Why blog?
Why blog?
I ask myself that question quite often, along with some other related questions.
Questions like,
- What kind of blog do I want to have?
- How much am I willing to reveal?
- Am I willing to pander, gearing what I write just to get an audience?
- Can blogging, or at least my blogging, be anything other than self-indulgent?
A while back, I posted the results of a quiz I took that rated me as a “pundit” blogger. And I guess that it’s accurate, to a point. It’s accurate in that having the ability to spout forth my opinions from the top of my WordPress-created soapbox is quite appealing. I’m vain enough to enjoy the thought of folks reading my thoughts & opinions, hopefully agreeing with them. But, even if they don’t agree, it’s still pretty cool that they’re reading them. I like seeing the stats that I track grow & get more detailed, giving me info like the number of page views & visitors. More comments would be nice, but it’s understandable that they don’t come. I mean, I don’t always leave comments in other blogs, even though (as you can see from my blogroll) I read quite a few blogs regularly. I’m trying to get better about leaving comments, but it’s still an effort.
Aside from punditry, I really find the introspective nature of blogging to be fascinating. It’s frightening to think about opening up, and posting (quite possibly ill-conceived) thoughts for public consumption; however, that fear is somewhat offset by the oftentimes theraputic nature of putting virtual pen to virtual paper. I know that I could just have a private journal/blog (and I might still do that for certain things), but I like getting feedback & reinforcement from the comments and (at the very least) the stats. I also have a tremendous amount of respect & admiration for folks like Seminarian Chaz Lehmann, who puts himself out there with a very honest & introspective blog. In a recent comment I left on his LiveJournal, I wrote, in part,
“I really do sympathize with & relate to the powerful brand of introspection you practice. And I truly admire your courage in doing in your blog. As much as I might want to do the same in my blog, I’m still “hiding” behind my opinions & pretensions of objectivity (no matter how subjective they may be…).”
Introspection hurts. No matter how beneficial & cathartic it might be, it’s still difficult & painful.
I would also like to write a blog that is useful and/or entertaining - i.e., a blog that people want to follow on a regular basis. Will I pander in order to build “readership”? I’d like to think not, if for no other reason than this: Blogs I like to read are blogs that I believe to be genuine, and it’s hard (IMO) to be genuine and to pander at the same time.
I am what I am. I’m a sinner. I’m selfish. I’m moody. I can be more than a little anti-social. (I’m oftentimes amazed that my wife & family put up with me, even as I’m unbelievably thankful that the Lord has blessed me with them.) I’m Lutheran. I’m saved by Grace, through Faith in the crucified God-Man Jesus Christ. I want to become better at sharing that in truly meaningful ways (not just pietistic, american “evangelical” 40-days-of-crap, “oh-look-at-me” ways). I am hoping that by honestly thinking out loud in this particular, self-published, forum I might be able to clarify & sharpen my thinking in such a way as to benefit myself, folks who read this blog, and folks I come into contact with after I’ve been through the process of refining my thoughts.
Besides, it’s fun & I get to “meet” lots of cool folks. ;^)
Thanks for listening…
-ghp
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Good post. I have the same thoughts, basically. I think a lot of us do.
Why do I blog? I enjoy blogging, first and foremost. It has helped me tremendously to see my thoughts on the screen. I sometimes wonder if that is selfish of me; yet because I know how much I have been helped by reading others’ experiences, I believe that my blogs might be helpful to others searching for deeper meaning than just claiming “I’m an Evangelical”.
Before I started blogging and after I had rediscovered Luther’s teachings, I felt like an oddball in my church. Through this blog, I have met so many other “American Evangelical” refugees (as Beggars All describes us). This discovery, alone, has made such a difference in my life. Even if I never wrote or read another confessional lutheran blog again, my faith would still remain positively affected by those of you that have shared your stories online.
My only other challenge is to make sure I’m keeping my priorities straight. I’ve had to blog much less at work, because I am being paid by someone to work and not blog!
Also, I need to make sure I’m giving my husband, kids and house (God is in there somewhere, too) my best and not my leftover time after writing. It is sad to see some of the younger, good confessional lutheran bloggers quit or take a break because blogging couldn’t find the right place in their lives.
Well, I’ve gone on enough here. Thanks for the good post.
Theresa