Thursday, November 12, 2009

Why Do You Blog?

I've been wondering lately why others blog. I started my blog for the sheer fun of it and to be able to purge myself of certain ghosts in my past. Apparently, the latter worked, because I no longer feel the need to tell stories of my mother, The Brown Recluse. Nor do I want to tell stories of my lifelong absent father or my brother who used to beat the crap out of me on a daily basis. This would be a good thing, yes? Well, get over it. I'm sure I'll write more about them later, but I feel expunged for now.


I was encouraged to begin a blog by a friend (K. K. @ MidlifeGals) who was having a ball writing with her sister Sal Gal on their own blog. I didn't really know what I wanted or expected from my own blog, so the ideas about what kind of blog I'd have were thrown around for a bit before making that final decision. Above all else I wanted to write a blog where I could say anything and everything I feel like saying (which horrified Mr. Snoots because he's straight-laced like that). It didn't take long to find out that you catch a LOT of flak from people when you speak the truth from your heart, gut, or wherever it comes from. Apparently, you are not allowed to voice opinions without being chastised by hordes of complete and total strangers (fondly referred to as Trolls) who mostly post anonymously. I don't care for that side of blogging in the least, so I play it safe these days which is much less stressful. I didn't start blogging to add more stress to my life, believe me.


Fine. I understood. Sort of. So, I tried writing about humorous things that have happened to me over the years. Yup. You guessed it! I received more flak from a variety of anonymous commenters. Gah... People are so sensitive these days when it comes to something they are passionate about, and it's usually something that I am not in the least passionate or sensitive about. Like rabbits, for instance. Sure, they are cuddly and adorable but they reproduce like... well... rabbits. I'm pretty sure they aren't going to be on the endangered species list anytime soon. So why would anyone care about one jumping in my son's toilet and accidentally drowning (and me breaking into hysterical laughter over it) on my 40th birthday that was now 17 years ago?


So that didn't work out either. Fine again. I knew politics and religion were not something I wanted to write about but I mistakenly did it anyway because surely no one would ever give a rat's ass what I think about anything. No one in my real life does, so why should someone I don't even know care about my thoughts and beliefs? Apparently, their lives were as boring as my own, only they felt the need to reach out and hurt someone.... like me. I have NEVER left a mean or nasty comment on anyone's blog and I never will. If something is said in someone's blog disturbs me, then I move on to another and don't go back. That seems like a *no-brainer* to me, but then I'm confrontation challenged.


So I decided to take yet another turn with my writing and spill my guts to an entire group of people I don't know and likely never would. Although embarrassing to some extent, my stories of growing up were just that. My. Stories. Why would anyone care what my life was like growing up? Surprisingly, readers couldn't get enough of it. However, after so many of those stories, I realized that I no longer felt the need to purge myself of my past. So for that, blogging has been a money-saving and highly successful endeavor. It has honestly been better for me than any amount of therapy could have ever been. I always prefer to have more than one opinion on the twists and turns my life has taken over the years.

Herman Melville put it best when he said, "We cannot live for ourselves alone. Our lives are connected by a thousand invisible threads, and along these sympathetic fibers, our actions run as causes and return to us as results."


Not long after I began blogging I got caught up in the whole comment *tit for tat* thing, which suddenly became a chore. I hate it when things I really like to do, become a chore. It makes me want to stomp my feet and let out a primal scream as I go running off into the abyss. Then I had to take a break because I was beginning to think and act a little crazy. After that, I came back because obviously, I felt happy here in blogland. Now, I think I actually crave everything about my little corner of blogland and it has become somewhat of a *Love Potion No. 9* for me. Or something like that. And, if I don't leave a comment on your blog post from time to time, it just means either I don't know what to say, can't think of something nice to say, or I've had a busy day. That's all it means, nothing more. However, can I just say here that blogging hurts my ass every bit as much as gardening did? There! I said it. The truth is out.



And, I gave up gardening. I'm just sayin'....

Soooooooooo.... What's your excuse?

20 comments:

abb said...

I am so with you on the comment thing. There's just not enough hours in a day to visit, read, comment on everyone I want to. Nice to know I can come by every now and again, enjoy, comment or not and move on.

That said, yours is one of the better written blogs I've had the pleasure of discovering. And I have a good time here every time I visit.
Thank you for that.

Mental P Mama said...

I blog because all my friends live in here;)

Sjn said...

Don't give up blogging, I find you entertaining, and isn't that enough?
I started b/c my girls had one and they set it up for me on my new laptop. I found I liked the creativity of it all, the graphic design part. Now sometimes I just think I really have better things to do with my time and why am I spending it on the computer. So my blogging has become less frequent, but it is a release of sorts, freeing your mind, talking to strangers. It's like my therapist, right?!
I may really need it again too. The roller coaster is about to hit a low again, damn it.
I'll know more next week.
But please, keep posting! I look forward to what you have to say, I love you Snooty!

That Janie Girl said...

Girl! I wouldn't know you if you didn't blog!

I love your blog. Flog 'em, I say. Flog 'em and make them eat peanut butter.

Leave a Legacy said...

OMG, I can't believe we wrote about the same thing today! How weird is that. I think I've told you before that our minds think alike. And it's your blog and you can say whatever you want, soul sister.

Patricia Hannigan said...

It's funny because there are different rules and a different culture in various different blogging niches. I'm generalizing of course but Women's blogs (be they crafting blogs, mommy blogs, design blogs, preppy blogs, etc, seem to be much more community oriented much less competitive than golf blogs. Most golf bloggers the ...niche really only materialized about a year ago... seem to be very reticent to support other golf bloggers for fear that they'll be usurped by them and many male golf bloggers resent female golf bloggers. Of course for that reason there's little pressure to leave tit for tat comments one tends to comment ... as you mention... when one has something really pertinant to say and when one has time....and we don't really worry about it.

In a more bonded supportive niche perhaps I'd find myself more compelled to comment everywhere, daily....which would be exhausting. :o0

Snooty Primadona said...

Patricia: You are so right, as I've found going from this blog to my cooking blog. It's a whole different set of unwritten rules per blog genre. It's like worlds that exist within other worlds. Crazy stuff...

I Am Woody said...

I started blogging as a way to keep me accountable for losing weight. Didn't exactly work out since I am heavier than when I started!!

But it evolved into a diary, a place to write down memories, to dredge up old ones, to blow off steam, to say the things I can't say in real life.

Heather Kerrigan said...

For the money. Absolutely for the money. Why else would anyone blog? lol

Mine started as a creative outlet for my golf stories. It was an effort to get me writing again after years of diapers & playdates.

It developed in a way I didn't expect. I find the writing comes easiest when it is about my personal experiences. I enjoy it most then.

Patricia gave a very good summary of the golf blogosphere. It's like she's been here since the beginning. :o)

Diane said...

I blog because I needed to interact with people. At least that's what started it. After years of being a semi recluse with my youngest daughter (with a disability) I just needed to interact with folks.
I've found some really great people online.
And I've had my say about a few things. And gotten some odd advice.
It's been pretty fun!

noble pig said...

It started as a way to chronicle our vineyard and keep recipes together, now it's a habit, can't stop.

Tracker said...

I don't understand people who repond with nastiness -last I knew blogs are not required reading so if someone objects to the content of a blogger why would they continue to follow the blog?

I got introduced to blogs while looking for an obituary about a vet who had died in an accident. A neighbour of the vet had written a tribute and had a link to their blog and then somehow I got directed to Noble Pig who opened up a whole new world to me. I check out new blogs and quickly dismiss those that I find offensive or irrelevant or just plain boring...have three or four favourites I check every day.

Please Snooty, continue to write whatever the hell you want. I enjoy it all.

Daryl said...

I try very hard to reply to everyone who leaves a comment, of course I dont get 100s of comments so its not all that tough. I also visit everyone on my blog roll almost every day .. but not on weekends, weekends are for getting out and getting beautified™ AND getting photos since showing off my pix was the whole point of my blogging.. since I began 2 yrs ago I have met a lot of fabulous people both here in blogland and in the real world. THEY are why I blog now.

imom said...

"Confrontation challenged", hahahah! I have that affliction too.

I started blogging as a way to keep a journal and share photos. I'm having a blast, even though I get blogger's block now and then. I have made some great cyber friends and enjoy reading their blogs very much!

Green-Eyed Momster said...

I started blogging to voice my opinion. I pissed a lot of people off at first. I'm over it and I hope they are too. I blog because I can't afford a shrink and the one I had said that it was okay to continue using drugs. WTH?

I love my blog because I have met the most wonderful people in the whole world. Even the trolls were amusing at first. They don't visit me much anymore.

Hugs!!

Snooty Primadona said...

For whatever reasons we blog, it's a wonderful world, isn't it?

Anonymous said...

My dear Snoots,

You got me to thinking!

And so I wrote my own blog post about why I do it.

And you can read it right here:
http://www.ittybittycrazy.com/imported-data/2009/11/14/dear-diary-to-blog-or-not-to-blog.html

Pam said...

I blog because I would like to think that someday I might really have written something worth reading, I guess. I think there is a frustrated writer lurking in me!

I love that you are honest and "out there" with your blogs. I have laughed so hard I cried, and cried so hard I couldn't breathe reading your blogs. Please, don't stop. Your observations and comments on life make me feel as though we have known one another forever, yet, sadly, we have yet to have that experience! Yours is one blog I check daily. Thanks for sharing your life with me.

Mariah said...

Sometimes people leave me nasty comments and even take the time to send me emails...they're losers! Don't stop, just takes breaks if you need to. I learn from you! And remember, when you're in that wheelchair I'll be the one sending you marijuana to make your days easier, so I kinda think you don't want to lose contact with me.

Just sayin'

Snooty Primadona said...

Mariah, did I ever tell you I love you girlfriend? No one has ever told me that before and that's all I really want in the end, LOL!

 

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