It was the DailyPundit who coined the term “blogosphere” back in 2002. When I first heard the word “blog” sometime in 2003, the only clue I had to its meaning was that people were doing it online. Now I’m blogging, you’re blogging, we’re all blogging. On June 11, I asked readers with blogs why they do it.
The main reasons we blog is to get our opinion out there from our small corners of the world. Brutally honest Rick says it’s a way of venting and “letting people know that which I deem important.” For Wallace, it was originally a way to let friends around the country know what he was up to. And now? He says to “also make minor statements about the trip we call life.”
A break from media bias, intellectual stimulation, instant gratification and practice were also cited as reasons for blogging. Mike Gallaugher says the “interactive nature” of blogging lends to the phenomenon more credibility than mainstream media, and Lorie writes, “The back and forth dialogue through message boards and comment features provides great fun and instant gratification.”
Brian says he started blogging because he’s going back to law school in August and wants to dust off his writing skills. Mike, aka “Bunker Mulligan”, also writes to work on his skills, but also to vent. For DANEgerus, it was a perception of the media’s appeasement after September 11 that led him to the blogosphere.
Are We Bloggers Vain?
Mamamontezz says, “Sometimes I post for ego and vanity, sometimes as a response to both the good and the bad in this world…I want to feel a part of something so much bigger than one middle aged woman in a little frame house in an inner-city neighborhood in Indianapolis,” she adds. Of course vanity is a small part of it, but reaching so many people online definitely makes you feel important.
Kristin writes, “I crack myself up and want to share it with the world.” And DeoDuce tells it like it is. “I blog because I’m selfish and want people to pay attention to me.” I can relate to that, too. Sissy Willis puts it more subtly: “We blog because of the importance of being noticed.” I won’t argue with that.
Christian Bloggers
Jerry McClellan, who says I inspired him to blog, writes about his faith in Christ. “Miss Barber has inspired me, along with others that I’ve read….I love the truth. God has planted in me a desire to know, and share. It is so strong sometimes it scares me. So I figured having a blog would give me the opportunity, not only to write out my views but to point out error where I see it and to share the truth of God’s word.” No doubt Jerry will inspire other to blog, too.
Faith also led Lee to blog. “I started my blog to share my faith in Christ, vent and express my 2 cents worth.” Eric Jay blogs for similar reasons. “I blog as a way to share my thoughts and beliefs. I enjoy it most when someone has an opinion and returns the favor to me,” he writes.
Aaron believes he was called to join the blogosphere. “I…felt the divine calling to begin to blog about my life and my feelings, especially those centered on Jesus Christ and conservatism. I want the world to know how I experienced/experience the world and how I see it to be….I saw it as a great opportunity to open my heart to readers and share the Lord Jesus Christ with others. It is from my pain and hardships that the Lord has worked dramatically in my life. So there are stories that I need to share.”
Katy offers her perspective on the value of blogging. “I see small and special things in the middle of the mundane, and I love to bring it to the attention of my readers. The Scripture says, in Jeremiah 15, ‘If you will extract the precious from the worthless, you will be my spokesman.’ Extracting the precious from the worthless is a noble reason for blogging. We should all aspire to do so.
Kimberly says, “I started my blog as a way to be a Christian conservative voice at my school, to be a counterpart of sorts to my colleagues’ voices, to be a witness to my faith and to show that intelligent moral conservatism is not a contradiction in terms.” She also enjoys the affirmation she gets from fellow conservatives (preaching to the choir!) and finds blogging rewarding because it helps focus her thoughts, always a good practice.
Stay tuned this week for reader responses to “Why Do You Read Blogs?”
