazon already called something Plogging, but what the hell, I like it. Jonny reckons 'flogging' would be better... Joker! He's right though - the self-publishing possibilities are huge. I just hope the postage costs come down.
Jason Clark has also posted about it... And people have been wondering what the difference is between Plogging and just publishing a journal. Simple: the comments. (sic) is a hard copy of a conversation, with all the detrius, diamonds, throwaway comments... and blankings included.
That's what I like about it as a concept: the dirt is included. And that's what makes it a genuine conversation, but not idle chat. The posts are considered thoughts, but the comments are unedited, and there's something rich about that.
Posted by: Kester | January 18, 2006 at 07:31 PM
I'd be interested in what you think of the quality of the binding, etc, once you get them.
Definitely an interesting idea.
Posted by: graham | January 18, 2006 at 07:38 PM
Blooking?
Read my Blook?
Offline blogging?
Analoging?
Posted by: Nick Ciske | January 18, 2006 at 11:04 PM
I'm amused at the coined word, but got even more of a chuckle seeing "aether" - you Brits with your extra vowels :)
Dana
Posted by: Dana Ames | January 18, 2006 at 11:37 PM
Looks interesting. Keep us posted.
Peace,
Jamie
Posted by: Jamie Arpin-Ricci | January 19, 2006 at 04:32 AM
Analogging. That I do like. Let's face it, it's a pretty anal activity. Blook is also very nice.
Glad you found the extra vowels to be gelogenic Dana, though I hope you are not being charientistic. We like to do things right over here. Even at this anti-jentucular time of day, we're fairly lexicographically orthodox, and some have been known to observe a pernocation seeking the correct spelling, if that's not to be too romodontade about our fine race. If yo' gut ma drif'. ;p
Posted by: Kester | January 19, 2006 at 07:40 AM
I want one, K... I will hack yer hosting and delete everything if you don't sell me one... at an exhorborant price, natuarally.
Posted by: DAMNFLANDRZ | January 19, 2006 at 02:17 PM
Kool. Glad you liked the songs too ;[)
I'm going to do a bulk order to get the post costs down... Anyone else want one while I'm at it? Hardback? Paperback? Let me know. Don't worry, there's no royalties added!
Posted by: Kester | January 19, 2006 at 03:04 PM
All right, young smartass, you made me haul out the dictionary! Satisfied now???!!!
LTIC (laughed 'til I cried)
Dana
Posted by: Dana Ames | January 19, 2006 at 07:20 PM
Whatever is cheaper is best...
or, in msn-speak;
wtvr z \£/ gdgd ;)
Posted by: DAMNFLANDRZ | January 20, 2006 at 12:27 PM
LOL. ComplexCorp(TM), nice.
Posted by: DAMNFLANDRZ | January 20, 2006 at 12:30 PM
Cool Flan. Thanks for email too. Be back on it after w/e mull.
Dana, if you liked that, then you'd LOVE this.
It's a steatopygous work of sciolistic genius.
Posted by: Kester | January 20, 2006 at 02:17 PM
Ha...ha...ha...
D.
Posted by: Dana Ames | January 20, 2006 at 04:34 PM
Sorry, you're about a year behind: http://chaos.dendro.com/index.php/archives/2005/03/08/plog/
Posted by: packetrat | March 13, 2006 at 02:01 PM
Hey, but weren't we all ;-)
And the joke's in the title, get it?
Posted by: Kester | March 13, 2006 at 02:27 PM
K, This is great. I can't put it down. I've trawled through your archives in the past but like you say (somewhere else) it's just not the same as a book. I feel compelled to turn my own blog into a book, but alas, I'm just not profound or interesting!
I love the conversation that gets going as you read through. It's like reading "Colossians Remixed" without the feeling that the discussion was contrived!
Posted by: Graham Doel | March 14, 2006 at 03:06 PM
Gr8 price mate.
Makes a gr8 door-stop too, chrz.
Posted by: DAMNFLANDRZ | March 14, 2006 at 05:45 PM
Thanks, that's very kind! I'm actually really enjoying it/finding it a useful format too. Although I'd disagree with the view that the change in format changes the meaning of the text, I feel that it does change my perception of it... Reading off the page tends to be deeper, slower, less rushed. I'd certainly recommend it.
Posted by: Kester | March 15, 2006 at 12:55 PM