why?
When I had coffee with a friend the other day she said she had read my blog. I wasn't sure whether to answer "thanks" or say "I'm sorry." It made me think about this whole blog genre. I've boiled most of my thoughts down to two issues - what blogging does for me personally, and why I chose a public forum versus a journal.
I keep a private journal. It's pretty stream of consciousness and records a lot of the daily events of my life and family. Blogging is different because I try to identify the larger themes and issues that shape my life. I like the blog because it makes me more aware of my writing. I majored in creative writing in college, and blogging helps me work on skills of voice and fluency. Because my blogs might be read by someone, I examine them with more objective eyes and that in turn helps me look more objectively at the subjects I write about.
So why not just do this in a word document? Why do I pour my emotional diarrhea into a page for all the word (potentially) to see? One reason is that I always hope I'll get a comment or suggestion that will help me find the answers to all my problems. Haven't been too successful on this front, as comments are few and far between (though I get so very excited when I get one!), but I have had in-person conversations about some of my posts, which is exciting (and scary without the safety filter of computer interface vs. face to face.) The other, much more embarrassing reason, is that I secretly hope that something I write will spark some thought in a reader. I believe that most Nacirema folks just live day to day without thinking too much about stuff. If folks would heed the words of Socrates that the unexamined life is not worth living, the world could truly become a better place. If I can offer a quote or idea or problem that causes someone to stop and think deliberately about life, that would be incredibly cool. I always had that hope when I was teaching. More than "covering curriculum" my secret agenda was to spark some thought in some student which would lead him to actively choose a life instead of ricocheting from event to event.
Of course, there are downfalls of this whole process as well. All of my personal angst is out there for all to see. My image as a person who "has it together" may well be destroyed by the end of this process, and my subversive anti-organized education/ religion/ morality may have ramifications at some point as well. And then there's all the potential grammar and spelling errors that tarnish my professional credibility...
So there's my blogging thoughts for today. Soon, I'll hit the "publish post" button and they'll head out into blogosphere for all to see, or not to see. Most likely I'll never know if anyone has read these words or not, but I'll return to them, tumble them around in my noggin and consider them again. This post is one more step on my journey to rebuild my faith.
Faith in what?? That's a question for another day.
I keep a private journal. It's pretty stream of consciousness and records a lot of the daily events of my life and family. Blogging is different because I try to identify the larger themes and issues that shape my life. I like the blog because it makes me more aware of my writing. I majored in creative writing in college, and blogging helps me work on skills of voice and fluency. Because my blogs might be read by someone, I examine them with more objective eyes and that in turn helps me look more objectively at the subjects I write about.
So why not just do this in a word document? Why do I pour my emotional diarrhea into a page for all the word (potentially) to see? One reason is that I always hope I'll get a comment or suggestion that will help me find the answers to all my problems. Haven't been too successful on this front, as comments are few and far between (though I get so very excited when I get one!), but I have had in-person conversations about some of my posts, which is exciting (and scary without the safety filter of computer interface vs. face to face.) The other, much more embarrassing reason, is that I secretly hope that something I write will spark some thought in a reader. I believe that most Nacirema folks just live day to day without thinking too much about stuff. If folks would heed the words of Socrates that the unexamined life is not worth living, the world could truly become a better place. If I can offer a quote or idea or problem that causes someone to stop and think deliberately about life, that would be incredibly cool. I always had that hope when I was teaching. More than "covering curriculum" my secret agenda was to spark some thought in some student which would lead him to actively choose a life instead of ricocheting from event to event.
Of course, there are downfalls of this whole process as well. All of my personal angst is out there for all to see. My image as a person who "has it together" may well be destroyed by the end of this process, and my subversive anti-organized education/ religion/ morality may have ramifications at some point as well. And then there's all the potential grammar and spelling errors that tarnish my professional credibility...
So there's my blogging thoughts for today. Soon, I'll hit the "publish post" button and they'll head out into blogosphere for all to see, or not to see. Most likely I'll never know if anyone has read these words or not, but I'll return to them, tumble them around in my noggin and consider them again. This post is one more step on my journey to rebuild my faith.
Faith in what?? That's a question for another day.
Comments