Bloggers, care to share with me the reasons you blog?
Reasons I can think of:
- to share information
- it’s good writing practice (although blogging may take time away from other forms of writing)
- to express yourself (includes venting)
- to process what you think about an issue
- to promote your work (or yourself)
- to be a part of a community
- to join in the conversation
- because it’s fun
What else? Am I missing anything?
And if you don’t blog, what are the main reasons you don’t?
(Or, tell me at the unconference on Friday!)
Update 2:30pm: As Kathryn pointed out, Meredith Farkas (Information Wants to Be Free) is currently conducting a Survey of The Biblioblogosphere, so all you library folks who blog, go answer the survey, if you haven’t already.
11 Comments
For me, it started with wanting to share information and to express myself – it helps me clarify what I think about an issue. But I continue for those reasons and because of the community, the conversation and the fun!
Nice to see you blogging more regularly. Makes my morning feed checking more fun.
All of the above of course. Mainly to organise my thoughts, so I can quickly articulate what I think in RL converstations. Now that I have a few subscribers, I also feel like they are making a time commitment to read my blog, so I should return the courtesy and make time to create content for it.
Meredith Farkas is asking the same question in her current survey of the biblioblogosphere.
Cheers Michelle and Kathryn! I’ve answered Meredith’s survey, of course 🙂 but thought I’d ask these questions as prep for Friday (I should have said so)…
It’s mostly a creative outlet for me, with the side-benefit of meeting ppl and compelling me to seek out new blog/sites and interesting stuff all the time. Which in turn feeds back into the blog.
And yeah it’s fun. 🙂
Why do I blog?
I’m an attention whore.
I like to give my oppinions more often than my cow orkers want to hear them.
I like to write.
I think I have something to say/a style of writing which is uncommon so I imagine people like reading it.
It helps me work through issues.
and (the big one)
I’m so cutting edge and 3.0 (perhaps even 3.1.5) that I am obliged by the universe to blog.
For me, it started off as an experiment. I enjoyed the community and sharing and have continued ever since. It has been quite a fun experience thus far.
Thanks Mooiness. I agree that blogging lets you meet people.. and yes it is fun!
Hey ADHD nice to see you 🙂 *makes note: blogging – good for those who are attention whores*
Isaak this blog was an experiment too…
Attention Whore… I like it 🙂 Think there is an element of that in my reasons. But mostly I like the community. It’s a communication thing between me and others (mostly mothers and scrapbookers at present) that I value. Being a SAHM is quite isolating so online communities that can be accessed at times when the kiddos and chores are not demanding attention is a good thing. Plus who else is going to listen to my incessant posting about cute things my kids say and do 😛
A non-blogger here: At the moment too busy with other stuff, though I’m starting to see the potential in terms of sharing information. Perhaps one day…
I recently heard a reading on the radio of George Orwell’s 1946 essay “Why I Write”. About half-way through, Orwell lists four great motives for writing which he claims exist in different degrees in every writer. These include some of the points you’ve listed, but you might also like to add these:
Historical impulse. Desire to see things as they are, to find out true facts and store them up for the use of posterity.
Political purpose. — Using the word ‘political’ in the widest possible sense. Desire to push the world in a certain direction, to alter other peoples’ idea of the kind of society that they should strive after.
Penny, one thing I like about blogging, or rather reading other people’s blogs, is the little window it gives me into their lives. I love reading about your beautiful kids 🙂
Stewart! Thanks for that essay – much to think about…