2 May 2009

Why do people blog?

I recently had a friend of mine ask me "why do I blog?" and that leads me to my new post. Quite an interesting question and it really got my thinking. Why do I blog? or rather Why do people blog? Before I started this post, I researched on google.com the same question...and found many interesting blogs based on the same. So my post is no different than many of the other bloggers on the world of net.

But interestingly, I feel like writing my reasons for blogging. There are many people who express themselves in different ways, some people talk...some people sing, some people share jokes, and some people write. Blogging in a way is no different than expressing ourselves. The only difference is people who chose to write, think they are better at communicating through words than any other mode of communication.

I started writing diaries during my late teens as a mean of letting out emotions that I couldn't express vocally, or probably that I didn't want anyone else to know. I gave it up when my mom got her hands on my diaries. Of course it only helped my bonding with her in that stage of life, but I gave it up since my friendship with my mother didn't require me to write anymore. I recently started blogging to write about things that I would normally wouldn't discuss or speak about or rather on topics that aren't really supposed to be 'discussed' with anyone because they are either really not that important or they aren't that a big deal.

I realised that I enjoyed blogging. I liked the fact that I could have my own world where I could express my thoughts, emotions, and feelings, without trying to impress anyone.


But lately, I realised that I have become more commercial and ended up writing stuff that I wanted people to read and comment on. I have a friend who started blogging around the same time that I did and he used to end up getting 150-180 comments on his blog. I started envying him, because I started questioning my ability of writing. Am I not writing good enough for people to read my posts?? Why don't I get as many comments as him??
I ended up writing blogs that I wasn't really anxious on posting, but which i thought would attract a lot of comments. My blogs like 'Women's Dictionary', 'Why should boys have all the fun' and the 'automated system blog' definitely attracted a lot of people, but I started losing my soul in the writing.

I started writing posts and topics that got people reading my posts. It was a nice feeling, but the question that my friend asked me, made me realise that I had forgotten the real purpose of why I had started writing, and hence I write this post today....to get back to the root of my blog..My 'about me' used to say that I write to share what I feel, with other people who feel the same way. But it ended up happening the other way round. I started writing what other people WANTED to read, instead of writing what I felt. I compared my old posts like no-time-to-stand-and-stare and 'Dreams' where I used to know that I mean all those things..

I always want to meet like-minded people who have the same interests as mine and hence I promise myself, that from now on, I would only write and publish posts that reflect me as a person and if that gets people to my blog..fair enough...but if not, I would assume that there aren't many people who are like me, which would eventually make me UNIQUE. Feels nice...doesn't it?

So next time you are posting something on your blog, think..WHY ARE YOU WRITING THAT POST? Maybe it will give you a new perspective.

Hopefully you will visit my blog again...(haha, no harm publicising...it will take time for me to get over my commercialising approach)

Adios...Ciao

13 comments:

magiceye said...

wonderful analysis!
now you have one more committed follower of your blog!
happy blogging!

10V said...

So nice..Thanks dude...appreciate it.

Razzer said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Razzer said...

Tanvi.........man, I wanna say something here about your "about me" analysis...though Im dead sure u'd be ready for counter arguments to wotever I say, I'll say it nevertheless.

In my opinion...Your 'about me' is jus as interesting...screw the comments. But it largly depends on HOW you write it..how you display your thoughts...how well you sell your writings to whoever wants to read...including you yourself.

People will BUY - If HOW you write it - is attractive.

Now....this doesn't mean u will be writing to please others. NO. This is jus to be creative..to make it interesting. U get??

For eg: Read these 2 lines.

1) Hello, my name is Tanvi.

2) Hey yo all, Wanna know mah name?? It's Tanvi with a capital T. Besides I'm an alpha numeric girl....add a 1, add a 0 and add a V..and that's me - 10V.

Which one wud u prefer reading? Both have the same meaning. I hope u getting my point.

Besides...I always enjoyed your posts. Uh..and that guy u talked bout..is me?? Hee..;-)

10V said...

@anand: I am not denying what you said andy...I know exactly what u r saying...and i agree.

All I am saying is you and I have different genres of writing.

You know very well, that I always used to write for just myself and the fact that I started competing with u is where I went wrong.

Thats why I needed a wake up call...and thats the only reason I wrote this blog.

U still rock man...no doubt. Dont misunderstand me.

अनिल कान्त said...

Really so many thoughts !!
this is really intresting post and u write it very well. I like it very much

मेरी कलम - मेरी अभिव्यक्ति

10V said...

thank u anil kant...

Appreciate ur comments..

Deepanjan Ghosh said...

Read "Why I Write" by George Orwell.

Bala said...

Hey Tanvi..

Really a nice post..

to me, blogging is just expressing ourselves.. its a way by which we can say loud in the web that we wnated to say... ppl who like it will come back.. else why should we care....

if we write about the things that inspired us to write about it.. or our thoughtful expressions..then it would reflect the change that was happening within over that period of time, when u look into ur blog after a long time..

but if we write for others' comments, it would ultimately lead us to loose our own identity and we would not be able to see ourselves in our own blog...

10V said...

Thank u so much bala. I am glad atleast there is someone who feels the same way.

See u soon.

ARUNA said...

haha that was a very good analysis!Though i love writing i'm not so good at it like u all.....so my strength is cooking, and i always try to post something which not many people wud have made!!!!

Good post....keep writing!

Priti the blogger said...

Loved ur blog very much .. Infact whatever you have written is do damn true. I feel as if I am reading my own thoughts ;)

10V said...

Thank u so much ____ , I am sorry ur blog doesnt give ur name..

But thanks so much for visiting