Thursday, August 26, 2010

Bigger Picture Moment: Why blog?

Bigger Picture Moment

I first started this blog with the idea that no one would read it and really that no one would know about it. It was more like an online journal or even just an electronic record that I wanted to keep of my days with the Tot so that I could look back and remember all of his different milestones and our experiences together. In fact, I was concerned about people stumbling on to it by mistake and recognizing him or myself which is why I have done my best to remain anonymous. Though, in retrospect, it's not often that I really write a lot of soul-barring stuff, but I think I like having the option to do so. I worry that if friends or family knew that I wrote a blog, I wouldn't feel as free to post my feelings about any given topic. I might feel uncomfortable writing a whole entry about my menstrual cycle (oh yes, I did!) or analyzing how women make friends or complaining about whatever nonsensical thing the Husband has done. I wonder how people make the decision to be anonymous or to be known. I also wonder to what lengths I would really have to go to be completely anonymous. I guess it's something I am only half-heartedly doing because I still post pictures that would be easily recognizable to any relative or friend. I suppose in the back of my mind, I am thinking that with all of the hundreds of thousands of blogs out there, what are the odds that someone would stumble on mine?


I have lately been struggling with maintaining my blog. My goal is to write something every day but I often find myself falling short of that goal, either because I can't find the time to sit and write or because I don't have anything that I feel like blogging about. I think I sometimes become discouraged by my lack of readers, but then I have to remind myself that I am not writing for an audience. It's great if I end up with one, but if not, that's okay too, because it was never the objective in the first place. I am just writing for me. So, as long as I am still enjoying it, it is still worth doing. Even if it's not every day.

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4 comments:

  1. I wonder the same things. I have a very anonymous blog, but anyone who knows me in real life would easily know it's me if they ever stumbled across it. I've written some pretty soul-baring stuff on it, and I don't think I'm ready to be that open with many of the people in my life.
    And so you know, I also started my blog for me, as a place to organize my thoughts.I neer thought I would get followers, and I continue to be surprised every time I get comments. I try to remember that my blog is still for me. I write about what I want to write about, and I post when I get the chance.

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  2. I started my blog for me; only my husband knew about it. Then a friend noticed that I'd added the link to my Facebook profile and she started reading it. Then, a few months later I got more comfortable and actually started posting to Twitter. Now, I'm out there and any of my friends and family can go see what I write. It's incredibly easy to find me - I've checked because I've started a job search recently!

    I think the most important thing about blogging is to always be comfortable. With the words you weave, the information you relay and the people you associate with in the bloggy world. If you have that, then you're doing fine. Having thousands of readers isn't a sign of a great blog in my opinion. It's just a sign of good marketing. If you *want* to be "out there", you can. Personally, I'm nice and comfy in my little niche for now. If it never changes, I'll be 100% okay with that and I'm getting some amazing practice writing in the meantime. ;)

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  3. I too started my blog just for me. My Hub is the only person who knows me and knows I blog. I encourage him to read it and he encourages me to post. I am pretty anonymous--no name and no facial photos of us. It still surprises me that people actually follow and read. I enjoy it way more than I thought I ever would when I started it.

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  4. Ultimately, you write for yourself. Write about your passions and your joys and sorrows, the real stuff. And readers will come. With a little work, they'll come.
    But remember, you write for you :)

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