Thursday 13 January 2011

WHERE HAVE ALL THE BRIDGE BLOGGERS DISAPPEARED TO ?..............
( Asks Professor Hu Chi Ku Chi )
Of the 37 listed on Linda Lee's wonderful umbrella site under the heading of " The Bridgeblogging Bloggers ", at least 15 have failed to post a single article since June 18th 2010. Indeed, some had stopped publishing as far back as October 2007. Such a shame as many had a real talent for blogging.
So what can be the likely reasons for throwing in the towel on what can be a very cathartic, challenging and enjoyable experience ? Well, I can only surmise the following possibilities :
1. Inevitable loss of enthusiasm when the novelty wears off.
2. The soul destroying realisation that your blog is just one of many ( millions ) in a cyber-universe that is expanding by the day.
3. The lack of interest shown by readers when the comment box remains empty time and time again.
4. The not knowing if huge numbers are reading your blog on a regular basis, or just a few once in a blue moon.
5. New priorities and interests which require you to give up your blogging time.
6. The immense amount of time and effort needed to create and find new stuff to write about.
7. A developing fear that the whole process is all a complete waste of time and energy.
So what then makes Howard Bigot-Johnson carry on with his blog like there is no tomorrow ? Well, I put that question to him and his reply mentioned several motivating factors :
- Vanity..........the need to make a name for himself
- A sense of duty to fulfil a quest : to expose the bridge world as it really is
- Hedonism over altruism
- Spite
- A voyage of self-discovery.....where his " other selves " were free to roam ........once the strait-jacket of conformity had now been removed
- The love of bridge.....but the hatred of those who not only seem to be destroying the game, but who selfishly continue undermine a player's ability to enjoy the experience
On hearing all this I genuinely felt the man was a crackpot with a truly warped sense of humour. Yet there was so much about him that intrigued me. How long he will manage to keep his blog going.....who knows...... but this complex man of multiple selves........ has all the right credentials for producing multiple posts.

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