Wednesday, December 14, 2005

why blog?

there are blogs, and there are blogs. not that i'm an expert, by any stretch, being a very new-comer. some seem lonely outposts with few visitors, others resemble families, or communities, with regular, and often, familiar visitors. some are carefully laid out, replete with gorgeous inserts and photos, some more haphazard, others landscapes of text. some are updated daily, or even more often - others once a week - still others seemingly at random.

some inspire great thoughts, intelligent debate, and introspection; some rant; some share day-to-day life in places i'm thrilled to get a peek into. some are dedicated to a great cause, or a lifestyle.

it seems to be mostly about communication... am i wrong? blogging lets us find like-minded people, and connect witht them. learn from them. learning is one of my favorite things.

and for some of us, there aren't a great many like-minded people in our immediate vicinity, so i guess that's a healthy thing... of sorts.

but in a world where no one seems to have time for their families and friends anymore, why are we reaching out to befriend distant people in such an abstract way? why do we go to the internet for companionship, advice, entertainment, intelligent 'conversation'?

13 Comments:

Blogger Granny said...

Rhetorical question? I've owned the computer for a little over a year now. Before that I was isolated even in the middle of a loving family. I had no one here that shared my interests.

Through the computer I rediscovered my political voice which had been silent for years. I found people in this city and they found me. None of knew the rest of us existed. Amazing - I've been here 12 years.

Then I discovered a blog called Blogging Baby and I talked there so much they urged me to get my own blog.

Finally I did and you can see the result. I've "met" friends from all parts of the USA, at least 3 Provinces in Canada, UK, Japan, Australia, and today a transloator from the USA living in the Czech Republic.

Where else could that happen.

7:15 PM  
Blogger Leslee said...

I enjoy meeting people with simular interst as myself. I have friends here in my home town, but I enjoy "meeting" all these people I wouldn't have otherwise known.

11:04 AM  
Blogger mreddie said...

I agree with the two previous commenters, it's about meeting other folks and broadening horizons. Thanks for dropping in on the 'patch' and I enjoyed your viewpoints as well. ec

5:04 PM  
Blogger George Breed said...

Yep. Cyberspace allows us to meet folk all around the planet.

I posted a lament on my site not long ago that only one person from my home town made any comments at all, but folk from Singapore and Canada and Manila and Chicago and so on were quite interested (and interesting). Others responded that their experiences were similar.

I keep both worlds going: the daily hometown world and this world of Cyberspace. Better than a ham radio!

Good to begin to know something about your life experiences, grannyfiddler. Thank you for your openness.

1:58 AM  
Blogger granny p said...

Do you think it's because people have moved round so much - and don't know their neighbours the way they used to. Meantime friends have to be sought elsewhere. I started blogging because I moved to the Canaries and got tired of repeating myself in emails to friends and family. So I set up an internet diary for everyone. This gradually gathered people in and became a substitute of friendship, because I'd left most of my friends behind and getting to know people here - we live in an isolated community - was hard. But then lo and behold like Granny I found one blogger friend far away introducing us to someone here and we are gradually making friends of all nationalities. Full circle sort of. But will continue blogging. It feels like communication. Sometimes.

5:01 AM  
Blogger granny p said...

This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

5:01 AM  
Blogger George Breed said...

Grannyfiddler, I invite you please to turn your mind to A Worthy Project on my site. Thanks, George

7:34 PM  
Blogger Gary said...

Thanks for the question. I have a busy family and social life, but find I'm enjoying blogger world for a few reasons.

- Chance to express or share my interests and opinions (my family and friends aren't always interested!)
- Chance to find some interesting thoughts, news bits, photos, perspectives... from around the world.
- Kind of thrilling to be able to publish something that is at least available to millions (even if only 3 actually visit...)
- A sort of community or overlapping communities has formed for me, one that I really appreciate.

7:47 PM  
Blogger Madcap said...

What Gary said. My thyroid is still on holiday, and my fingers are lethargic. Thanks for the piggy-back ride, Gary.

8:52 AM  
Blogger Paul said...

Excellent questions. It takes me about one hour each day to write a post and I'm never completely satisfied but draw the line because I'm married and have other responsibilites and interests.

I like to think blogging keeps my mind alert, helps me learn, gives me an outlet for interests, and gives me a sense of community with like-spirited people.

I think all of these work together to make me a better person and a better husband.

2:01 PM  
Blogger grannyfiddler said...

i feel like i've just had a blog-warming party! if only we could have had a cuppa together, and some good music!

thanks, all. i live in a very small town, with wonderful neighbors, but few thinkers, or kindred spirits.

i have a tendency to be a hermit anyway, and i've met a few people who seem to have lots of cyber-friends, but very little ability to connect with people 'in the flesh'. so i worry about becoming that.

8:37 AM  
Blogger George Breed said...

Merry Christmas, grannyfiddler! Great blessings to you!

6:34 PM  
Blogger thebeloved said...

I love not only finding people with similar interests but also people who are different from me and learning from them also. I also use my blog as a sounding board for my writing (English Major) and hopefully if I post something wretched, people will tell me. :D

2:07 PM  

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