Why Blog?

Do you ever think about why people blog? I think about it all the time. I wonder what motivates people to do it, what they get out of it, whether blogging is a  service (an offering?) of some kind, or if it’s an indulgence, blog as verbal selfie.

Where there’s a business angle, I guess the reasons for blogging are obvious, but those aren’t the blogs that really interest me. The blogs I like are personal. One blogger I follow talks about wanting to be a documenter/reader of her life. That works out for me as a reader of blogs because I get to see lots of dog pictures and knitting and books, all of which make me happy. I think it must work out for her as a blog writer too. At the time she said it, she was posting almost every day and including tons of pictures, at least some of which she probably wouldn’t have taken if it weren’t for the blog. Fast forward six or seven years, and she’s got a kind of travelogue of that time in her life. She can track where she’s been, remember details she may have forgotten, reflect on her progress. . .

Of course, there is also the social aspect of blogging—no doubt about that. You get the occasional bit of feedback, and there is the sense of being part of a community, the pleasure of connecting with other people who share your interests. And there is accountability. Blogging makes you accountable in a way that private journaling  doesn’t. If people are actually reading your blog, there’s an occasion to rise to. It’s a nice motivator, especially if record keeping is one of your goals.

Some bloggers probably enjoy the feeling of being helpful. I sure hope TECHknitter does since she so totally is! Spinfoolish is. A Fisherman Knits is. Arenda Holladay definitely is.

Then there is blog as caffeine. Wake up! Turn on your brain! The main reason I decided to start a blog was to push myself to think. Even when the topic is straightforward, the blogging mind works where the non-blogging mind might not.

They say that the cardinal rule of blogging is, about each post, to be able to answer the question, “Who cares?” Sometimes I’m a slacker, and I think—my one friend who reads the blog cares, some knitter out there might care, my mom cares. . . But usually I try to have a better answer. In this case I’m hoping the topic is something other blog readers and blog writers might have thought about too. If you come across this post and you have thoughts to share, please let me know! My email is in the sidebar, or you can leave a comment.

In closing, let me just say that it brings me enormous pleasure to share a record of my recent yarn purchase. The Madelinetosh “Antique Lace” from Australia is HERE!! And it’s even prettier than I imagined.

Antique Lace ds

Happy knitting!

 

4 Comments

  1. I love reading your blog because you make me want to be a better writer and knitter. You give me something to strive for. You’re thoughtful and mindful and never shallow. Those are all valid reasons to blog. Mine is to give myself some structure and a place to do a brain dump. I have a total of 3 readers, so I don’t have to worry about the unwashed masses seeing into my brain – just the 3 people who care about what’s in my head.

    • melinda

      Cari, if it weren’t for your comments and encouragement, I’d have quit a long time ago. If I’m only going to have one friend who reads my blog, I’m very lucky that it’s YOU! And I absolutely love seeing what’s in your head. When you have an interesting head, I think you get carte blanche to blog, so you’re good to go. Plus, you’re really funny.

  2. I like to read your blog because it’s fun to see what you are up to in your life. Being your friend is important to me, even though we are so far apart. Seeing what people put on Facebook is fun, but it’s not the same thing. This shows what you are thinking, and I know you are a thoughtful person so this is the best way to enjoy that part of you even though I am so far away. I am glad you blog.

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