I started thinking of this early this morning when I did a quick review of twitter and read some blog posts today……
I read one post that had 14 Amazon affliate links hidden in the conversation and just raised the hair on my neck a bit. I read a post where someone is making a mountain out of a molehill for no other reason than to stir the pot. I read another post that touched my heart and I just wanted to reach out to the person and say “hang in there”. I read some twitter babble that made me again question “why is this so important?”
I started to question WHY……
Why do I have this space on the internet that I call my own. Why do I find it important to share what I feel and still wander through templates looking for that just “perfect” theme? What brings me back to the need to share with you??
I think……
I blog because I have thoughts that in the past would have just slid away over time but now have a place to come to either grow or diminish….and are now not just memories but out there for myself and others to read. I blog because I want teachers to know that I understand that change is hard — it is inevitable — but it is hard and I struggle with it as well. I blog because there is still the “Sally Fieldisque mentality in me” that when people comment, a tiny part of me says “You like me”. I blog because I was silent for too long and now have a venue to scream and share and laugh and lament and cry and praise. I blog because I feel it is expected of me to have a presence available to people I speak with and interact with through projects. I blog because I wonder if somewhere my post could make a tiny difference in someone’s life. And I blog 2 times a month because T&L had asked me too.
And I wonder, why do you blog??
Do you blog for extra revenue? Do you blog to stir the pot and get people thinking? Do you blog to touch someone’s heart? Do you blog because no one listens? Do you blog because deep down you need to know someone “likes” you?
Why do you blog?
I would love to hear?
Thanks
Jen
Great question, Jen. I suspect that there are as many reasons as there are personality types, and that many of us, being emotional human beings, don’t really know why we write. This makes your query intriguing.
I’m writing on my company’s blog more regularly than I ever have for other reasons. It’s partly because I really like the company, but it’s more because of the invigoration that my social network creates in me.
When I read of the challenges educators face every day, and when I realize how that will impact the future for my children, ideas rise up and demand to be mentioned. Resources insist on being propagated. Adversity begs to be shared and triumphed over cooperatively.
I write as a way of participating in modern humanity. Our collective experience has gone virtual in large part, and to not be involved feels like standing on the sidelines. I think it comes down to that.
And I think I’ll have a better idea why I write later today, after my subconscious chews on your question for a while. Thanks again for asking it.
@AtomiClint
Jen,
I was in some EduCon sessions with you this weekend, which brought me to your blog.
I find some of your comments interesting on why you write. I am new to the blogging world – not because of interest, but because of time. (Which also begs the question – Why don’t you blog?) You wrote that you blog because you “were silent for too long..” and “because you feel it is expected of you to have a presence..”
For me, those two statements are what brought me in to the world of blogging. I need to not be silent anymore regarding changes that are inevitable and I think that when I blog, at least I will be listening!!
Thanks for your post.
Carol
This is my letter to the world,
That never wrote to me,
The simple news that Nature told,
With tender majesty.
A bit overly dramatic perhaps, but I have found that I use my blog primarily to develop and focus my own thoughts. When others read and comment, I appreciate it greatly, but I would continue to write even if I were sure that no one else were reading.
By taking the time to think through and articulate my understanding of where we are going and the best routes to take, I find that I also am better prepared to speak, to argue, and to defend these positions in a variety of situations.
So I will keep writing regularly (well, sort of regularly) even if I’m only talking to the ether.
Thank you for asking this question!
I blog to keep my memory straight. I find that with the amount of information I encounter in the course of a day, it is very difficult to remember all the things I have done, thought, said, or accomplished. If I have a sacred space to save some of those thoughts, ideas, pictures or reflections, I can refer to it later. It’s like Dumbledore’s Pensieve, a place to store important memories, without have to worry that they will be lost.
I must admit, I am selfish in my blogging, I have several and most of them are private and viewed only by me. However, the other day, I got an email from another teacher who asked if I were blogging about what happens after I introduce a new piece of technology to a teacher or student. That made me realize that those experiences may indeed be something worth sharing and I am now considering sharing some of those thoughts with the rest of the world.
I am new to blogging. I just started reading them and then writing them a couple months ago. At first it was as an outlet to express an opinion. I have since moved more towards sharing ideas, and inviting others to share theirs. More than theories, or political statements, I realized that what I enjoy is finding out what others are doing in their classrooms. I’m always looking for the fresh idea, or a new slant on the old approach. I respond to the practical more than the abstract theory. Blogging is also proving to be a rediscovery of myself as a writer. Along with my professional blog, I am also doing a 365 Photo Blog, and that is great fun.
Hi Jen,
I blog for one reason. I like to update my workshops. The teachers I present workshops to do not have the time to read all the blogs or listen to the podcasts as I do. When I see something worth sharing with them I blog. I rarely give opinions, just report new websites and new tools.
Based on the stats we heard this week, shall we amend the conversation to why we blog and students don’t?
This post made me think about why I so enjoy reading your blog (and some others on a variety of topics). I like Clint’s word “invigorating.” It makes me want to do more, try more, and share my ideas. And yes, it is just plain fun.