Index > Why Blog?

Why Blog?

Blogs have been around for years now, but even so, people still argue over the pros and cons of blogging. Ultimately, it’s a personal choice, and for me, having a blog is very personal. It’s about…home.

Home?

Yes. See, blogging is about being social from the comfort and safety of my own home. It’s about visiting others at their homes and getting to know their likes and dislikes.

And just as you can learn oodles about a person by how they keep their home, you can tell a lot about a person by how they decorate and maintain their blogs. We choose the design, colors, links, and décor. We choose what we want to post in them. Go to mine, and without even reading an entry you’ll discover I love Joss Whedon, coffee, candles, and that I’m a vegetarian. You’ll see I have close ties to the military and EMS. < Everyone’s blog reflects who they are. Even the plain, sterile blogs that seemingly have no personality—that, combined with post content, tells you something about the owner. Maybe they don’t care what people think of them or their blog. Maybe they DO care, so they don’t want to offend anyone with bright colors or questionable links. Maybe their blog is more of an office to them—you know, an office where you MIGHT find a picture of the family, but more likely you’ll find their framed PhD certification—the blog equivalent of a book cover.

And group blogs, the ones where a small number of friends or colleagues get together and blog…those usually have a homey feel, but the atmosphere is more like that of an apartment friends share. The friends decided collectively how to decorate, but here and there are little bits providing hints about their individual personalities.

A blog, whether connected to your site or not, is YOURS. Just as you decorate it, you make the rules. You invite guests in by allowing comments, and you can control who comes into your house. People who come in are usually your friends, or at least people who like you. If you get a nasty idiot every once in while, you can take care of it. You can delete them from existence, you can get the last word, you can block them from ever coming back.

I feel comfortable in my blog. It's my little warm place to talk to my friends. And I can go to other blogs, which are other people's homes. I feel comfortable at my friends' blogs. I enjoy visiting with them and their friends.

With message boards and listserves, it's a different feeling. Going to a message board (not an author message board--they feel more like blogs in regards to their comfort level,) is like going to a party at a big mansion. It can be fun, but it's also very uncomfortable for me because at heart I'm NOT a social person unless I'm in my comfort zone.

You walk in, and over there in one corner are the ever-present snooty people gossiping. Over by the fire, there are the people who are more than happy to give their two cents on everything but won't listen to anyone else. And there by the staircase, the "nice" people, the people who don't seem to have an opinion of their own. Chowing down at the buffet table are the people you recognize but don't know. And sprinkled throughout, people you like and trust, but they seem to be few and far between.

Overseeing it all is the owner, keeping an eye out to make sure everyone is happy and everything runs smoothly, and that the food doesn't run out. She might be a very nice lady, participating often. Or she might be standing at the top of the staircase, watching with a sharp, critical eye to make sure no one insults her favorites. And her moderators, the bouncers of the party, are ready to enforce her rules and come to her rescue should SHE be spoken out against.

For me, this kind of environment is NOT comfortable. I have to leave the comfort and safety of my house to go to a party where people are usually polite, but at the mention of a sensitive topic, suddenly the atmosphere turns ugly, degenerating into a brawl.

I'm not saying that can't happen in blogs--it frequently does. But conflict in blogs is more like sitting in on a family argument or a couple of friends going at it. It doesn't have the "mob mentality" feel of brawls on boards and listserves--at least, not when it's going on at a friend's blog. Stranger blogs--yikes! Seeing conflict there is like walking in on domestic violence.

I'm not saying there's anything wrong with boards and listserves at all! I'm just saying that I've never felt comfortable in those environments, and that my blog feels like a warm, happy place where I am safe and my friends visit often. When I'm lonely, I go visit them.

Because whether your blog is a tool for promotion, a warm-up for your writing muscles, or just a place to let off some steam, it’s ultimately YOUR space. Your house, your office, maybe your secret apartment your family doesn’t know about.

You can always venture out to the parties, but remember, when you have a blog, you have an online home.

Index > Why Blog?