Tuesday, January 02, 2007

To Blog or not to Blog

I have been blogging for three and a half years. I started about a month after my friend Ellen did. My friend Genevieve started blogging around the same time. I started blogging because my friends are spread out everywhere and I thought it would be a convenient way to keep in touch. They could check in on my life whenever they wanted. I planned for my blog to be sort of a loose online diary. It worked pretty well. And it enabled me to keep up with friends like Ellen and Genevieve easier. I always miss not getting to be a part of the lives of my friends who live far away. I don't get to hear about day to day stuff or see their kids. So, blogging allowed me to do that. The problem with blogging, though, is that it is a very public forum whether you want it to be or not.

C.S. Lewis said, "we read to know we are not alone." Perhaps today he might say, "We blog and read blogs to know we are not alone."

Ellen has become a very popular blogger. I think her frankness, honesty and sense of humor about her struggles with depression and infertility have really spoken to people. And it doesn't hurt that she is a talented artist and all-around creative person. But I think the pressure of coming up with something day after day and exposing your life for everyone has made her decide to end her blog. I know I will really miss it. I loved getting the chance to check up on Ellen and get a glimpse into how her life is going. I hope she will keep in touch.

In the meantime, I will continue to blog and check in on those friends who still have blogs. And I will continue to read the blogs of a few strangers that I have come across. My new favorite: Knit and Tonic.

Happy blogging.....and happy trails to Ellen.

1 comment:

Genevieve said...

It's true, it is a very public forum. At the New Year's Eve party I went to, I was the only blogger, and people were fascinated. They wanted to know what I write about. (I have little cards now with the address so I gave them out) I tried to explain that I don't write about other people, other than in a general context, I don't write about work, and I don't write about things that might be embarrassing later on. (even though I might tell them to you in person) I got a lot of "oh, so your blog is BORING" then, and honestly, I don't think it is! But maybe I'm biased.