To Blog or Not to Blog, That is the Question.

I've been thinking recently about the problem of blogging. Why do we blog? Or, more precisely, why do I blog?

This place started as a little personal thing where I just shoved up whatever I felt like. Sometimes I add an url to my comments on other blogs - but more often I replace it with the Vulpes url - which I spend much more time trying to let people know about. I hardly ever add Mock Duck to forums or Facebook - again, far less worried about plonking up Vulpes.

It seems to me that there are a number of main reasons writers blog. One is to publicise themselves, their books, their writing: some people put up reviews and news and snippets and all things "book", others make up a persona or use their blog to explore themes that relate to their writing. The second is is as a personal outlet, where you invite people to follow along with you on key events in your life.The second is to reach out, find like-minded people, test out their thoughts and ideas. All, I suppose, are about attention to some degree.

But when I look at those reasons I'm not sure how they fit Mock Duck. That peculiar reticence I have about letting even my friends on Facebook know about MD suggests I'm not doing a great job of maximising publicity potential. Personal outlet...since starting this blog, when things of big emotional import have happened I haven't mentioned them - a deliberate decision. It just seemed disrespectful somehow. (I know some people think very differently to me about this issue, but whenever I think about it, I come back to the same feeling.)

And so I start questioning the whole thing. If I'm not prepared to create an entertaining persona or fiercely market it for publicity purposes, nor am comfortable creating some sort of online diary where I pour out my feelings to be accessed by friend and foe - what am I actually doing? For what purpose?

(But then - in this respect - is a blog so very different from any sort of writing or even from speech in "real life"? Do you blurt out every private thought to a friend down the pub for that matter?)

And so I go back to the option of reaching out and finding like-minded people. Maybe that is closer to what it's about - for me. Keeping in touch with people I like that I couldn't keep up with in the form of a myriad private email correspondences.

This blog is real, but not real. It is me, but not all of me. It is my opinions and a part of my life, written truthfully and with heart (and sometimes a generous sprinkling of exaggeration) but most of all, I see it as some form of public conversation, hopefully amongst friends. That's the aim, anyway and I'll stick to that, for the moment anyway.

That's my reasoning, but how do you answer these same questions and dilemmas? Does anyone else question why they are blogging or have any difficulties with working out the line between the  public/private divide? Or have any issues with blogging that I haven't even thought of.

 

Comments

[NaomiM]

I think blogging allows us to express different sides of our personalities.
I love your anecdotes and if you didn't have the Mock Duck blogsite we'd all be the poorer for them.
Personally I blog about antiques, and have a webshots account where I upload photos of clouds. If I want to talk about writing I go to you know where ;)
There's nothing in life's little rule book that says we have to do it all in one place.

[Poppy]

This is so interesting (even though it's green and I liked the BLUE ;))

Hmm, I'm not really sure why i started blogging. Certainly not to publicize my writing because I'm not published (yet, yet she says, eyes rolling as she bites the carpet). I doubt very much if I'd ever put up things of significance in my life, or pour out my feelings, even though I hide under a silly name, and completely trust the few online friends who know my real identity. I couldn't talk about 'real life' friends and family in any detail, other than anecdotes, despite the anonymity. I have a very funny pupil, and posted, pretty much verbatim, a couple of conversations we had, then another over the weekend, but removed the latter almost straight away - it just didn't feel quite comfortable.

I agree it can be an opportunity, as Naomi says, to express a particular side of personality, and also have some fun in the process. I think that's pretty much all I've done, so far. 'Real/not real - me/but not all of me.' I like that description - (even though mine's much more flippant and silly than yours!!.)

will think more on't,
pxx (well, not p, but . . ya know . . )

I really like this blog, btw - both the funny stories and the discussions - keep it coming!

[ireneintheworld]

i've been asking myself this very same question recently. i think i began blogging with the idea that i'd keep it up better than a normal journal, and except for a few sparse periods i do. i've always thought of it as writing practice and absolutely didn't want to detail my day-to-day living; i think i wanted a lot more thought in the pieces i posted, which would allow me to practise writing. for example, the most recent post was written to prepare me for a description of a pub i've got to do for the novel i'm working on. i hate straight description and have to justify it with characterisation and backstory or something. so to do several jobs at once i try to concentrate most practice on what will be memoir. you can tell i'm scottish can't you? i hate to waste anything! x

[RosyB]

Naomi! I never knew! Will I get to see you on Antiques Roadshow one of these days. I bet your Antiques blog is still funny, knowing you. Yes, it's funny you say that about different sides. I've recently discovered some people have several personal blogs - my mind goes into a spin just at the thought. It's hard enough to maintain a blog alongside VL duties.

P - you sound a bit like me, feeling your way and when it just feels wrong, it just feels wrong. Perhaps that's all we need to rely on. But it can be a hard line sometimes.

Irene - just the thought of the way you approach things cheers me up. Everything is material for writing or making things or creativity of some sort. I think you are right. That is a completely different, and very good, reason for keeping a blog that I hadn't even thought of. I noticed you posted that pov study about the bag from the pov of a student. I always liked that. I have a horrible feeling I am one of those that is too self-conscious to post experimental bits and bobs here. But I wish I wasn't. Maybe I should try and loosen up.

[ireneintheworld]

yeah loosen up rosy, have some fun experimenting. i forgot to say that i haven't posted my blog address into facebook either because it would be taking away the annonymity of runawaygranny; i don't know if and when i want to do that, wholesale, so to speak. i think runawaygranny is a character in the fact that my real identity is not known, in general, but if i ever went public...as i become famous (!!!) i think i'd have to do an edit! x

[NaomiM]

I have been to the Antiques Roadshow, Rosy, and met the very charming Paul Atterbury - while my mum got told off for taking flash photography while they were trying to film someone on the other table :)