At this point, some of you who are keeping up with my blog might have noticed that I edited some of my first entries. Believe me, this was something that took place after a lot of reflection on my part. I started the blog thinking that I would bare my soul and divulge all of my inner most thoughts and feelings. Then I started worrying over who would be reading my blog and how they would interpret my thoughts or how they would use my private information.
This prompted me to really think about why I have started this blog and maybe why people blog in general. Personally, I started blogging because I love to write and I think that writing is a cathartic process that allows us to cleanse ourselves of all the thoughts that weigh us down daily. I am also interested in creating a body of writing that my sons can read even after I’m gone to get a sense of who I was as a woman and individual aside from being their Mother. Yes, I agree this is somewhat morbid but, whatever, I’m into that whole writing immortalizes you bit. Plus, I think that my mind definitely works faster than my mouth, as crazy as that seems, and I think that a lot of the ideas that I have are sometimes wasted and end up rattling around my own head.
I’m not sure why other people blog. In some cases, it is probably a certain level of narcissism which prompts people to think that the rest of the world actually cares about the mundane events that are taking place in their small lives. Others are probably drunk with their own talent as writers and feel that it is their duty to share their brilliance with the rest of the world. Lastly, there is probably a group that feels that they need to suck the rest of the world into the drama that is their life, kind of like a vacuum or a vortex. Gee, I wonder which group I would categorize myself into…As I continue to ponder over why people blog, perhaps you all can enlighten me as to your personal reasons for blogging. So tell me, readers, why do you blog?
This prompted me to really think about why I have started this blog and maybe why people blog in general. Personally, I started blogging because I love to write and I think that writing is a cathartic process that allows us to cleanse ourselves of all the thoughts that weigh us down daily. I am also interested in creating a body of writing that my sons can read even after I’m gone to get a sense of who I was as a woman and individual aside from being their Mother. Yes, I agree this is somewhat morbid but, whatever, I’m into that whole writing immortalizes you bit. Plus, I think that my mind definitely works faster than my mouth, as crazy as that seems, and I think that a lot of the ideas that I have are sometimes wasted and end up rattling around my own head.
I’m not sure why other people blog. In some cases, it is probably a certain level of narcissism which prompts people to think that the rest of the world actually cares about the mundane events that are taking place in their small lives. Others are probably drunk with their own talent as writers and feel that it is their duty to share their brilliance with the rest of the world. Lastly, there is probably a group that feels that they need to suck the rest of the world into the drama that is their life, kind of like a vacuum or a vortex. Gee, I wonder which group I would categorize myself into…As I continue to ponder over why people blog, perhaps you all can enlighten me as to your personal reasons for blogging. So tell me, readers, why do you blog?
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It's interesting… I still have some pretty major "overshare" on my blog from the early days. While I'm becoming more conservative in what I write (not swearing for one thing!) I haven't yet gone back and edited the old posts. I probably should though….
Charlene, it was imperative that I edit my first few blogs because, short of providing my Social Security number and blood type, I went completely overboard divulging way too much information. I think it had to do with the cathartic feeling that writing my thoughts and feelings down exposed me to. Although I continue to be honest in my blog entries, I am just a tad more discreet in certain areas.
I try to be discrete in my blog as well, for safety and security reasons. But it's hard when all I want to do is write about my feeling and thoughts. Blogging is therapy for me.
oh-moma.blogspot.com
While it would be nice to earn some money from blogging – that isn’t why I do it. I like capturing this moment in my life (my kids’ lives) and writing about it does that. I also like the validation I get from people responding to something I’ve written or thought.
Lately though, I’ve chosen to keep writing for 2 reasons:
1) Meeting wonderful people like you. I am an introvert, plus a very busy mom, so it is hard to make girlfriends outside of work. I have a couple, but my new connections via blogging are really filling a void that I’d been feeling related to girl time.
2) Blogging is holding my feet to the fire. There are thoughts and things I want to pursue and then just drop. Blogging about it is holding me accountable. For example, I wrote an intro to a series about executive image a month ago and haven’t followed up – yesterday I got a comment asking me to pick it back up again because my reader really wants to know more about it. How wonderful to have others hold me accountable with positive reinforcement!
Those are my reasons… btw – was the Michelle Obama in shorts article one of your early ones? I tried to read it from linked within and it error ‘d as missing…
Those are definitely some of the reasons why I blog too. Actually, it has been a nice surprise to meet so many wonderful people like yourself throughout this journey. It is wonderful to be able to connect on so many levels and to share the experiences that we have as working Moms. The Michelle Obama article was one of my very first ones so maybe it cannot be accessed through the linkwithin. I will email you a link to the post, if you still want to read it…