I started a blog. Why?

[TheBrew]

I've had a few blogs. One was pretty much a stream of consciousness rant of how Nixon was a bad-ass motherfucker. One was comic reviews where I would randomly pick up a few issues from a series and review them; that fell apart after I moved away from my comic shop which sold a bunch of bundles of back issues. My longest lasting blog was a poker blog which lasted for a good while but I stopped played when I stopped playing for a living.

I am not terribly good at the diary thing.

 

[tomalak301]

I have a Livejournal page, but I really don't blog much. There isn't much to say that asks the question "Do people really care what I write?" I'm also on Twitter (Both accounts in my Sig) but don't use that much. Really just use it as a news source. If I had a good reason to post more on LJ, than I would probably do so. Right now though, sometimes I forget it's even there.

 

[Gryffindorian]

Well, a lot of times, I write what I feel like writing because I want to vent. Whether or not people decide to listen is a totally different story.

 

[Hunter X]

I've often thought of starting a blog, then realize that I would get too self-conscious simply writing about myself and wouldn't use it more than once or twice. So instead I take at least one photo a day and post it on Facebook. That probably says more about something that's happened that day than any words I'd write.

That said, I envy those with the talent and imagination to write a good blog.

 

[Mr. B]

About seven years ago I started keeping a journal of sorts on my website. The lone purpose at the time was to have some content, any content, with a recent date on it so it looked like the site was updated regularly. I don't write all that frequently anymore so it might degenerate into something resembling a blog in the coming months.

 

[trekkiedane]

Technically, I have a Blog, as I'm on LJ.

Being on LJ means having a blog I only am there to communicate with T-BBSers when T-BBS is down

 

[trampledamage]

Technically, I have a Blog, as I'm on LJ.

Being on LJ means having a blog I only am there to communicate with T-BBSers when T-BBS is down

Well, I think you actually have to post stuff to say you have a blog

I have an LJ account, but by no stretch of the imagination could you say I have a blog!

 

[TheKeeper]

Why did I do this? I have been perfectly content without a blog for the last umpteen years, but tonight, for whatever reason, I decided to create one. I think I've just been extra bored lately and have been needing an outlet with which to ramble about my life. It also gives me an excuse to write, which is a hobby I have sadly been neglecting for a good long while.

Ideally, I'd like my blog to have purpose. I don't just want to babble about the random nonsense that happened during my day. I'd like it actually be ABOUT something. I think I might use it to try and write stories. It'll be more motivating for me to actually write them if I know somebody is waiting to see what happens next. Truthfully, I only have one friend who will likely even bother to read this blog, so for now, most of my posts will be directed at her.

Do you have a blog? Does it have a function?

Definitely I recommend having a specific theme or topic if you care about building regular traffic or a long-term readership.

I had a blog for a little more than a year, but dropped it a few months ago. I wrote mostly of several recurring but unrelated things (writing, retro-themed entertainment and technology, custom cat furniture and so on.) Low traffic and lack of comments didn't discourage me nearly as much as the trend I saw in search results. Most people were finding my posts while they were looking for something else entirely. Case in point -- people searching for "bunk beds" would land on my posts about the bunk beds I built for my cats!

I've decided that the type of writing I do (recreationally, anyway) would be better served by a website of static pages, with occasional updates and additions, rather than the more ephemeral nature of a blog.

In any case, good luck with the blog! It can be more rewarding for the writer and the readers than the cacophonies of more recent social networks.

 

[Amaris]

Well, a lot of times, I write what I feel like writing because I want to vent. Whether or not people decide to listen is a totally different story.

Yep. I know for me, I just have to tell something. It doesn't even have to be a living person. Just somewhere where I can pour out my thoughts, to get them off my mind.

 

[RJDiogenes]

Technically, I have a Blog, as I'm on LJ.

Being on LJ means having a blog I only am there to communicate with T-BBSers when T-BBS is down

Well, I think you actually have to post stuff to say you have a blog

I have an LJ account, but by no stretch of the imagination could you say I have a blog!

Oh, I've Posted stuff two or three times.

 

[Holdfast]

Why did I do this?

Ideally, I'd like my blog to have purpose.

Do you have a blog? Does it have a function?

Hmm, I sort of feel the same way. I like the idea of a blog, and am a pretty opinionated person in some ways (ok, make that many ways) but somehow that doesn't seem enough to make a blog worthwhile.

I don't want to do a "lifestyle" blog because of the one-upmanship that many of them seem to devolve into; a political/current affairs theme seems like idle intellectual masturbation that no-one else will read; and a journal/diary format would be too personal for me to want to broadcast publicly.

What's left? Not quite sure yet. I have lots of vague interests that I dabble in, but no one overriding passion. Probably why I don't have a blog!

Well, just to follow up on this, I have now started a blog.

I have a rough concept of what I want it to be, but I'm going to wait until a few weeks in before I let others know the address, just to see if I can keep it going over that time.

Thanks RoJoHen for providing a bit of inspiration to finally get me to do it, by starting this thread.

 

[RoJoHen]

Oh, anytime.

 

[Holdfast]

Oh, anytime.

I'll decide whether you're truly worthy of thanks after a few more weeks of keeping it going.

So far, I've been able to post something daily. For me, 4 days is pretty impressive consistency for something like this.

 

[TheBrew]

I actually decided to start a new blog as well. It is to test out my theory that hummus goes with everything. I figure that a blog with a purpose will be easier to maintain. And it should be entertaining (for me anyways).

http://morehummus.blogspot.com/

 

[Holdfast]

I actually decided to start a new blog as well. It is to test out my theory that hummus goes with everything. I figure that a blog with a purpose will be easier to maintain. And it should be entertaining (for me anyways).

http://morehummus.blogspot.com/

I wish you luck in your brave venture. May your stomach never be smaller than your eyes.

I finally got round to starting a blog too: http://beyondanomie.wordpress.com/

A few self-indulgent musings on things that interest me, and hopefully one or two others too.