![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
So why blog at all? I can only speak for myself.
First, and most importantly, I have an overwhelming urge to explain myself. Not just to others, but also to myself. Writing is a means of clarifying my inner thoughts. I do this not only for the things that happen to me, but also for the things that interest me. Writing is a means of understanding myself better. Language is the most powerful tool we have as thinking beings, and I mean to use that tool the best way I can. When I'm on my game - when I'm writing at my best - the finished product gives me a huge sense of accomplishment. I'll sometimes go back and read earlier posts of mine just to get a fraction of that feeling.
Why do I make my posts public? Honestly, I like the attention I get from responders. This is a nice controlled way of pontificating, which is one of my dirty little pleasures. Am I perhaps too public? Maybe a little (especially when I'm depressed). I have had coworkers comment on my blog now and then. Anything I write could potentially be made into a headline for the New York Times (unlikely, unless I win the lottery or foil a terrorist plot).
It's also nice to hear opposing viewpoints. I'm not infallible by any means and hearing the other side is a way of testing my views. They stand up to scrutiny, need to be enhanced, or need to be scrapped, depending on the counter arguments I hear.
I do have friends and acquaintances whom I rarely see. Blogging keeps them informed of what I've been up to. It's the same reason I read their blogs.
I have some rules about blogging. I don't talk about work unless it's f-locked. Even then, I've probably written less then five posts about work. Honestly, I program computers for a living - What small amount of excitement it produces does not translate well to a written story ("And then I thought, maybe there's a bug in the compiler itself!").
Another rule is to f-lock something that is likely to get me into trouble if the wrong person reads it. My tolerance for this is pretty high though, so lots of posts exist that aren't f-locked, that should be.
When referring to people, I'll often use oddball initials (these correspond to mnemonics rather then proper names) or knick-names.
Do I plan on changing these things - making the whole thing friends only? No. So far it just hasn't been an issue. I've had to delete a handful of derogatory comments and I've occasionally f-locked a post after the fact. I figure I'm doing alright 99% of the time.
I know a guy on LJ who never fails to piss me off when I read him. Several years ago it occurred to me that I could just not read him. I'm happy to report I did just that. My sister bitched at me once about my blog, I told her it takes less effort to not read my blog then to read it. I figure that's good advice for anyone who would get offended by crude scratchings.
First, and most importantly, I have an overwhelming urge to explain myself. Not just to others, but also to myself. Writing is a means of clarifying my inner thoughts. I do this not only for the things that happen to me, but also for the things that interest me. Writing is a means of understanding myself better. Language is the most powerful tool we have as thinking beings, and I mean to use that tool the best way I can. When I'm on my game - when I'm writing at my best - the finished product gives me a huge sense of accomplishment. I'll sometimes go back and read earlier posts of mine just to get a fraction of that feeling.
Why do I make my posts public? Honestly, I like the attention I get from responders. This is a nice controlled way of pontificating, which is one of my dirty little pleasures. Am I perhaps too public? Maybe a little (especially when I'm depressed). I have had coworkers comment on my blog now and then. Anything I write could potentially be made into a headline for the New York Times (unlikely, unless I win the lottery or foil a terrorist plot).
It's also nice to hear opposing viewpoints. I'm not infallible by any means and hearing the other side is a way of testing my views. They stand up to scrutiny, need to be enhanced, or need to be scrapped, depending on the counter arguments I hear.
I do have friends and acquaintances whom I rarely see. Blogging keeps them informed of what I've been up to. It's the same reason I read their blogs.
I have some rules about blogging. I don't talk about work unless it's f-locked. Even then, I've probably written less then five posts about work. Honestly, I program computers for a living - What small amount of excitement it produces does not translate well to a written story ("And then I thought, maybe there's a bug in the compiler itself!").
Another rule is to f-lock something that is likely to get me into trouble if the wrong person reads it. My tolerance for this is pretty high though, so lots of posts exist that aren't f-locked, that should be.
When referring to people, I'll often use oddball initials (these correspond to mnemonics rather then proper names) or knick-names.
Do I plan on changing these things - making the whole thing friends only? No. So far it just hasn't been an issue. I've had to delete a handful of derogatory comments and I've occasionally f-locked a post after the fact. I figure I'm doing alright 99% of the time.
I know a guy on LJ who never fails to piss me off when I read him. Several years ago it occurred to me that I could just not read him. I'm happy to report I did just that. My sister bitched at me once about my blog, I told her it takes less effort to not read my blog then to read it. I figure that's good advice for anyone who would get offended by crude scratchings.
