Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Reasons to blog
Richard Fernandez, in a comment on his own blog, explains why we blog:
I'm sure most bloggers out there know that it's not possible to make a living blogging unless your traffic is really, really high.
The real upside to blogging is as a networking tool. You meet people that would be inaccessible in the ordinary course of life. Again, that doesn't translate into income but it is a good in itself.
However, the ultimate reason for writing is as an exercise in thinking things through with a lot of people watching. It is very, very easy to make a jackass of yourself in front of thousands of readers.
Some people actually make jackasses of themselves on purpose, I think, if they find a demand for it. The most corrupting influence in writing is to find yourself in demand as a buffoon and then proceed to fill it. Like Pagliaccio.
The best situation is to have some sort of day job, or non-writing interest, so that you don't have to sing for your supper exclusively.
All true, but he misses the biggest reason for me: I have made friends blogging, many of them, along many different dimensions, and rediscovered old ones along the way. Perhaps that is what Richard means by networking -- strictly speaking, that is what making new friends is -- but the connotation of the term is far more utilitarian than my meaning. My life has been vastly enriched by the people I have met or gotten to know better in the course of my blogging.
Thank you for reading, thank you for commenting, and thank you for sending me so many thoughtful, helpful, and moving emails over the years.
Non-maudlin blogging will resume tomorrow.
4 Comments:
By 
, at
Wed Jun 18, 11:46:00 PM:
He might want to check his traffic. For many, it is an easy way to make a jackass of yourself before tens of readers.
On the other hand, he might not want to check his traffic.
By 
TigerHawk, at
Thu Jun 19, 04:33:00 AM:
I've gotten links from the Belmont Club. It is thousands.
By GreenmanTim, at
Thu Jun 19, 02:36:00 PM:
I'm tempted to get all teary-eyed and blurt "I love you, Man!" But I would mean it. I echo your sentiments exactly.
By Noocyte, at
Fri Jun 20, 01:19:00 AM:
I love you, man....BOOP (/"Superbad" reference)
Seriously, though, I too think of the "networking" possibilities in less utilitarian terms than are usually connoted by the word. Part of the reason I blog is to reach out to those dear friends who share not a jot of my political views, and free up multi-pint evenings which might otherwise be dominated by "how can you believe that stuff, dude?!" sorts of conversations. What can I say. I'm an optimist.
Of course, it is also an opportunity to encounter new minds who don't mind a mind such as mine.
There's a fair bit of daylight between maudlin and merely refreshingly open. Thanks for the post, TH.
