To Blog or Not to Blog?

Blogging has become something that I truly enjoy — both as a reader of blogs and now as a writer in my own blog. It’s my own personal soapbox in the universe. I wish I had more readers and commentors on what I have to say, but then I might find myself in a more difficult situation. I feel enough pressure as it is to write something for my blog even though there really isn’t much of an audience here. I think the pressure is of my own making because I am inspired by so many great writers of blogs and often feel inadequate to the task.

One of my favorite bloggers, LaShawn Barber, is asking a similar question today. Sometimes I want the traffic she generates on her blog because so many people comment on what she has to say. But then I remind myself why I started my blog. I blog because I desire a place to share my thoughts, my insights, and my opinions on my daily life, my faith in God and current events. Since I’m not being paid to do this (although many people do blog for profit) I have the luxury of choosing when I blog and what a blog about. If I had a larger audience (more than just my husband and my parents and the occasional friend here and there) I might feel even more pressure to write something of substance to others. For me the importance is that I have the opportunity to write my thoughts and share them in a public forum. My hope is that someone else will get something out of my endeavor. If not, then it certainly will keep me out of therapy! (Just kidding.)

Maybe someday we’ll get away from our computers and just go back to conversing in the public square. I think that’s why we blog — because we have lost that forum to our busy lives.

3 Comments:
At July 05, 2005 5:49 PM, sarahk said…
blogging is my favorite hobby i’ve ever had. don’t worry, the readership will come, it just takes a while.

At July 05, 2005 5:50 PM, sarahk said…
btw, i did read the part that it’s ok to not have traffic. but traffic is also a real boost to the spirits if you ask me.

At July 05, 2005 6:06 PM, Karen of Scottsdale said…
Yes, I do love traffic on my site!