Over on the most excellent Wise Women mailing list someone was asking about blogs — what’s the point, why do people do it?
It sounds like a lot of clutter taking up space on the web
This was my response:
Well, one woman’s clutter is another woman’s treasure…
I like to blog because there’s a chance others might find at least some of what I write interesting and useful. I know I’ve found heaps of fabulous stuff on blogs — how to install MySQL on my MacBook Pro, for example.
I read Dori and Tom’s blog because I’m interested in what they have to say because I know them — from here, and from Webstock, and from a few hours they spent in Wellington.
I write my personal blog at oddity59.geek.nz (sporadically) just because I can, and as a place to put up photos. A few of my friends and family occasionally drop by, but I wouldn’t care if no-one read that blog.
Why do people join mailing lists, such as this one or WW-talk? Because they can. Because of the connections with other human beings. Because of the learning, the sharing, the giving of themselves.
But one of the utmost important things about a blog is that anyone can publish their thoughts for the world to see. If you can type on a computer keyboard you have enough skill to publish a blog. No HTML and CSS required, no degree in computer stuff, no secret handshakes and jiggery-pokery.
This continues a trend that probably began both with the religious texts being translated into the languages of the people (eg English, not Latin), and the hoi polloi learning to read and write.
It’s about stripping away the power from the powerful — the priests, the aristocrats, the media moguls — and allowing the people to have a voice. Vox populi made real.
[And thanks to April for encouraging me to add this spiel to my blog.]
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