Today I read a post on Wired.com about blogging being a waste of time. According to the author, blogging looks old-fashioned in this era of Twitter, Flickr, and Facebook. He says that amateurs like me can't possibly compete with blogs that are written by professional reporters and backed by organizations like Fox News.
My response is this: Who's trying to compete? Yes, there are many people out there who are trying to turn their blogs into money-making ventures. I'm not immune to the hype; I've put Adsense on all of my blogs, written a few sponsored posts, and become an Amazon affiliate. I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to make money from these activities. However, that isn't the main reason I and a lot of other people blog. We blog to express ourselves.
Writing for my blogs gives me a chance to get it all out. I can react to every crazy article I read or talk show I watch. I can talk about how much ABM frustrated me yesterday. I can show off pictures of my latest failed hat. None of this is going to get me thousands of readers and national attention, but I never expected it to. To say that I should stop blogging just because I can't draw the crowds that the big guys do is like telling me that I should stop knitting just because my work isn't going to end up on the cover of Vogue Knitting.
I blog for the same reason that some people dye their hair purple. It's fun and it has become a part of who I am. Call it old-fashioned, if you want. I don't mind -- I'm a retro kind of gal.
3 comments:
Wrote a post on this earlier today, myself. Every year it seems Blogging is declared dead (podcasting, vidcasting, major media, and twitter all supposedly killed it in the past). Until a replacement for middle to long for prose is launched blogging is here to stay.
This may be somewhat roundabout, but the mittens on the cover of the Fall Vogue Knitting were knit and designed by a blogger! Apparently, that's how he was "discovered," so sometimes it pays off! What a funny example to use.
100% agreed.
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