On blogging
I’ve come a long way in my thoughts about blogs. Believe it or not, I started tadfad with the express intent to keep it entirely free of my personal narrative. I wanted to treat it more like a newspaper opinion column. Over the past three years, my focus and the voice I use here has changed significantly. (I didn’t even use the word I for a long time!)
Why do I write a blog?
I find that the exercise of writing is both stimulating and cathartic. It really helps me sort out my thoughts and develop a coherent world view. I don’t think it’s any coincidence that as I’ve written over the years about politics and economics that my theories on the world have coalesced around a unifying theory. Writing forces you to take the constant chatter that runs through your head and develop sentences that flow together in a logical flow. It’s not always easy, but it’s extremely useful in sorting through it all.
There was a time when keeping a public record of my personal views and beliefs would be taboo. That time has passed. If anything, I think that an active blog is an asset when it comes to professional development and resume building. Sure, tadfad isn’t exactly focused on one specific topic, but over the years I’ve demonstrated that I have ideas and know how to express them. This is a plus.
Finally, there’s the benefit of archiving. The beauty of the modern blog engine (thanks, Wordpress!) is that it’s very easy to archive and retrieve old posts. Every now and again I like to go back a year or two and recall what was floating through my mind back then. I eagerly look forward to hitting the 10-year milestone and cruising back through all years of data. Maybe I’ll publish my favorites in book. (Just in case the internet crashes.)
Here’s my pitch: start a blog. It’s free, it’s fun, it’s mentally stimulating, it’s a nice line-item for your resume, and it’s a great way to allow your friends/family to keep in touch. And while you’re at it, start an account on Flickr to share your digital photos.
(Plus if you really take a shining to it, you can ask Google to kindly put some ads on your site and send you some of the profits. Thanks, Google!)
Filed under Uncategorized : Comments (1) : Nov 19th, 2007 by tadfad
November 19th, 2007 at 21:56
I would have to second all of the above. ActionsTalk.com (my blog)has been up since July and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the experience of recording thoughts, analyzing news and the like, and growing my web development skills. Not everyone will understand the whos, whats, and whys that come with having a blog but that is probably because they are old. Others will respond with ‘L’oser or Nerd but thats probably because they are intellectually insecure. I agree: you should start a blog. Even when its difficult to write, stick with it. The discipline that goes along with a daily post will truly change a person.
http://actionstalk.com