the writing and photography of Neil Kramer

Neilochka Blog Personality Type Indicator

test.jpg

Therapy has made me introspective. Who am I? What is my true identity?

The same can be asked about my blog. How do I categorize “Citizen of the Month?” What is really about? I rebel against simple categorization, like “humor blog” or “personal blog.” All of our blogs are a combination of many different “types.” I would hate to be pigeon-holed, and feel that I couldn’t write whatever I wanted to write. There must be a better way to decribe a blog? So, after eleven minutes of extensive thought, I have taken a page from the Myer Briggs Personality Type Indicator, and created the Neilochka Blog Type Indicator.

This ingenious indicator can help a blogger fully understand his own blog. By identifying a blogger’s strengths, the blogger can then decide to develop his strong points, or to explore themes out of his comfort zone.

I have isolated four main blogging types (or zones): Informational, Artsy, Silly, and Emotional. Each blog is usually a combination of all four.

Information: These blogs consist mostly of posts based on fact and information, whether it be politics, cooking, products for parents, fashion design, or gadgets.

Artsy: These blogs consist mostly of posts dealing with artistic exploration. These bloggers enjoy showcasing their poetry, photography, or writing community exercises like “Sunday Scribblings.”

Silly: These blogs focus on humor. Political humor steers closer to Information. Satire is closer to Artsy.

Emotional: Most personal blogs fall into this category, but some blogs are more “emotional” than others. The truly emotional blogs care less about the informational part of an event than the blogger’s own emotional state. If not tempered by information, art, or humor, these blogs can turn into emotional trainwrecks (believe me, I know).

Let’s try a blog as an example:

Example: Citizen of the Month

Citizen of the Month is an SEAI blog.

Most of the posts on Citizen of the Month are pretty silly (S), but there are also posts that focus on personal events, such as the Neil’s weepy relationship with Sophia (E). Many of these posts move into the realm of fantasy and fiction, and Neil has even written some very bad poetry (A). Finally, let’s be honest — Citizen of the Month contains very little practical information (I), so it goes last.

Citizen of the Month: an SEAI blog.

Want to be a successful blog?  Let’s look at Technorati’s number one blog of the moment, Engadget.

Engadget is an ISEA blog.

It is primarily a informational resource about the latest gadgets.  It is very strong with practical advice.  (I)  Unlike a stuffy technology article in the newspaper, it is written with the snarky humor that is popular online (S).  It is also written in the voice of an enthusiast.  You can imagine the geeky writers really caring about each new phone release, giving the blog a bit of emotional content, even if the posts aren’t about traditional personal things, like relationships or babies. (E).  Finally, despite the inclusion of product photos, this blog has zero artistic aims or content, strangely enhancing the popularity (A).

How would you categorize your blog?

28 Comments

  1. lizardek

    And here I thought your blog was an OMGLOLWTF! I like to think mine is an IAES but I suspect it’s actually ESAI.

  2. Zoely

    hey neil! how ya been baby?? gawd i’ve had an awful past 8 mos BUT there IS always HOPE! just checking in, cause i still love ya!

  3. Not Fainthearted

    …after eleven minutes of extensive thought…

    {cleaning coffee off screen}

    thanks for the next theory Neil! I love it ! I’m too lazy to figure it out and apply it to my blog though, so have a go, would you, dear?

  4. Finn

    AESI. That’s what I’m gonna to call my blog now, Aesi (ay-see). Just privately thought.

  5. Otir

    I am so bad at categorizing myself, I enjoyed your idea very much, because it looks easy to do this way. With my blog, that I know you can’t read because of the silly language it is written in (especially when you read it after you have run it through the automatic translator, oh my god don’t do that!), this is the only silly part it gets.

    So my blog is EIAS, maybe sometimes rather EAIS

    although I wish I was giving more information than I do, because I feel it should be communicating more than I do about the issues I deal with emotionally.

    But I am too talkative. Information is not talk, but it can be artsy. But my blog is not silly, probably not enough, because sillyness is what brings the high rank pages.

    What about changing the S of silly in an S for serious?

  6. Hilly

    ESIA, mostly. It’s really hard for me to decide between the E and the S as my number one, but I’ll go with my gut!

  7. Juliness

    I’ll have to go with ESAI or SEAI. All I know is ‘information’ will probably always be last and depending on the day emotion or silliness will lead.

    Is there an EESAI category?

  8. Not Fainthearted

    are you deleting my comments?

  9. Dagny

    I think I’ll go EISA. (And yeah, I know that I have been heavy on the E most recently. But I feel a change coming on.) Although, I’m not sure about categorizing myself. Isn’t that what online quizzes are for?

  10. By Jane

    This is brilliant, Neil (are sure it’s not NeAl? how do you know? can you really believe your mother?)

    I’m an EASI…I think…but maybe not. I’m a NOT SURE.

  11. Neil

    Even though this is a little silly in itself, I’m thinking about this seriously. By categorizing myself, I don’t feel pigeon-holed. It makes me think of trying out some category that I don’t usually work in — like Informational. What the hell — we’re not getting paid for this. Only the paid mommy and gadget writers are “forced” into writing on the same subjects each day.

    Like I would love to read Hilly’s poetry. I KNOW she has some hidden away!

  12. sassy

    OH ! I love the Myers Brigs analogy ! Hmm; I think I’d be a SEAI. I would have said an SSEE but I guess that doesn’t exist…

  13. Bre

    Hmmm

    I’m going to go with EISA

    NO!

    EAIS!

    No…EISA for sure…

    this is harder than those flipping flapping personality tests!!

  14. wendy

    EASI….great…I’m easy…well hey, I bet my readership will go up!!

  15. claire

    I like how we all still get to be everything in your theory instead of the polar divisions in Myers-Briggs.

    Overall, my blog is probably an EASI.

  16. tiff

    I’m thinking mine’s SSSA. There’s no “I” at all, and precious little E.

    If I’m to be analyzed on the strength of my main blog’s content, then I’m sunk, because it’s apparent that I’m a shallow poseur, aren’t I?

    Ah well, my Daddy always told me to play to my strengths….

  17. Neil

    Am I finding a common bond with most of my readers? — none of us write anything with any informational value!

    Just the way we like it!

  18. ExpatJane

    It took a few weeks of meditation and a graduation cerimony but I’ve resurfaced.

    I’m glad that you put in “…eleven minutes of extensive thought…” ’cause this has to be airtight now.

    I’d say that according to the Neilochka Blog Type Indicator my blog is definitely an IEAS.

    Informational because it’s usually the straight dope on whatever it is that’s caught my fancy on life in Korea or crap like that.

    However, I slip to emotional from time to time. This is particularly so if I’m angry or (so can you have a “rage” or “suicidal” subtype?)

    I’m a repressed artist as I’ve completely boarded up that side of my brain, but I’ll link to, talk about and pass on the art of others. Usually, music and movies but sometimes it’s websites showing photos or other types of art.

    I’m rarely silly or snarky I don’t think I translate well with that tone. I tried one blog like that and it was a dismal failure. I came off as mega-bitchy instead.

    So there it is. I’ve got an IEAS blog.

  19. churlita

    I think I’d have to classify my blog as FOS (full of sh*#).

  20. Ash

    Mine started as an AIES, now I think it’s an IEAS. Hmm.

  21. kerrianne

    Is it bad that I couldn’t initially figure out how to read those colorful graphs at the top of the post? Wait. Don’t answer that. Sleep, I need SLEEP.

  22. merelyme

    i was just wandering around the blogosphere looking for intelligent life and found your site. i would love to link to you.

  23. V-Grrrl

    I’m a slut like Wendy and Jane: a real EASI grrrl

  24. Janet

    I applaud you for developing the blog type indicator. However, I must admit that after considering my own blogging habits for a bit, I believe that Literally Speaking is a RAMBLE: Reminiscent Anarchist Mess But Lively Entry.

  25. Margaret

    let’s see, i’m an intp, and am like the weirdo who ask for your sign about needing to know the meyers-briggs status of new folk, so, while i’d say my blog is easi, easy, your system has 24 possiblities and the other has 96… ooo, there’s no point, i love you

  26. Lisa

    SEIA! great post!

  27. littlepurplecow

    I’m an AESI though the INTJ in me is perplexed by all the E.

  28. melanie

    without even looking at the comments of the others, I am SO an EASI.

    information is on a need to know basis… ha!

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Social media & sharing icons powered by UltimatelySocial