The WHY of Blogging...

I've had cause to consider this issue just recently noting the blogging habits and styles of others compared to my meagre offerings. I have friends who blog on issues, something I only rarely do. Others who ponder events and issues in their lives. Some comment on blogs but have no blog to call home. Still others who link to anything and everything as a kind of information hub (saves me doing it). N8 posed the question recently on his blog as he recommitted to continue his own anarchic ponderings. On the downside, Roach departed this blogging life back in June.

Psychologist John Grohol notes in his piece "Pyschology of Weblogs":

The reality is that blogging has left the world of "interesting feature used by a few" to become a widespread tool used by many for many different purposes. The uniqueness which was once a characterization of bloggers is gone. Some bloggers write incredibly compelling entries on a daily basis. Other bloggers write incredibly idiotic and brain-dead entries on a yearly basis. Where's the common thread?

And then there's those that write the latter with the proclivity of the former...

For me its about communication with myself, God and friends. Its not quite the tool that journaling is - there is much more censorship (thank goodness many of you think). But it is a way to stay connected to the activity of people's lives and self reflect on what God is revealing.

Why do YOU blog? Why are you reading THIS blog?

The issue of blog etiquette is another thought I've been having. There is a tendency to hide behind the "anonymity" of a blog identity, especially when commenting on another's site. I suppose if you enable comments you open yourself to whatever is going. But, sometimes I observe less manners in the blogging world than in real life. Actually I may even have commented irreverently myself on occasion...

A related issue is the need to be "right". Often the debate that occurs on blogs is less about unravelling truth and more about persuasian to a point of view. It doesn't take much for the debate to descend into the personal realm. An example which implicitly asks the question: "why blog" occurred recently. A friend, writing on the consequences of the London bombing, omitted to note a personal response to the tragedy itself. A comment then noted the omission (the clear impression I gained was that this was a crude attempt to negate the person's political/social views with which he disagreed - of course I have the right to be wrong...). Other bloggers noted the perceived slight. The response? No apology (not even for offence caused rather than intended), just a further justification and a comment to the effect: that the blog entry did not seem complete without the omission...now that was really interesting to me: are our blogs supposed to conform to some objective rules before they are "complete". The casual nature of blogging leaves us very open to the charge that our opinions are shallow and unsubstantiated...but I suppose if we wanted to write academically, we would (and indeed some do along with those who think they do). The point I am really making is this: is blogging really about the open exchange of information or the construction of ego? Probably both. You need to know how great I am.

Anyways, as usual no conclusions, so its about time I ended with some pithy and slightly cyncial witticism that expresses my intellect and yet humourously masks the fact I have nothing to say...

Jonesboy