Has today been the day where everyone just lost a clue? Yesterday it was Nicky Confessorre. This morning, Salam Ack. Now this guy? I’m breaking out the latex gloves and I’m not going to use any petroleum jelly in this particular fisting. Dvorak is acting like a technological and intellectual elitist:

The problem is further compounded by professional writers who promote blogging, with the thought that they are increasing their own readership. It’s no coincidence that the most-read blogs are created by professional writers. They have essentially suckered thousands of newbies, mavens, and just plain folk into blogging, solely to get return links in the form of the blogrolls and citations. This is, in fact, a remarkably slick grassroots marketing scheme that is in many ways awesome, albeit insincere. [Emphasis added --- Jay.]

Folks, John C. Dvorak thinks that my link to you is without merit! It’s all about sneaking in traffic! There is no merit to what you have written! I don’t really like you! I just want you to reciproll me so that I can whore my meritless ideas even more! Apparently we are all too stupid to see through that. Insta-Glenn doesn’t really think my quote about Salam Ack was worth linking to, he wants me to link back so that instead of getting eighty thousand hits a day he’ll get a hundred thousand!

Should I ring the bells of doom now?

[...]The blogging boosters, meanwhile, are rooting like high-school cheerleaders over this development. To them, it’s some sort of affirmation. In fact, it’s a death sentence. The onerous Big Media incursion marks the beginning of the end for blogging. Can you spell co-opted? [Hey piggy you're so fine, you're so fine you blow my cock hey Piggy! --- Ed.]

I just loathe that term, “co-opted.” It seems to be the biggest insult you can fling at anyone who is taking a stab at what he believes is independent expression. Let’s see: Level-Headed Michael Totten, Hottie Megan McArdle, Wordy Pejman… and so many more working for Tech-Central Station. Co-opted? Sell-outs? Wasn’t that what they said about Sarah McLachlan when she sang I Will Remember You? Okay, let’s see, what if I went the way of PBS and paid my hosting and domain renewal with donated money? Would I be more independent? Hell MoFo no! Sure, the medium of blogging is being used by Big Media. And? There will always be a place for a voice on the web, and if he thinks that there is no place for the personally-funded web, well, I wonder why Acidman is still a big name. I wonder why Doc Joyner isn’t writing for any magazines yet. I wonder why Yggy still maintains content apart from his dead-tree “professional” work.

We’re not here to replace big media. Only the most delusional and egotistical of big-name bloggers would assume that that is what they are for, and unlike major corporate franchises, we too have lives. Sometimes we do need to hang up our gloves, and call it a day. A year. Or two. This is a vocation, a labor of love. I am not doing this to be my own rock star but I know that I have something to say and I want to be heard.

Now if only Dvorak can keep on talking so that we can tune him out into white noise, never to be heard again. I doubt he’ll get the clue; he’ll keep on writing. In his own words, he’s pretty much co-opted anyway.