I’ve been reading numerous blogs these days, thanks to Entrecard, and I have to say I am so green with envy that I want to pack my bags and find some cheap flights to Hong Kong right NOW! I can’t BELIEVE how many blogs are by Asians! And they make their food and countries look so wonderful. I would love to visit Hong Kong, which I hear is a very cosmopolitan city and friendly to green horn Westerners like me.

But look at that gorgeous skyline. Isn’t that beautiful?

I would just love to wander the city and soak in the culture there, visit the Museum of Art and other such places (especially the restaurants– mmmm!). Hong Kong is called the city where “east meets west,” so I think it would be a perfect city for a Westerner to immerse in Asian culture. What do you think?

I’ve seen this meme running around, but it hasn’t hit me yet. I thought I’d jump the gun and play now! It looks fun! I removed the references to family names, as lots of websites stupidly use family names for security codes. Sometimes I wonder if memes are just another data harvesting tool… why offer information unnecessarily? :D

1. YOUR ROCK STAR NAME: (first pet & current car)
Thom Dodge

2.YOUR GANGSTA NAME: (favorite ice cream flavor, favorite cookie)
Vanilla Bean Choc Chip (now that sounds weird)

3. YOUR “FLY Guy/Girl” NAME: (first initial of first name, first three letters of your last name)
Rhan

4. YOUR DETECTIVE NAME: (favorite color, favorite animal)
Purple Cardinal

6. YOUR STAR WARS NAME: (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first)
Rebhan

7. SUPERHERO NAME: (“The” plus 2nd favorite color, favorite drink)
The Green Coffee! (wooooo, sounds so majestic!)

8. TV WEATHER ANCHOR NAME: (Your 5th grade teacher’s last name, a major city that starts with the same letter)
I couldn’t think of a major city that begins with the letter, so I chose a different teacher:
Graves Guilderland (doesn’t that sound so cool?!)

9. SPY NAME: (your favorite season/holiday, flower)
Winter Tulip (how unsuspecting for a spy name, huh?)

10. CARTOON NAME: (favorite fruit, article of clothing you’re wearing right now + “ie” or “y”)
Strawberry Flannely (well, they asked for it!)

11. HIPPY NAME: (What you ate for breakfast, your favorite tree)
Coffee Red Oak (weird)

12. YOUR ROCKSTAR TOUR NAME: (”The” + Your favorite hobby/craft, favorite weather element + “Tour”)
The Blogging Tornado Tour (wooooooooooooo! love it! i should copyright that!)

I was surfing Entrecard blogs last night, and was paying close attention to the writing style of most of them. I came to realize that the common blog has certainly evolved. Have you noticed?

Initially, the blog was truly a “web log,” a public place to post expressions, personal thoughts and experiences. That was way back in the 90s (lol). Then the blog became more powerful, as more people “got connected” to the Internet. I remember considering the Internet as a luxury for very rich people or technical geeks, back in the 1990s. As more people got Internet service (because the personal computer became more affordable), bloggers discovered that they could have an effect on society and politics. Blogging about current events and social problems replaced the more personal “diary” kinds of blogs.

Then came the “how to” blogs that guided us through the enigmas of Windows ME, Windows XP, and Linux. Hobby blogs then came on the scene in full force. Hot-to blogs and hobby blogs are still extremely popular.

Today, things are evolving more. There are TONS of make money blogs now. And there are just as many “mixed bag” kinds of blogs that have no other purpose than to spread the latest gossip, celebrity news, or viral video. These are the two main kinds of blogs I see today.

The diary kinds of blogs are the least interesting to me. I find the “today, I went to the grocery store and then had a pedicure” kind of blog extremely mundane. But I also find the “make money without any work!” blogs mundane, too. I prefer the hobby blogs best of all. I also like discovering new places and learning about trends and cultures.

What about you? What kind of blogs do you run? What kinds do you prefer? Do you think the diary and make money blogs will soon go to the wayside? What kinds of blogs do you see cropping up next?

Trends are funny things. Like Yogi Berra said, “The future ain’t what it used to be.”