Why blog?
Sunday, 25 August 2024
Why do you blog? I asked bloggers this question. First, I posted the question on my own blog Light Within and then emailed the post to bloggers soliciting their comments on the post. Earlier, I have been scouting blogsphere in an effort to find out different motives for blogging.
Some 20 bloggers posted their comments and almost same numbers replied through email, pointing to posts on their own blogs answering my question.Here is a kaleidoscope of opinions from bloggers that I was able to contact and read their posts.
Some 20 bloggers posted their comments and almost same numbers replied through email, pointing to posts on their own blogs answering my question.Here is a kaleidoscope of opinions from bloggers that I was able to contact and read their posts.
Some bloggers blog for themselves, for sheer joy of it. For some others blogging is a source of expression of their egos, for venting out frustrations, for getting noticed by others, for admiration and affirmation or simply for meeting people - hoping for intimacy with those whom they are unlikely to meet in real life.
Fishonly says "I started blogging because I needed a space for my written thoughts. I was also hoping to find love. I found love. If I had not started blogging, I would still be half a person." Some bloggers, writers mostly, maintain blog because they want to be read, to organize thoughts or practice. "Blogging hopefully will give me a book of posts one day," emailed one writer.
Researchers blog because they value information as energy. They absorb it, add to it and pass it on. They blog to keep track of their work - both its content and process. A few see blogging literally as emailing to every one (it is cooler and more leveraged than doing "cc" and "bcc"). Some even do it to deal with recurring bouts of depression. "It is a way for me to fight old childhood wounds that labelled me and made me believe I was very stupid," said one sad blogger.
Knowledge management, punditry, reaching out, sharing and giving, participating, having a voice, marketing and managing brands or a cause are some other motives to blog. No one confessed but some seem to be blogging for money. Worthy said, "Basically, I blog because I like to write. I even hope one day to do it for some sort of a living."
Joshua Micah Marshall of Talking Points Memo, a political blog, reportedly makes $5,000 a month from banner ads - enough to hire a research assistant.
I could track the names of those who are on my own blog roll or those who posted comments and left their name on my blog. Francesco responded "I blog because life is beautiful, in sorrow and happiness all experiences have value and are interesting. I like to write and express myself (and read what others get out of reading what I write)."
Finally, common people are using the world wide web to tell their stories. We can all perceive our common feelings about things. We can see new friendships sprouting up in the most uncommon ways, not for social position, education, economic possibilities but for what and who we are, what our feelings are or what different sensibilities show the rest of us (the reader). "People make such a fuss about their life histories. I find privacy or secrets very boring. It is much better to open up, offer the world each and every experience through writing and common feelings," responded another blogger
Asma Mirza, a Pakistani blogger says "I blog totally for personal reasons. I want to say a lot more than what I can tell anyone, so I badly needed a blog. Moreover, there should be some place where one can say something away from all."
Amie Doctolero, a Philippines blogger wrote, she blogs to "share erratic thoughts or just about anything that you can think of, and who knows it (may not or) just might affect the others' way of thinking."
"It is one of the easiest things to do to boost your resume, if you get a lot of hits that is. Today's job market is really tough and I need all the good stuff on my resume that I can. If my blog gets famous, I have something to boast about in a job interview. If it does not, I do no have much to lose," commented Rafay Bin Ali, a young Pakistani blogger.
Dave, who has a rich blog on human relationships, is maintaining it for collecting the opinions of people, quite like the technique I have used for this piece. He commented, "I have questions for which I would like to get lots of people's opinions. It is hard to ask many people other than through a blog."
Muhammad Aurangzeb who maintaining multiple blogs posted, "Different people have different reasons to blog but for most people it is a way to keep in touch with friends and family and of course to express themselves."
A famous Pakistani blogger who prefers to be recognized as G3nu1n3, posted, "I guess I have a slightly different motive. I use my blog to post items regarding daily tech news and trends. Although I am trying to keep myself informed regarding tech news for some years now, but this blog has put some obligation on me. Now because of the blog I am into a daily routine of searching the net for news to share. So in a way keeping other people informed keeps me informed. That is why I blog."
Khalid Omar pointed to a post on his rich blog titled KO -- one of the best blogs with local contents and a familiar touch - he has linked a post from BackupBrain that reads, "Needed a "backup brain-offsite storage of her memory - somewhere to store all those links needed." Khalid Omar says that this is what inspired him to make this blog.
"There are a multitude of details about blogging that makes it into a passion. However, at the root is a profound curiosity. Half of blogging is reading motivated by curiosity, the other half is thinking and scribbling. Together, reading, thinking, and scribbling add up to my blogging," commented Mike of Interested-Participant.
Deevaan, another Pakistani blogger wrote, "For me blogs contain thoughts when I ramble on about things that matter. Blogs are like documenting life around me, precious moments captured in cyberspace. Surely, some of it is also catharsis. I had some challenges on the personal front and writing helps."
DeOwl opined, "I blog because for many reasons: I guess I have stuff to say and my family and friends are tired of listening. I blog surf because Blogistan is a wonderful land full of people with amazing perspectives to share. It is an enlightening microcosm I miss in real life. Lastly, I blog what I blog because I am a journalist who needs to learn how to put their own thoughts into words."
Jake says he blogs because "my family lives in too many places. When I tell the story once they can hear it over and over as many times as they want. What better use of time?" Similarly Abez, a Pakistani, blogs because, "it is an amusing way to keep in touch with my friends all over the world and can't be bothered to email. It is a nice forum to discuss things that are on your mind. I like changing layouts every few weeks and no one else will let me do that to their blog. So I have to have one myself to do it."
Todd Gibson, another foreign blogger explains he started blogging "to give myself a forum for doing more art writing. I need to have the illusion of an audience - that someone, anyone - would care what I have to say in order to get myself to do the work that I wanted to do."
For me, blogging is a very stimulating activity. On my multiple blogs, I keep my writings as well as playing with ideas that I want to respond to or want to instigate. They are my expressions where readers add fresh perspective or a new conversation.
In an effort to know more about blogging as a trend, I have surveyed and written on why people blog? Experts say that the trend and the motives to blog are changing rapidly hence it will be interesting if this subject be studied over time. Leave your comments or come back when your motives change.
Labels: Bloggers, Blogging, Blogs, Fine Art of Blogging
posted by S A J Shirazi @ Sunday, August 25, 2024,
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