Washington Post – Why Bloggers Blog

The Washington Post’s Web Watch featured “Bloggers on the Reasons Behind Their Daily Words” by Frank Ahrens. Ahrens wanted to know “why do you blog”. The answers came from around the world, but only few in number, so we can only guess at how representative this “poll” is, but I think it gave an interesting look at why people blog.

Some bloggers do it as part of their business “Internet strategy”; some blog to flack books and other products. Others flout niche issues, such as the “fiber arts,” “calorie restriction” and the apparently alarming demise of fire-fighting aircraft. (Who knew?) Other enthusiasts blog to report on activities, such as opera and local politics, they think are undercovered by the mainstream media. Some chronicle their disabilities; others blog to stay in touch with friends and family…

…Some outsiders believe bloggers are friendless shut-ins with hobbies so bizarre as to be shared only by a handful of people on the planet. Or, at best, they are the superstar narcissists of the look-at-me generation. Both are true, for some. But as with evaluating most groups, generalization is tough, dangerous and often damning.

Which is true. Trying to find the one, singular reason people blog is a challenge, but looking at the possibilities of why people blog gives us some interesting insights into blogging itself, as well as how people use blogs.

In general, he sums it up as freedom of speech, social feedback, relationship building, freedom of expression, confessions or exhibitionism, and entertainment for self and others.

I love one of the summation comments, Ahrens classified as hateful:

28.7 million blogs translates to almost 28.7 million illiterate fools with a digital soapbox who cannot manage to correctly spell the word ‘definitely,’ even with the help of a spell checker.

So why do you blog?

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Copyright Lorelle VanFossen