Why blog? What's the point?

The lovely blogger DillyTante has asked bloggers to join her bloghop about why we blog. There are some really interesting answers already, but I thought I'd add my voice.

Why do I blog?

Primarily because I enjoy writing. I used to write a diary, and in fact still am writing diaries noting the key events in my daughters' lives. I hope to give them this when they are older. But for a wider audience? I figured it would be a way of disciplining myself to write more regularly, and to be honest I was curious as to whether anyone would be interested in what I have to say. It turns out that quite a lot of people are, which is kind of nice.

What do I get from it?

A way of ranting. I live in a quiet village where I don't know many people. I certainly don't know any people who would be interested in the subjects I rant about. The blogging community has become a kind of second home for me. Friends? Not quite. But a group of intelligent people with lots to say, and interesting opinions on everything from crafts to cooking to politics to life. I also save money, as I rarely buy magazines at inflated international prices.

Is it trivial and is that OK sometimes?

Yes. Last week I ranted about the nuisance that is raking up leaves in autumn. You don't get much more trivial and first world problem than that. I am perfectly happy to write about trivial issues. But I do try to counter that with opinionated rants about non trivial issues such as feminism, rape, politicians and parenting issues. It's perfectly OK to be trivial, or not. It's my blog, and I choose what goes into it.

Why should people be interested in what I write?

They shouldn't be, necessarily. They can choose to read or not. If it isn't interesting to some then I figure it might be interesting to others. It isn't actually always interesting to me. I mean, leaves falling off trees? That's as bad as blogging about paint drying. But it was annoying me on that particular day, so I wrote about it. I don't expect anyone to care, but if people do then that's great too.

Do I care if they are not?

No, not really, though I do try to write interesting posts most of the time. I love that people read what I have to say, I'd be lying if I said I didn't. So I care about my readers. But that won't stop me doing the odd pointless rant, because I can.

If I blog just for me, why do it publicly?

It started out just for me, but it's more than that now. It's a community and we help each other, discuss with each other, and even have public spats from time to time.

What value do I think I add to the world by blogging?

On a global scale, none. But if something I post makes someone stop and think, or helps them speak out about something, then that to me is valuable. I also think that the blogging community is a powerful voice. It's nice to be a part of that.

Do I feel defensive about blogging?

No. I did, when I had thinner skin and nasty comments hurt more. When people dismiss bloggers as being pointless pub bores I just ignore it. We know that there is more to it than that. There is a blog for everyone out there. They cover every subject imaginable. Some are well written, some are pretty awful. But there is a massive choice, and people who criticise the blogging world really need to read some more blogs, or just ignore us.