Why Blog?

This is a "why I blog" post. I've talked to a few friends about blogging and the reasons for blogging. Here's a little bit about my reasons.

A while back, I asked my Father why he didn't post his sermons online for people to read. His answer included a lot of good points including "I don't know who'll be reading it." The same goes for blogging. Last week, according to site meter, the number of visits to my blog topped 400. My first question was "who the hell are all these people?"

Apparently, people Googled my posts about listening to Phillies games online & getting digital tv over the air. Do a Google search for "digital rabbit ears." OK, so I'm on page 3, but my point is still valid.

So, the first question is solved, but it still makes me think. Remember all those crazy stories about people not getting jobs because of their MySpace pages? OK, I'm not the type of person to go nuts, get drunk and blog about it. I am, however, perfectly willing to speak my mind about the environment, equal rights, and those pesky Republicans. So, I do try to think before I post.

The truth is that I didn't start writing a blog because I wanted the world to read it. I'm also not going to stop because I'm worried about improbably reprocussions. I blog because it's been good for me. I keep it public to make it easier for my friends and family to share. I know that my parents & in-laws, really love to read my blog to keep up on us since we moved south. My dad will even call to check up if I haven't posted for a few days.

Still, I don't really think of myself as a blogger. There are plenty of great blogs out there serving up a wide range of what I call "crunchy goodness." I'm not focused. My prose is all over the place. And frankly, I'm really not all that interesting. So, why keep going? I can always email my folks or *gasp* call them. There are several answers:

- The voices in my head said to do it....Well, yes and no. I don't have voices in my head, but I do have an overactive imagination that goes non-stop even when I'm not feeling well because of the fibro (like today.) On days like this I can be hopped up on sleeping meds and still be typing away (like now.)

- My circle of "long-distance" friends is a lot bigger than my circle of local friends. The blog really is a way to keep them up-to-date. Some claim to even like my blog (usually after telling me how great my sister's blog is.) When someone wants to comment, they unusually email or call me instead of posting a comment.

- The family thing.

- Writing: So, for a long while, I've been trying to write. All the ideas that I've got stuck in my head need a place to go. I started working on a book, but got bogged down in the process. Something just wasn't/isn't working. The blog is one of my tools that I'm using to "practice" the art of writing. I think of it as marathon training. A guy with no training can't get up tomorrow and start the NYC marathon. He's got to start small: walks around the block, jogs on the treadmill, longer jogs, short runs, short races, etc. Writing for the sake of writing is important. Thus the blog. I use this, along with the copious amounts of reading I've been doing lately & random short stories or partial scenes that I've written to get a firmer grasp on how to develop a story and fill the pages.

- Ego. OK, deep down inside, I've got enough ego to believe that I have "answers" to some of life's problems. If more people listened to me the world would be a better place. The blog is my foothold into the hearts and minds of the populous. I'm starting small. ;-)

Well, there you have it. I've commented on blogging. I hope it encourages you to blog. Understand that there are pitfalls. People will read. People will wonder when your next post is coming. You will, at times, feel like you have nothing to say. Other times, you'll have too much. Then there will be times like these when you know that the Lunesta is totally working and you should stop writing or tomorrow you'll look at this crap and wonder why you hit publish...yup, that was one crap-tastic last paragraph.

Night all!