Two questions for anyone out there on the big Straight Dope board who writes a blog:
On one hand I think, it’s a good outlet for all the junk cluttering up my mind, even if it’s only read by one or two people.
On the other hand, I think “who would want to read this stuff anyway?”
So, to blog or not to blog, that is the question.
Not to poop all over it, but can’t you just start a journal?
Any blog I’ve started has ended up withering away as I get bored of it.
Actually, I’ve gotten a somewhat negative view of the whole blogging thing since I got into a friends-with-benefits relationship with a girl who just had to write every single detail of her life in her blog. Including when and where we met, what we did, and how good I was. :eek: (I mean, come on! It was my first time, and I was on psychedelic drugs! Cut me some slack here!) It’s like she didn’t realize that people were actually reading it, and that people would read things they didn’t want to read. I wasn’t the only one she did something like this to without thinking of the consequences, either. She went to visit a friend of hers who she was on shaky ground with, spent the day being flowery and friendly, and went back on her blog and called the friend a “bitch” who “wasn’t good enough for [contested guy]”. Then, since the “bitch” was a mutual friend I was pretty close to, I ended up being the one to comfort her, which was made even more difficult by the fact that she now knew I was having a sexual relationship with the girl who said those things about her.
Oh, and the best part was that this girl was genuinely surprised when everyone she knew found out she and I had met, taken drugs, and had sex. Despite the fact that she told everyone in a blog she linked to in her AIM profile, she was just shocked at how quickly the word got around.
It forces you to do blogworthy things, such as; pee in the sink, leave burning dog poo on your neighbor’s porch, rob a bank, etc.
:eek:
Well, of course, but that’s not the point. I guess I should phrase the question as “why should somebody share his/her journal with the world instead of just keeping it to themselves?” It’s more a matter of trying to understand the whole blogging phenomenon and what the appeal is to people who read them and/or write them.
I recently restarted my livejoural after not updating it for years. I do it because:
I have a journal, only read by a few, but the way Livejournal works, I’ve got instant connections to what is going on in my friends’ lives. My buddy that lives in Denver, my friends in KC, DC, New Orleans, etc.
Cheaper than long distance.
This is what I use it for. Since a lot of Dopers are on LiveJournal, it provides a way to strengthen bonds of friendship. Someone you met at a Dopefest once and thought was kind of cool can become a real friend, thanks to LiveJournal. Likewise someone whose posts you enjoy and would like to know better.
I actually have a paper journal, for thoughts I want to keep private. That’s not what I use my LJ for. It’s just a means of keeping in touch and keeping myself entertained.
Athena and FilmGeek had the same reasons for starting up as I did. I wanted to keep in touch with my sister when she moved. But I’ve found journalling to be really entertaining. It makes me try to improve my writing, since I know someone else might be reading it. I never did get into journalling on paper, but I’d read online journals for years. I finally decided that I had a slightly different point of view than most of the ones I read, and I might as well try throwing it out there. I’ve made some friends through my journal too.
And why not start one? Many sites are free; what’s it hurt? If you do it for the sake of your own writing then you won’t care if other people read you or not. If people want to read you, they will; if not, then they just won’t, no harm done. You’re always free to quit it whenever you want.
Here, this is well-written and gives a good perspective from a writer’s point of view on reader behavior.
Well, of course. Obviously you can see I don’t like them and don’t see the point of them. But I guess…
if you like people to read about it,
sometimes people do comment,
and it would be good for anyone’s writing skills. Do you write your journal to an audience or to yourself? That might be a good decider
I hope I wasn’t too sarcastic to you in the previous reply. If I was, I apologize.
I guess I take both your point of view and the pro-blog view as well. I may give it another shot, just for the hell of it.
Like everyone says, it depends on what you want the blog for. If you just want to get rid of the clutter in your head, you can just as easily start a private journal. I use my blog to record any thoughts, opinions, notable events (not daily stuff), etc. and keep in touch with my friends.
Now I’M thinking of starting one!
Same reason someone would write a journal. However, putting it on the internet is genearlly for attention whores or people who are too cheap to make their own web site.
Because they’re boring fuckers who have nothing to say.
You’d be surprised at the following some blogs get, especially ones that seem to be completely and totally pointlessly mundane.
That said, if you are considering a blog (start off with www.blogger.com because it’s free). If it doesn’t work out for you, you can always stop adding to it and/or delete it. If you do like it, you can either keep it or move to one of the other programs that are more versatile.
So, to blog or not to blog, that is the question.
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Another benefit is that you can edit if you do something stupid like hit tab and enter when you meant to hit enter only…
If you are writing a blog, please, for the love of God, understand that roommates/parents/friends/political rivals can and will find it. There are thousands of horror stories (at least one mentioned above) that involve someone finding something that the author never intended that person to find.
Also, realize that other people will be reading it. Keep in mind that there is an audience and if you actually want people to come back you’ll need to put up something worthwhile.
Another pro:
Theoretically possible to make money. Blogger uses google ads that will probably never amount to anything but it’s nice to know.
Apparently the big trend in publishing these days is to simply reformat blogs into books and sell those.
I thought blogging was kind of stupid but once I started mine, my friends (if no one else) really enjoy it, especially those people who claim to never have enough time to send an email (but read 100+ pages of blog)…
Also, make sure you get a good hit counter, seeing some of the search queries that ended up at my blog are priceless.
:eek: I’ve started a trend! 
I’ve now resurrected my old blog. Blog on, friends!
I just started one! Now I’m hip again!
Care to direct me to any interesting LJ’s, particularly those of dopers that don’t post here anymore?
Mine isn’t interesting, and I’m a doper that still posts here. Regardless, if you’d like to take a look, my username on LJ is artyblue70. Perfect pre-nap reading.
I keep a “blog-lite” on my personal website; it’s somewhat infrequently updated, but it does what I need it to do. As others have said, the whole point is to let me practice writing and become a better writer. A secondary benefit is to get out the stuff that’s been bouncing around my head so I don’t have to deal with it directly anymore.
As to why I’d put it on the internet instead of just keeping a personal journal, there are a few reasons:
I’ve never been able to keep a regular journal. Knowing that no-one will read it makes it hard for me to be motivated to write it. But, in spite of the fact that it’s secret, I still get self-conscious about writing about other people. Putting the whole thing online forces me to make an effort to write something interesting, but the knowledge that it probably won’t be read by anyone frees me up to write whatever I want. It’s a good balance.