I started blogging back when it was popular to have a "diary" or "journal" online. I'm not sure if people remember those sites where you could actually "lock" your entries or hide it, but it was still your space on the internet. I had an account on all of the popular sites: LiveJournal, Xanga, Diaryland, Open Diary. I've had a personal pen-to-paper diary since I was 5. I don't use those sites anymore, but I still have blogs!
Blogs have really changed over decades since the internet took off. They're much more informative today and I do enjoy that aspect, but I also feel like it's gone too far in that direction. Today, I prefer reading for information rather than watching a video and personally I am better with the written-word than the spoken-word. So, it's great that we have these blogs that can teach us how to garden, coupon, travel, etc. I just feel that there is something to be said about the raw and real words from someone's life. It's the same reason why a lot of people tune into vlog channels about a person's daily life. We want connection and we want something that's real.
LiveJournal is actually still around, but like I mentioned in the last paragraph, it's been overran by people who are either teaching you something, giving you news articles, or giving you gossip from the entertainment industry. That's fine, but I want more!
I still blog, because I enjoy sharing my views and finding like-minded people. I also enjoy reading about other people's lives, adventures, and views. Videos and podcasts are great, even if they're personal and not informational, but there will always be something special and personable about a person taking time to think out loud and allow their thoughts to come to life for others to read over time. There is also a mental status we tend to give reading; we take our time, we soak it in, and we think and ponder on it. Reading something can allow us to put ourselves in someone else's space for a moment as we use our minds and imaginations to put together what is being laid out for us.
I keep blogging, because I like the process. I'm sitting here late in the evening in my house. It's quiet. Everyone else, including the pets, has gone to bed. I'm allowing my thoughts to come out so that you can experience them.
Feel free to leave your blog in the comments so that I can read it! Let me know if any of this resonates with you.
Comments