Connecting
Rikki and I share similar feelings about connecting with people all over the country. She writes, “At first, blogging was merely an offshoot of my desire to learn something about web design, and an outlet for a single mother who had become a little isolated. It soon became a way to connect with different people. There is just something fascinating to me about having friends all over the country. It’s also a great way to learn new information. I like to read different opinions on different issues.”
Jennifer doesn’t have a blog (yet), but she started writing opinion pieces as a way to share her views and connect with the like-minded. “On the internet, I can find people like myself and discuss things with them, which often solidifies the way that I feel about things. I can write things…for people to read, I can read what others write and the great consensus can be met.”
Journaling
Kris opens up about why she blogs. “About six months ago I was struggling with a bit of depression, and I knew that I needed to sort out some things which were all cluttered up in my head. I used to keep a journal where I would go to work things out, but I had stopped writing in it several years ago because as my children have gotten older, I have been afraid that they might stumble upon my journal and read some things that I don’t really want them to read. So I started a private blog, where basically I could sort through all of my thoughts, and it was secure and private. No one would be able to read it unless I wanted them to. And I loved it.” Kris now has a public blog, appropriately called Writing to Understand.
Deb also blogs as a way to sort out thoughts and because she loves to write, although she hadn’t written for years. “Trying to find my lost muse,” she surmises.
You have to admire Ambra’s honesty. “I started blogging because I was too lazy to keep a journal, and I can type faster than I write (ahh the digital generation). Something about having people tune in to what you have to say every day is the type of instant gratification that keeps you writing more.”
I think I’m older than Ambra by more than a decade, so I remember the early Apple computers of the 1980s, and you couldn’t get me near one of those things. How time and technology have changed. As a reluctant member of the “digital generation”, I prefer typing on a keyboard. But I prefer longhand for my personal journal, which I’ve kept for the past 20 years. (Has it been that long?!)
Bloggers also blog to answer e-mail and other queries. “It was like playing 10 games of chess at the same time,” G. van den Bosch says about his busy schedule debating, discussing and responding to e-mails about faith and politics. “So, I began to blog and my first blogs were like emails. After some ‘feedback’ pointing out the funny writing, I began to experiment and to review other blogs.” He also likes to redesign his blog (unlike me!).
Self-described extrovert Rae says, “[W]riting has always been a way to clear my head of thoughts that attempt to deceive; thoughts that encourage and avail; it is a way of thinking aloud.” And Andy says he’s in it only for the money, but here’s the real story.
