Why I Blog

      As someone who is very new to the world of blogging, this article opened my eyes not only to some of the reasons for blogging, but also to the hidden world blogging can open up for a writer. I had heard of blogs, and those who gain fame by posting their daily lives on the web for complete strangers to read, and could not truly understand why one would welcome such a complete lack of privacy. My view of blogs was so limited that I dismissed them as an online diary, something I personally would never partake in. However, reading Andrew Sullivan's piece "Why I Blog," brought to my attention the potential for sharing and discussing current events; the writer's essentially raw reaction to those events that have literally just happened is something unheard of in newspapers or other periodicals. The ability of the readers to immediately respond to the piece, be it correcting the author or simply sharing their own experiences, gives them a much stronger voice and connection to the author. While this leaves the author much more vulnerable to criticism and attack, I feel it offers the opportunity to view the world from a much wider perspective, and to create an overall stronger writer.
       One of the most interesting points in this piece, in my opinion, is Sullivan's referral to his readers as "friends." The connection shared between author and reader, created by instantaneous responses and shared experience truly offers the potential for an author to know his or her readers. The author's posting of his or her true feelings and responses also demands a sort of trust from readers; the author writes from the heart knowing that he or she may recieve praise, criticism, tips for improvement, or any number of responses. Reflecting on my original opinion of bloggers, I now see them as writers whose goal it is to share current events and news with their own opinions and twists; this takes a sort of bravery, not knowing exactly what readers will do or say.
       Overall, I now see blogging as a legitimate form of writing; it is truly its own style but is legitimate nonetheless. Bloggers are a more modern breed of writers; they share events as they occur, without checking facts and sources and relying on editors to ensure each piece is perfect. They do not ignore the responses or corrections of their readers, but rather rely on them to be the very best and most reliable sources within the web. While blogging does allow for personal opinions or skewing of events, this is expected, and readers will make their voices heard if they disagree with the words of a blogger. I found Sullivan's piece to be a very enlightening view into the world of blogging; I now feel a little more prepared to voice my opinion to the world, and to see what my readers may have to say to me.