With blog being the top search word according to Mirriam-Webster, with Cre8d-journal’s photo album of bloggers, with O’s drawings and connexions blogger autograph project I thought I’d try a Bene D blogging project.

Why do you blog?
I received some great responses.
Whimisical, funny, thoughtful, wistful.
If you’d like to participate and encourage these bloggers, leave your John Hancock and URL. (Sorry about the trackback pings, I did preview, but my coding skills aren’t any better than when I started. Oh, and I know MT has an extended entry feature, and I did look at the help menu, yeah, yeah, yada, yada - as clear as pea soup. I’ve never figured this extended entry thing out. Coding skills…and all that.:^) I suspect that puts me in the norm range with my fellow bloggers.
Blog on!

Notes in the Key of Life
Why do I blog? Why do you blog?
Bene of Bene Diction Blogs On is asking bloggers to answer the question: why do you blog? He then wants you to post the link in his comments section.

So…why do I blog?

Well, in my case, it helps satisfy a need for written self-expression that has been a part of me since I first learned to string together sentences on paper. Writing has always been an outlet for me.

An outlet, but not always necessarily a private one. As a radio personality, I enjoy interaction with listeners. As a news announcer, I enjoy imparting information to people that they might not otherwise hear. As a blogger, I find my self eager to share things with my readers–fun stuff, trivia, my thoughts and opinions on books, music, entertainment, politics, faith.

When I read or hear or experience something, I want to share it. Sharing it in writing is fun and enjoyable for me.

I suppose that, in a nutshell, is why I blog. I want to write for others to read, and this is the easiest way I know how.

Coffee Spills
I’d always written–letters, essays, poetry. I’d send my essays to friends–but when viruses became such a problem, I thought a blog might be safer. Then it took on a life of its own and I now have 5 blogs (coffeespills is the newest).

I recently joined “Homespun bloggers” which is a family friendly blog group who don’t blog in connection with their profession. Since I’m retired and don’t even KNOW any bad words, seemed like a natural for me. It also has a radio/audio option.

I’d say for me, it’s self-expression too. (However, it’s also quite possible that I *must* do it in order to unclog my brain, but that doesn’t sound as lovely as “self-expression.”) And — based on too many of the hits I get, SOME people think I’m doing something else altogether on my site. (Well, I did choose the name — and darn it, I’m gonna stand by it!)

woship naked
I’d say for me, it’s self-expression too. (However, it’s also quite possible that I *must* do it in order to unclog my brain, but that doesn’t sound as lovely as “self-expression.”) And — based on too many of the hits I get, SOME people think I’m doing something else altogether on my site. (Well, I did choose the name — and darn it, I’m gonna stand by it!)

The Cat’s Cradle
I blog because it is the one place I can say what I want to say out loud and without interruption.

I love it for the same reason.

Scraps of Me
Today, via Cindy Swanson’s blog I found the above question posted on Bene Diction Blogs On. You post the answer on your blog and then post in Bene’s comments, linking to it.

So, today I’ve been thinking about why exactly it is that I blog.

Part of it is because I enjoy keeping a journal. I’m also a computer geek. So blogging satisfies both of these joys in my life. I also blog because I hope that what I write - one day - might make an impact on one reader. Even if it makes one person stop and think about their life, about their decisions about….well….anything then I feel as though I’ve made a difference.

In today’s world, thanks to computers and the internet, each individual voice has been given tremendous power. Why not use it?

How about you? Why do you blog?

I Was Just Thinking
I began keeping a blog because I thought readers of my novels might find it interesting to “watch” the book creation process from start to finish via a blog. But there are only so many times a person can say, I wrote today, before it gets boring. So the blog evolved into an extension of me. I write about my writing life. I write about my spiritual life. I write about my personal life.

One reporter who visited my blog before conducting an interview said reading it was like coming into my kitchen and visiting with me over a cup of coffee. I like that, because that’s the sort of novels I write too.

Serenity Dawn
I blog because no-one has the time/inclination to sit and listen to me in “real life” - and sometimes I just want to say something. I also blog because I’m part of a network of the most fascinating people on the planet - folk who consistently challenge and support me, and help me grow into someone I never thought I could be. It’s what keeps me going some days.

Ian’s Messy Desk
1) In the beginning Ian created his blog and the blog was void and without form.
2) And blogging seemeth good for the content of his daily e-mail Note of the Day; the organization and tracking thereof.
3) On the second day, the creator of names didst look upon Ian’s work space and judged it to be a messy desk and thus the name was given and it was good.
4) On the third day Ian didst spread his hands across the page and with CSS the content was separated from the menu bar.
5) On the fourth day Ian createth posts to live upon the content. In myriad forms and oft with reflection of the blog title did he post; both devotionals and personal development; computer tips and links; humour, both low and high did he post. And readers did look upon the posts and said, “it was good.”
6) On the fifth day Ian didst create a blogroll; both male and female were added to the roll and Ian said, “be fruitful and supply content that can be attributed upon the messy desk.” The trackbacks cometh and it was good.
7) On the sixth day Ian did open the wells of syndication and content was delivered unto the computer. And Ian didst look upon the system and it was very good. On the seventh day Ian did rest, yet in vain. Yea verily, evil had entered the community and set itself upon the comment page. All manner of medication to improve function, pictures without clothing and games of chance didst inflict themselves upon the blog.
9) In his wrath, Ian did raise his hand to destroy the total blog and consign the evil comments to a perdition of no links. And lo, a plugin did arise to bestow mercy upon the blog; to vanquish the spam and save the posts. And once again, all was good.

Living Room
My reasons for blogging have changed quite a bit since I started. Originally I just wanted a place to record my journey, to keep ideas and to talk out loud as I sorted through what I was doing and thinking. I also saw it as something of a discipline that would help shape and refine me. I reflect upon these reasons now and think it was a fairly insular view of blogging - all about me really. My ideas soon evolved to also include a relational aspect to blogging.

It didn’t take long to realize that blogging wasn’t just about bloggers themselves but that it was a medium that had incredible potential to connect people with one another. Blogging became about mutual learning relationships, sharing ideas and experiences and building friendships.

connexions
Bene Diction asks, “Why do you blog?”
It’s a good question. When I started blogging (Feb 2001) I was interested in the various communications tools that the internet offered. I started blogging before I really knew what blogging was. I also set up a Christian wiki (compass) and a discussion board system (which has since died). I was convinced that wiki would turn out to be the next big thing on the internet. I was wrong.

Now I blog because it gives me a place to get things off my chest and occasionally test run some ideas before they end up in sermons, newsletters, talks and the other things I’m called on to prepare. I also blog because I’m a preacher and, whilst I hope I don’t preach on the blog (very often!), it is an opportunity to share what the good news of Jesus means. Wesley had his pamphlets. I have my blog.

Most of all, I blog for the sense of worldwide community. Through it I’ve linked up with many people I’ve never met who I’d like to think I can call friend. Maybe it is because this blog has never really “taken off” in a big way, but the conversation in the comments is almost always civil, enlightening and fun. I like that.

Joel Thomas - connexions
Why do I semi-blog? Yeah, the interactions are great. But I’ve perhaps got the best of all worlds, as I can post but someone else gets to do the hard work of maintaining a site, dealing with spam, etc.:^)

Rambling Folkie
The sense of community with people on the other side of the world who you’ve never met is something unique, and an amazing thing to be part of!

Sunday Blogging
I began blogging as a way to share my study of the texts with my clergy friends when the snow began and we would not be able to get together for our weekly text study.
The snow didn’t come, or rather it came but just enough to make one wonder if it had really started, and I decided that I would continue blogging the texts because it was a good way to spend my time, what with being unemployed and all.
I have continued blogging because I now have a hard time thinking what I would do did I not have that outlet. I post almost every day, sometimes taking Tuesdays off because of spending the time with friends and then my mentor/counselor.
I am working now on a set of posts with the lessons for the Christmas season, from Christmas Eve to Epiphany, and will post them the end of this week. It feels as though I have found a ministry, though I don’t think many have found it yet.