Today we are told that we should enjoy a 'web presence'. But why? Having read blogs by friends and not-friends I seem to see many different reasons. And why should we read them?
As I gain more experience from blogs I see several reasons for both.
Some people write blogs because they feel they should but they ponder hard about their blogging and come up with blogs that are interesting, entertaining or both. Some blog interesting ideas and some blog anything - seemingly just because they can. Some use it to seek popularity or to be reassured about their popularity. Some blog quietly while others are constantly prompting us to read their blog. It just leaves me wondering why there are so many reasons to blog. Myself, I think of blogging as a way of recording my thoughts and if they go unread then they were my thoughts anyway.
And why to read the blogs? This one is for me just as big a question. I am a slow reader and reading has always been hard work. I recently re-read a sentence 4 times before I realised the word was 'four' and not 'hour' and suddenly it made sense. When reading is like this for you you do not read everything put in front of you. If I see a friends blog post I will scan the first paragraph and if it doesn't catch me I will give up - sorry! Even if it does I may give up before the end anyway. Mary will read over my shoulder waiting for me to scroll down. I may be asked 'Did you read?' and I will ask for the gist and then maybe go to read it for myself. Having read will I comment? Why do people comment? I will comment if I have to something to say at the time. Because I haven't commented doesn't mean I haven't read. I don't feel I need to leave my footprint in the sand just to say that I have been there. I probably enjoyed it, or I didn't finish it. I was always told ' if you don't have something to say then say nothing' and that's what I do. But I see so many comments that seem sycophantic, popularity grabbing - 'Please, I read it sir/miss!'. I am told that it's my badly developed social skills and so I apologise to all.
To all the bloggers I enjoy may I say "PLEASE keep on blogging" - for the main part I do enjoy them but don't leave my footprint to say I read them and apologise but I would miss them if they weren't there.
Great post, I've tried blogging and decided yesterday to give it up. I suppose I could just set a blog up where people weren't able to leave a comment about what you have written but I suspect they'd find a way to write something nasty about what you've written.
ReplyDeleteI don't know if it was just me, but I would never leave a nasty comment on someone's blog but that isn't always the case - people disagree with what someone has said in your comments and then all hell is let loose as the argument flinging begins.
And that whole twitter thing, I tried that this last few weeks and just didn't get it!
I like to read other people's blogs and like to comment but I have decided now not to blog myself.
One thing I always try to do is rethink it so as to try to offend no-one. Easier said than done and FOC has taken offence on occasion when I was unaware there was anything for her to take offence at. I just try to say what's on my mind without getting political.
ReplyDeleteI like this very much. I'm fairly new to blogging and it's not something I will do on a very regular basis, as I would rather be painting or studying, but I do read other peoples' blogs and many are very good reads, indeed. I tend to remember the witty and pithy ones the most. They seem to strike a cord. Thanks for the post.
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