Why Blog?

Where blogs are concerned, I seem to be more of a lurker than a writer. I spend time browsing from one blog to another, lingering on photos and videos, but I take time to read, too. Sometimes I wonder what to write in my blog.

Browsing through some blogs I found Blog de la Blog, started just yesterday with a post asking "Do people actually read these?"

Yes, Buck, I read it. Some people have read mine, too, but more people who happen by just go on to the next blog. Some people even leave comments, and that makes me smile. I wonder about what other people write and why.

My introduction to blogging was as journaling, and many people really do use their blogs as diaries or logs of daily activities. Some create travel logs, including itineraries and pictures of famous landmarks behind family and friends and landscapes typical of the travel destinations. We see party pictures, family reunions, new babies, new siblings and sweethearts.

The blog world seems to be a good place to get over a breakup, to lament about what is no more, to dream about what never was, to wonder what is yet to be. There are fictional stories, poetry, essays, maps, art and music. People share similar experiences, recipes, accomplishments, rants and random thoughts. Some share links to sites they found helpful, interesting or just plain fun. Some are meeting places for regular visitors, like a conference call in writing instead of on the phone

A blog can be anonymous so it feels safe, or it can be a personal platform so it feels empowering. Blogs have a single theme, something important, a fetish, selling a product or idea, or they are diverse. Some are like the person lecturing in the park to a casual crowd, or to a few passers by, or to no one at all, but they have their say. It may be read, or maybe not, but it has been written.