Reflections on Blogging
December 11, 2008
In October, I wrote about the value of blogging. Today, Meg Roberts reflects on her blogging experience:
Meg gets it. As blogging pessimists continue to write about the death of the individual blog, and suggest that we all quit and leave the activity up to professionals, Meg reminds us why blogging can be so personally rewarding. I am sure there are benefits to maintaining a blog that has incredibly high readership and many subscribers; but the best part of blogging is hearing from the people who are genuinely interested in what you have to say. The contacts you can make and the respect you can earn in the blogosphere is truly amazing. So much so, that I find it fascinating when other college students (and even professors and others) refuse to believe there is any value in blogging. No matter how many of my peers agree with my assessment, and no matter how many feel inspired by what Meg has to say; only a small number will give blogging a chance, and even fewer will stick with it. Some will claim to have no time (though this is an often questionable excuse when you look at how they spend the time they do have), others will admit to lacking motivation, and many will claim they don't have anything interesting to say. With as many people as the blogosphere reaches, I'm confident that there is always someone interested in whatever you might have to say, and once they find it, you'll both feel glad you blogged it.
It recently hit me how dramatically my life has changed in the past year that I’ve been blogging. In twelve months, I have graduated from college, moved from Florida to the Nation’s Capital, left my family, interned at a prestigious public affairs firm, landed my dream job, and interacted with brilliant people from around the world.
Almost all of these milestones are a direct result of this blog. That may sound exaggerated, but it’s not. Launching my blog has significantly influenced my life in many ways, especially in my professional career, but more importantly – blogging has made me more appreciative of everything I have achieved so far and more willing to help others reach their own milestones.
Meg gets it. As blogging pessimists continue to write about the death of the individual blog, and suggest that we all quit and leave the activity up to professionals, Meg reminds us why blogging can be so personally rewarding. I am sure there are benefits to maintaining a blog that has incredibly high readership and many subscribers; but the best part of blogging is hearing from the people who are genuinely interested in what you have to say. The contacts you can make and the respect you can earn in the blogosphere is truly amazing. So much so, that I find it fascinating when other college students (and even professors and others) refuse to believe there is any value in blogging. No matter how many of my peers agree with my assessment, and no matter how many feel inspired by what Meg has to say; only a small number will give blogging a chance, and even fewer will stick with it. Some will claim to have no time (though this is an often questionable excuse when you look at how they spend the time they do have), others will admit to lacking motivation, and many will claim they don't have anything interesting to say. With as many people as the blogosphere reaches, I'm confident that there is always someone interested in whatever you might have to say, and once they find it, you'll both feel glad you blogged it.
It seems to me blogging had many valuable benefits for the individual (I know my experience has been great) but it also is good for society as well. I say that because it takes discussions and makes the public. In some respects its similar to the "penny press" except that it allows for true conversations.
And whether we like it or not, any non-anonymous blog is an online resumé. It shows original thought, it shows engagement with the new digital world. And it requires community (so I've linked here:)