Profanity in Blogs: How Do You Feel About It?
How do you feel about profanity?
I sometimes THINK profanity, but I can never say it, let alone WRITE it. In fact, profanity makes me so uncomfortable, that when a regular reader of this blog, that I happen to really like, used mild profanity in a recent comment, I emailed him and asked for his permission to edit his comment and remove the offensive part.
Some bloggers seem to be quite comfortable inserting the occasional (or frequent) profanity into their blog posts. A few fairly recent examples are these posts by Naomi Dunford, Heather B. Armstrog, Sweetney, and Dave Navarro.
According to the hilarious blog Cuss-O-Meter, MomGrind’s “Cuss Level” is LOW. “0% of the pages on MomGrind contain cussing. This is 100% LESS than other websites who took this test.”
The Cuss-O-Meter reports that the average percentage of pages that contain profanity, for all the websites that have taken the Cuss-O-Meter, is 9%.
Zoe was disappointed with her low score.
I am not exactly disappointed, since I pretty much anticipated these results.
But I wonder. If there’s a tool for measuring profanity levels, maybe there’s a tool that automatically inserts profanity in strategic places? If I use such a tool, I’d be able to spice things up over here with a little profanity, without having to actually TYPE IT DOWN while blushing and choking, so to speak, on my own words. And then maybe I wouldn’t be authoring a PG-rated blog anymore. I’m not necessarily aiming for R, but PG-13 would be nice.
I was curious to see how the Cuss-O-Meter rated other sites. When I wrote the first draft for this post, a few weeks ago, Dooce’s “Cuss Level” was HIGH at 15.7%. Now it is down to LOW, with 14.5% of the pages containing profanity. All those mild posts about stuff she bought in Canada are likely to blame.
Sweetney’s cuss level remains HIGH at 24.6%.
IttyBiz, on the other hand, is a mystery: when I first checked, it was at 94.2%, which meant that 94.2% of the pages on IttyBiz contained profanity. I thought that was impressive. But I just checked it again, and it is now at 100.5%, which means that around 100.5% of the pages on IttyBiz contain profanity. To me, it seems like a math miracle.
No wonder I enjoy IttyBiz so much.
How do you feel about profanity, in blogs and in general? Do you use it in your own blog? When you see it in other blogs, do you find it refreshing and funny, or distasteful and offensive?
Related reading:
When profanity hurts your blog
Profanity carries a negative vibe
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RJ responds:
Posted: June 13th, 2008 at 5:06 am →
“How do you feel about profanity – in blogs and in general? Do you use it in your own blog?”
You bet your bottom dollar I do ^_^
And if you wish to be spared from such profanity further, I suggest you avoid http://www.ramoney.com at all costs
I guess it all boils down to context. If it’s done to emphasize a point, it can be very effective. If on the other hand if you use it as filler from one sentence to the next it can take away from the posts intentions. Not to mention make it harder to understand altogether
RJ’s last blog post..My Take on The Secret.
MizFit responds:
Posted: June 13th, 2008 at 5:44 am →
Id say bring it on.
but that’s how I roll.
and echo RJ above.
it is so obvious when it’s you and simply your voice and NOTHING IS WORSE than people who attempt to fling the f-bomb when a gosh darn is OBVIOUSLY more their style.
in my private blog
where the elderly jewish aunts flock
I use the word CHICKENBUS instead.
MizFit’s last blog post..Link Love and a Friday FREEBIE!
Becky responds:
Posted: June 13th, 2008 at 6:19 am →
Hehehehehe.
You know how I feel. But thank you for cracking me up today!
Joel Falconer responds:
Posted: June 13th, 2008 at 6:47 am →
100.5%, eh? What a feat, Naomi!
Dave Navarro responds:
Posted: June 13th, 2008 at 7:20 am →
Thanks for the mention
Personally, I write like I talk, and I’m from Brooklyn originally, so that’s where the language comes from
Tim Brownson responds:
Posted: June 13th, 2008 at 7:41 am →
I’m working my way there veeery slowly. I have managed to insert a few craps (not literally you understand) in there and used s***less and f%#@*& too c/w asterisks. My first video run that I posted yesterday was about 20 seconds in when I said “the fucker phoned me 10 minutes before we were due to meet” about a client. Then I thought, hmm, if he listens to this I may lose him fairly quickly, so I bottled out and started again.
I use that kind of language in life and I use it with clients once they have used it themselves, but only because it’s part of life and when it gets used just to shock it’s a bit pointless imho.
BTW your book’s in the fucking mail.
Tim Brownson’s last blog post..Reframe It!
Don Mills Diva responds:
Posted: June 13th, 2008 at 8:09 am →
I’m not big on profanity. I have never used the f word in my blog though I have used a few minor cusses. Some people are able to use it to great effect but generally I think it’s overused in blogs just like it is when people speak. It becomes a crutch – how is it effective once it becomes common?
Don Mills Diva’s last blog post..Soon he’ll have his own blog
Marelisa responds:
Posted: June 13th, 2008 at 8:33 am →
Vered: I think it would be strange to find cursing on this blog, just because it wouldn’t be congruent with “the voice” you’ve established here. Talking about changing to a PG-13 site, someone named Helen left a comment on my “75 Skills that Every Woman Should Master” suggesting I add as number 76, um, let’s just say, an adult activity. I thought, great, now I have an “R” rated blog, well, that’s OK, so I approved the comment. What followed was about 5 comments from others suggesting “X rated” activities. I had to erase Helen’s comment to discourage the infantile, gross behaviour of the other commenters. So I guess I’m back to being a “G” rated site.
Marelisa’s last blog post..Share the Love Friday on Marelisa-Online Abundance Blog: Week of June 9th, 2008
Mrs. Micah responds:
Posted: June 13th, 2008 at 8:50 am →
Only when it comes naturally. I don’t think your writing style is congruent with profanity, your voice is strong but soft. On the other hand, mine is at 1% and a bit harsher. I used the words “hell” twice in todays post, but was talking about “fighting like hell.”
Naomi’s doesn’t really surprise me…but her style is completely different from yours. As long as you’re not forcing yourself to leave out what you want to be saying. And if you don’t even SAY it, then I don’t think you should be writing it.
Shilpan | successsoul.com responds:
Posted: June 13th, 2008 at 8:50 am →
Vered -
As Dave said, profanity comes naturally. For Dave and Naomi ( I adore her! she is fabulous person), they have a natural deftness to imbibe profanity in a productive way. For me, it’ll sound stupid even if I try hard and silly at best. You are great the way you are IMHO.
Shilpan
Shilpan | successsoul.com’s last blog post..How to Live a Recession-Proof Life
Dave responds:
Posted: June 13th, 2008 at 9:05 am →
Hi Vered,
Whilst I don’t yet have a blog, I have come to appreciate some well placed f’ing and blinding on other people’s blogs. In order to work though, I think it either has to be contextual OR so very inappropriate as to make it funny. I love inappropriate.
Take Tim’s comment above – It really cracked up (in a contextual way and also in a slightly inappropriate way, hehehe).
Similar to MizFit, I tend to use the term ‘Motherchicken’ in sensitive company.
Cheers,
Dave.
Sara responds:
Posted: June 13th, 2008 at 9:19 am →
I’m okay with using PG curse words in my blog, if the sentiment calls for it. For me, though, serious profanity just looks awful in print, so harsh and ridiculous. In real life, I swear very rarely, but when I do, it’s with joy and vigor.
Sara’s last blog post..Fall in Love with Life
Barbara Swafford responds:
Posted: June 13th, 2008 at 10:05 am →
Hi Vered,
Thanks for the link.
I rarely use curse words in my real life, and don’t use them on my blog.
When I write, I’m thinking about who might be reading my blog posts, whether it be my loyal visitors, my grandchildren, a future employer, and/or a potential advertiser…not just today or tomorrow, but many years from now.
Bamboo Forest responds:
Posted: June 13th, 2008 at 10:08 am →
I will never use profanity in any of my entries. Why? There’s no up side, but tons of down side. That sums it up for me.
Bamboo Forest’s last blog post..Sparkles of the City
zoe responds:
Posted: June 13th, 2008 at 10:18 am →
I think you should do what makes you comfortable. Your blog is you, your space. I think I’ve just reached a point in my life where I just don’t sensor myself in my space, for anyone. I do however, try to be respectful of other’s space.
I try to present myself in a what you see is what you get kind of a way. I want people to feel that my blog is a place where they can be themselves too, and not have to hold back or be politically correct. Admittedly, I probably started cursing in my young adult life for shock value to shurk off my niave, wholesome catholic school girl image, and the cursing just never left. I’ve found my cursing weeds out the uptight closed minded people from life.
My disappointment in my score, though not evident in that post, really was more about me thinking my blog was getting pretty lame and in need of some real content.
zoe’s last blog post..Superstitious
Ann responds:
Posted: June 13th, 2008 at 10:44 am →
I’m disappointed when I find a blog with good info, but the profanity turns me off too much to be able to read it for long.
I don’t like to say it, hear it, write it, or read it . . . I’ve been a little taken aback by some of the language I’ve seen on blogs, but to each his/her own. Those blogs are easy enough to ignore if I’m troubled by the language.
Ann’s last blog post..“You Have to be Really Organized”
MomGrind responds:
Posted: June 13th, 2008 at 10:53 am →
@ RJ: I agree that it can be effective in delivering a stronger message.
@ MizFit: OMG you are SO FUNNY.
“in my private blog
where the elderly jewish aunts flock
I use the word CHICKENBUS instead.”
Agree that you just can’t force it.
@ Dave: “I’m from Brooklyn originally, so that’s where the language comes from” – yup, that would explain it.
@ Tim: I think your comment just raised my Cuss-O-Meter score. Thanks.
@ Don Mills Diva: I agree that if it’s overused, it loses its effectiveness. Someone – was it Andree Kibbe? – once wrote about how we also tend to overuse adjectives such as “awesome”, “great” etc., so that they too lose their effectiveness.
@ Marelisa: that’s an amazing story! I’m glad you deleted that comment. I guess it made people assume you tolerate things on your blog that in fact you do not tolerate. I tend to agree that I could never use profanity effectively, since it makes me feel so uncomfortable.
@ Mrs. Micah: interesting comment about writing styles. “As long as you’re not forcing yourself to leave out what you want to be saying. And if you don’t even SAY it, then I don’t think you should be writing it.” – I tend to agree!
@ Shilpan: “For me, it’ll sound stupid even if I try hard and silly at best” – for me too, I’m sure. “You are great the way you are IMHO.” – awww thanks!
@ Dave: completely agree that Tim’s comment was a perfect example of strategic, smart, effective use of profanity.
@ Sara: “In real life, I swear very rarely, but when I do, it’s with joy and vigor.” Makes me want to know you in real life.
@ Barbara: that’s another reason for me for keeping it relatively mild over here. My kids sometimes read my blog. I don’t encourage it, but they have their own computers and although we installed a web nanny, MomGrind is obviously not blocked by it, so they do have access to it.
@ Bamboo: I completely respect your point of view.
@ Zoe: “I’ve found my cursing weeds out the uptight closed minded people from life.” This is an interesting idea.
I happen to think your blog has great content.
@ Ann: I agree that if profanity is a problem, there are many quality blogs that do not use it.
Chris responds:
Posted: June 13th, 2008 at 12:00 pm →
Profanity is sometimes fine as long as it’s done sparingly and strategically. But if used liberally, then it’s just plain ignorance and sensational.
Chris’s last blog post..Sleep
Sarah responds:
Posted: June 13th, 2008 at 2:42 pm →
I’m too much a prude to use profanity on my blog. Sometimes I want to, though.
I do try to push the envelope in several other ways. I don’t really like reading blogs that have a super high level of profanity…however, blogs that play it too safe with words are boring to me.
MomGrind responds:
Posted: June 13th, 2008 at 10:11 pm →
@ Chris: probably true – it needs to be used sparingly.
@ Sarah: I’m afraid I’m a prude too!
Evelyn Lim | Attraction Mind Map responds:
Posted: June 14th, 2008 at 4:47 am →
Vered, I like the way your writing style is on your blog. I’d be disappointed if you change it.
I don’t use profanity on my blog. Like you, I don’t use them verbally on a normal basis. So why sound differently when I write?
I also find that some blogs are overusing all the swear words. I get a very negative vibe when I land on sites like that and tend to leave almost immediately.
As always, you chose a great topic for discussion. Thanks!
Evelyn
Evelyn Lim | Attraction Mind Map’s last blog post..17 Examples of Classic And Everyday NLP Anchors
Charlie Gilkey | Productive Flourishing responds:
Posted: June 14th, 2008 at 5:29 am →
I’ve visited the site before but it seems prettier now. Did you do some redesigning in the last month or so? Did you tell us and I forgot?
Anyways, it all depends on context and naturalness. Naomi, who I adore, writes the way she talks – Dave Nav. does as well. If you don’t use profanity, it’s not going to roll out right, so don’t.
Also, if you’re writing something and the context is right, then you’ll say it naturally. I don’t know about you, but I don’t translate words when I drop something on my toe – there’s no gosh darn it or shoot or frick coming out.
Bottomline, you’re great how you are and do what comes natural. If you’re not dropping something on your toe, there’s no need to drop profanity just for fucking pizzaz.
Charlie Gilkey | Productive Flourishing’s last blog post..Share Your Vision and Standardize Procedures For Effective Leadership
Becky responds:
Posted: June 14th, 2008 at 7:24 am →
Oh, and just so you know. I got about a 48% on the Cuss -o- Meter.
Becky’s last blog post..*gag*
Jan responds:
Posted: June 14th, 2008 at 1:08 pm →
My score was 1%. I tend to write much less profanly than I talk. Good or bad, that’s me. I think the editing involved in writing keeps the profanity in check. Another thing, I have all types of readers, young and old, and I never want to ‘scare’ anyone.
Jan’s last blog post..Fun Monday – Walls
MomGrind responds:
Posted: June 14th, 2008 at 4:26 pm →
@ Evelyn: thank you! I completely agree that overusing profanity is a turnoff, with the exception of Dunford that somehow pulls it off.
@ Charlie: thank you. I always make small changes to the site – didn’t realize it was noticeable. Between you and Tim, MomGrind’s profanity level is certainly rising.
@ Becky: 48% is impressive! So, almost half the pages on your site contain profanity. NICE.
@ Jan: “I have all types of readers, young and old, and I never want to ’scare’ anyone.” I think this is a legitimate concern.
Joel Falconer responds:
Posted: June 14th, 2008 at 6:27 pm →
Hey Vered, you should give us a little post update on how your timed computer usage is going. And whether or not Ido falls for the puppy dog face when you ask for “just five more minutes”
Joel Falconer’s last blog post..How to Stop Wasting Time at Twitter Without Giving it Up
Jan responds:
Posted: June 14th, 2008 at 6:35 pm →
Thank you for your comment. Yes, I still have my wedding gown, I probably should donate it, but it’s hard to part with. Maybe my granddaughter, or my grandson’s brides would like to wear it.
Jan’s last blog post..Fun Monday – Walls
MomGrind responds:
Posted: June 14th, 2008 at 8:03 pm →
@ Joel: Ahh, timed computer usage. Well. That. Not going too well I’m afraid. And OF COURSE Ido falls for that. When I lose my special secret powers, that enable me to get away with things, I will know for sure my marriage is in trouble.
@ Jan: wow, it’s amazing that you kept it all these years!
Urban Panther responds:
Posted: June 15th, 2008 at 8:38 am →
Huh, very interesting timing, me coming across this blog topic. I was just bouncing off another site, to see what else was out there. The instant I hit any writings with profanity I stopped reading. I don’t write it…okay, I do water things down to heck and darn…and I don’t want to read it. A very wise old man I knew said to me “People who use profanity do so because they are not clever enough to come up with a better way to say it.” A bit harsh, but there are ways to express frustration, or humour, without the need to swear. Even talking about sex, actually particularily talking about sex, heck (see, watered down version) I like to talk about sex in my blog by times, can be done in a subtle and very witty manner without actually having to pull out the street words. It becomes quite a fun and creative challenge.
Urban Panther’s last blog post..Life’s ambition
MomGrind responds:
Posted: June 15th, 2008 at 11:51 am →
@ Urban Panther: my husband and I like to go to stand up comedy shows, and it’s interesting to note that the established performers (Seinfeld, Leno, David Spade) don’t use profanity at all, while the comedians that are on their way to the top use some, and the ones just starting out use A LOT. The acts that contain no profanity are often funnier than the ones that do. So, I agree that it’s possible to convey a powerful message without using profanity.
Justin Hernandez responds:
Posted: June 15th, 2008 at 2:18 pm →
I don’t think that you have to swear. You get your point across very well without swearing.
I do understand the dilemma of not swearing. I remember playing basketball one time and there was this punk kid who wanted to throw down. We were only at the intimidation phase yelling at each other. And though I oppose swearing, saying “I’m gonna kick your a$$” has a lot more power than “I’m gonna kick your behind.” Haha!
If you’re gonna add a little spice to a sentence then go for it. Just please don’t post expletive laden articles just for the sake of it. Besides, how would the kids feel if they read the article? Thanks for discussing an interesting topic.
Justin Hernandez’s last blog post..Climb to the Top
Kelly@SHE-POWER responds:
Posted: June 15th, 2008 at 3:49 pm →
That site is bullshit and doesn’t bloody work! How’s that for profanity? Need more?
Seriously, I swear now and then at SHE-POWER and the Cuss-O-Meter says they found no pages with swear words, so I don’t believe it works. Shame. It is a funny idea.
My posts need to have some swearing because I definitely do in person. I’m quite foul mouthed for such a well-bred and well-educated lass. Bad language adds colour to conversation in the appropriate context. I’d never swear in front of my grandparents for example, but I do in front of parents when I’m fired up enough about something. But then, they’re both pretty modern and don’t think anything of it. I’d never swear AT them, though. No way.
A friend’s husband (he’s 16 years older than us) once said to me “You shouldn’t speak like that. A lady doesn’t swear, it’s disgusting.” I was so offended, I replied, “Who are you, my fucking father?” He never commented on my language again.
By the way, I think “cuss” is such a quaint word. We don’t use it in Oz.
Kelly
Kelly@SHE-POWER’s last blog post..The Missing Spain Photos
phyllis responds:
Posted: June 15th, 2008 at 8:02 pm →
you don’t seem like such a cussing sort…sometimes it fits with the blog(ger) and sometimes it doesn’t! i don’t think it would work for me, what do you think?:-)
phyllis’s last blog post..Beautiful Wedding
MomGrind responds:
Posted: June 15th, 2008 at 8:15 pm →
@ Justin: that’s a funny basketball story. My kids are definitely a consideration here. But mostly, it’s just not something that I am comfortable with.
@ Kelly: sounds like your attitude towards profanity is very balanced. I like it. Love your story too.
@ phyllis: nope, it would likely NOT work for you.
And not for me, I have to agree!
Natural responds:
Posted: June 16th, 2008 at 10:05 am →
i HATE profanity, but some times a curse word is the only one that will do. i don’t write it on my personal blog and i don’t use it on my other blog, but i might get creative with a curse word by misspelling it.
i don’t like it when people curse on my blog, but some do, i wish they wouldn’t…even when there is nothing to curse about, they work it in there somehow. i do edit them with an * or something. i do have one D word on there that i didn’t edit.
i say if the blogger doesn’t use curse words then neither should you. when in rome….
i hope i put you in my reader, if not i’m doing it now, no wait, i did….maybe i haven’t read my reader. darn. the other D word would have been funnier and more accurate of my feeling, but i’ll work around it.
i have a kid as well and neither me or her dad are the cursing type. i don’t want her growing up with a filthy mouth, not taught by me anyway
Natural’s last blog post..Do You Suffer From Affluenza?
Natural responds:
Posted: June 16th, 2008 at 10:09 am →
here’s my cuss o meter result. i think i said crap in a post, but if anything my comments have curses, not my posts.
Around 0.2% of the pages on your website contain cussing.
This is 98% LESS than other websites who took this test.
Natural’s last blog post..Do You Suffer From Affluenza?
MomGrind responds:
Posted: June 16th, 2008 at 10:16 am →
@ Natural: I think it makes a lot of sense to see what the blogger does, then act accordingly. For MomGrind too, if there’s profanity at all, it’s usually in the comments. Some of it I edit out, some I don’t mind.
“i hope i put you in my reader, if not i’m doing it now, no wait, i did….maybe i haven’t read my reader. darn. the other D word would have been funnier and more accurate of my feeling, but i’ll work around it.”
That other D word is one of the few that I actually don’t mind.
Amanda - The Mom Crowd responds:
Posted: June 17th, 2008 at 6:45 am →
I don’t use profanity in either of my sites. It’s just not me and that isn’t the kind of reader I want to attract either. I am surprised when I go to my reader’s site and they have the F word all over the place.
Some sites do turn me off with their cussing. If it is funny, then I laugh (like Dooce). At other sites it makes me feel like they are angry.
Also, I want to be an example for my kid. I don’t want them to say, then I won’t. Not even on my blog where they may not read it.
Amanda – The Mom Crowd’s last blog post..Yo Gabba Gabba! is AWESOME!
theramblinghousewife responds:
Posted: June 17th, 2008 at 9:18 am →
I don’t curse excessively in my blog.
I’m not a huge “curser,” in real life.
I use naughty words where I see fit. Sometimes the curse words are more effective than milder words. And I am no way offended by cursing in other people’s blogs. It’s their blog–they can curse how they see fit!
theramblinghousewife’s last blog post..Smart Kid!
Hyrcan responds:
Posted: June 17th, 2008 at 9:47 am →
hmm… mine is at 5.2% Probably all be cause the post before last…
Perhaps you could find someone that could write a plugin that adds curses and provide a link to Momgrind RAW! (potty mouth edition) ;D
Write how you like, read what you like. They don’t have to match, I occasionally drop the “F-bomb” but that doesn’t mean I expect everyone else to. Would be pretty boring if everyone wrote like me. And I’m pretty sure it would kill the blog and book industry… and possibly drive anyone with any grammar skills to completely lose their mind.
And lets not talk about spelling… o.0
Hyrcan’s last blog post..Change?
MomGrind responds:
Posted: June 17th, 2008 at 4:14 pm →
@ Amanda: “It’s just not me” – agree. You should be you on your blog.
@ “Sometimes the curse words are more effective than milder words. And I am no way offended by cursing in other people’s blogs” – I 100% agree with both of these statements.
@ Hyrcan: “Momgrind RAW!” – I like that.
Bonnie Peachy Baby responds:
Posted: June 17th, 2008 at 4:41 pm →
The majority of out there in the blogsphere is filled with expletives, so it’s refreshing to read MomGrind, which is free of cliches and irreverantly articulate.
Bonnie Peachy Baby’s last blog post..When Following the Rules Has Gone Too Far
MomGrind responds:
Posted: June 17th, 2008 at 10:11 pm →
Thank you Bonnie! Just… thank you.
magpie responds:
Posted: June 18th, 2008 at 8:26 pm →
Huh. According the the Cuss-O-Meter, my site is overrun with profanity – to the tune of 76.9%. I find that spurious – I may curse like a sailor in person, but I don’t in “print”.
magpie’s last blog post..Wordless Wednesday: Pattern at the Greenmarket
MomGrind responds:
Posted: June 18th, 2008 at 9:05 pm →
@ magpie: interesting… I guess it’s not foolproof!
My own level is now at LOW, 1.4% which is a slight improvement over the 0% I had when I originally published this. No thanks to me though, but a few of my commenters generously helped.
Mark - Productivity501 responds:
Posted: June 22nd, 2008 at 3:03 pm →
Perhaps I’m old fashioned, but when people use profanity I usually see it as a cheap out. There are many ways to express yourself strongly without cursing. It usually seems like a lazy way to get around the creativity of actually writing.
Mark – Productivity501′s last blog post..Password Creation Technique
MomGrind responds:
Posted: June 25th, 2008 at 11:03 am →
@ Mark: “There are many ways to express yourself strongly without cursing” – very true.
colleen responds:
Posted: June 25th, 2008 at 12:17 pm →
This is a great discussion, and something that I’ve struggled with since I started blogging. Well, I obviously haven’t struggled too hard, since I scored 99%. And my blog is about antiques. I think that swear words, when used at the right time, can bring humorous emphasis to an otherwise boring topic.
Google Search Terms: The Funny, The Sad, And The CREEPY | responds:
Posted: December 6th, 2008 at 8:49 pm →
[...] “Profanity blogs” – I didn’t realize such a blogging niche existed. Where they ended up: Could MomGrind Use a Little Profanity? [...]