Why I blog

This meme is courtesy of Some Go Softly.

What is this “blogging” you speak of?
That pretty much sums up why I started a blog. I wanted to see what it was all about, and what better way than to jump in and try it? Now that I’ve been blogging for a while, I’ve had time to develop reasons beyond curiosity.

My blog is a place to collect things that interest me or make me laugh. It’s a convenient, searchable repository where I can easily save items and refer back to them later. What makes it even better? I can easily share it with family and friends (and the world at large, when you get right down to it).

Sharing via a blog is nonintrusive. People choose to visit; likewise, they choose to stop visiting if they don’t like what they see. Readers can browse the blog at any time and any frequency that is convenient, and they can comment, or not, as they see fit.

Through blogging, I am able to provide information and promote causes I believe in. It’s possible that an individual might see something on my blog that informs or inspires them in some way.

On my blog, I have a chance to share my appreciation for art, and point out sites where collections can be viewed online. It’s also a perfect place to display quotations that I find insightful, humorous, or thought-provoking.

Laughter is good medicine, and my blog is often light-hearted in nature. I think brightening someone’s day or inspiring a good belly laugh is, in a way, an act of kindness.

By reading a variety of blogs, I am able to become familiar with different cultures, lifestyles, and opinions. I have an unprecedented opportunity to read about life in far-flung locations. I have access to the thoughts of writers the world over, as well as within the United States. I am often confronted by challenging perspectives that differ from my own. I am forced to look at things in new ways. That’s a good thing.

The aspect of blogging that caught me most by surprise is the sense of community that can develop. Comments add a rich dimension of interactivity and camaraderie.

Blogging can be looked at as a self-indulgent hobby. Do I provide anything of value that justifies my use of this corner of cyberspace? I suppose only readers can answer that. Have I ever made you laugh, or introduced you to something you’d never seen before, or raised an issue you hadn’t previously considered? If I have, then I consider my blog a small success.

Why do you blog? Take the challenge and post your answer with a trackback to this post.