Growing up in the ’80s has given me an interesting perspective on computers, the internet, and life in general. Living then felt different. The speed of life felt different. It was slower. It was memorable.
Long-distance telephone charges were a big deal. No one had a smartphone, and the telephones we did have, despite being corded, all had tone and pulse modes. Micheal Jackson performed the first moonwalk on live TV, and to find out what movies were playing you either had to read it in the paper or call the theater and listen to a recording.
If you needed information at home, you referred to an encyclopedia. There was no Google!
Now, information is literally at our fingertips. So much so that seemingly everyone has their noses in their phones wherever they go and whenever they can get away with it. If you don’t believe me, the next time you go out to dinner with friends or family, put your phone down and look around the restaurant.
If someone isn’t eating, they are probably on a smartphone checking how many likes their last Facebook post got or maybe looking something up relevant to the conversation at the table.
When does the show start? What was the name of the dagger that killed Julius Caesar? Or what movies use Carmina Burana in their soundtracks?
Answers to just about any question thinkable are online, and nowadays probably on a blog.
Have blogs always been the go-to platform to get your questions answered?
This may be my own misconception stemming from a childhood in the ‘80s, but I used to think that all blogs were a personal and creative outlet. My understanding was that a blog is like a journal, a digital diary of sorts where someone could record their life’s journey, their fears, and hopes, and simultaneously share it with the world.
I don’t disagree that blogs have always been a source of information, but have they always been so good at it, so polished and focused?
Like most (if not all) other things on the internet, blogs have evolved with the times. Standards continue to rise, new bloggers enter the space ahead of where their contemporaries started, and public expectations fuel both.
Today bloggers are professionals!
Despite my ignorant assumptions, many of the blogs we search out and read to answer our questions are money makers (bloggers who have found a niche, a way to earn cash, and have ratcheted their operation into a full-time job).
In many cases, blogs aren’t personal at all. They are designed with every intent to make money and after they have reached a modicum of success are oft sold to the highest bidder, just like any other business.
Not all bloggers fit into this category of course, but the contrast makes me pause and ask, Why do people blog? What motivates them?, and What are their goals?
One thing that all successful blogs share is that they know what they are. Great blogs have a clearly thought out identity and purpose.
They know who they serve!
I ask myself that question often. Who do I seek to serve? Honestly, I don’t know.
Perhaps my blog has an identity crisis.
I do know, however, that everything I write comes from the heart. I write every post for a reason. The subjects I choose to write about are important to me. They weigh on me, and it seems only natural to write about them.
In the end
Bloggers write for their own reasons. Some are professionals garnering massive amounts of attention and earning money at the same time. Others delight readers with poetry and short stories and all open our eyes with new ideas and understandings. The first group motivated primarily by money, and the second by the love of doing (and perhaps attention received).
I wrote this post today for the same reason I write most of my posts. When I asked the question, Why do people blog?, I was asking myself.
I write because I enjoy it. I do it for the process itself. I admit that there have been times when I’ve been distracted by the possibility of making money or getting post-likes and garnering comments. It’s easy to fall prey to Google analytics with its visits versus views. It’s natural to attempt to try and rank my blog.
In the end, I’m still figuring things out. As I continue to write and post, my understanding of blogging is further refined.
For me, blogging is a journey.
