The Conundrum of Bloggingcon

So I’ve been thinking…

What is the purpose of blogging? Now that I am blogging again, I have to ask myself the question. Is it an exercise in self-expression? Narcissism? Generosity–sharing the wealth of one’s wisdom? Okay, definitely not that last one. But I hope it is more than screaming into the desert or flashing passersby in Central Park. I hope my blog is a seed that germinates thought. Perhaps a post will encourage someone to look at something differently. Perhaps it will inspire someone to rekindle his or her passion for writing.

Oh who am I kidding? A blog is the grown up version of shouting “look at me!’

When my nephew Ryan was little, whenever I would ask him how he was doing at some new hobby, he’d always reply with the same answer: “I’m AWESOME at it!” Maybe that’s what all of us bloggers are doing. We’re out here in the web-o-verse declaring, “I’m AWESOME at writing.” But I’ve read enough blogs to know that we all are not.

However knowing this, I still find it worth doing. Would I still do it if I thought no one would ever read what I wrote? Wouldn’t that just be a regular old journal or diary? If no one was ever going to read this, would I be more honest? Perhaps not more honest, but more, shall we say, comprehensive. There is a line you can’t cross in blogging. Okay, a line you shouldn’t cross. Because someday you’ll need a new job. Or you’ll need to keep the job you have. Or you’ll be nominated for an academy award and True Hollywood Stories will want to do a special on you.

What? It could happen.