AlanandVal

Why blog?

The other day I was having a conversation with a friend about blogging.  She's a writer and just recently started blogging.  We were discussing how so many people blog now, the "why's" behind it and what it really means.  Personally I love the fact that so many people blog.  I think so few people really write on a regular basis that it's nice for everyone to "stretch" that part of their brain and put their thoughts on "paper".

I thought about that conversation long after it was over and it made me wonder, why do I blog?
When we started blogging (in 2006) it was something that no one really did.  Not many people knew about blogging and when I would tell someone "it's on our blog" or "you can see the pics on our blog", I usually got a funny look or a confused "uh, ok" in response. Blogging sites were very basic and archaic, offering very little creativity.

Originally I blogged as a way to communicate to our family and friends.  Alan and I have moved a good bit in the past 8 years, and before the days of Facebook, sharing information wasn't quite as easy.  So, I put all of our news in one place and sent out the link.  That way, wherever we were, our family and friends could check in and see what we were up to.

A lot has changed in the past 8 years.  We are more settled now and things like Facebook and Twitter mean that sharing information and staying connected is easier than ever, however we still blog.  Well, I blog.  In the beginning Alan contributed here and there.  He doesn't contribute anymore but he gives me ideas and seems to routinely read the blog (probably to make sure his latest race pics are up!).

So why do I continue to blog when I could just post on Social Media? I blog because I love to write.  At work I write, pretty much all day every day.  I write so much that some days I feel like my brain hurts from finding the words and putting it all together so many times.  However at work I write with constraints.  I write about software or design, I write about machines and advancements, I write about people making announcements about software and machines.  In other words, I write about what people tell me to write about.  My writing gets scrutinized and edited by numerous people in various countries.  The French corporate office corrects my English and I have to convince them (every time) that my use of the English language is correct, even if the French translation doesn't seem to be.

But, when I blog, I get to just write.  I write about what I want to, things/people/events that are important to me. I can vent, be sarcastic and make jokes (even if they are only funny to me).  I can incorporate photos that speak louder than my words can.  Blogging is my writing and no one gets to make any changes!  It's a form of expression, but it also serves as a type of scrapbook of our lives.  Some days I scroll back through the previous posts and it's like taking a walk down memory lane.

So, I blog because it's a form of expression, it lets me write like I love to and it stores all of our memories in one place.

One day something new will come along and take the place of blogging.  And I will probably keep blogging regardless. I'll get those confused responses again when I tell people I blog. It will just be like old times!