So, why write a blog...
This is a hard question for me to answer - lord knows that I don't really have time for one. I wrote a travel blog once for a month back in 2007, and no one (absolutely no one) read it. So, what's the purpose of writing something that you don't have time to write and that no one will ever read?
Answered simply, there are three reasons:
1) I need to increase my writing speed. What I really need to do is write scientific papers faster, but I believe that any practice turning the thoughts in my brain to cohesive sentences on paper will make me a better writer, no matter how different the two writing types are. This blog is an experiment to try to make me better at my job.
2) Writing a blog is sort of like writing a diary, right? Except that you get free, automatic backup so that you can read your thoughts 30 years from now, even if your house burns down in the interim. That might be helpful. Plus, I type faster than I write, so having a digital diary is way better than writing one out longhand, yikes. But still, why share it publicly...?
3) Maybe someone will read it. Hopefully someone I don't know at all. I have gleaned a lot of thought-provoking information about the human condition by perving unnoticed on random blogs, and I do feel a push to contribute back to the pool. It's quite fun when you discover some stranger's blog and you get a little peek into their family, home, and world. Quaint though it may be, sometimes it amazes me how similar we all are.
I still haven't decided whether or not to tell my friends and family about this blog. Maybe I should have two blogs, one for the strangers and one "sanitized" version for the family. For me, this would sort of defeat the purpose - and take more time - since I want to present the same window into my world that I have seen in others. One where I can unabashedly post photos every day of my cat/dinner/husband looking silly without worrying what my coworkers or mother would think. I want to be honest. And that should be preserved somewhere.
Here is my cat sitting on my butt. This is not an unusual occurrence in our household.
Answered simply, there are three reasons:
1) I need to increase my writing speed. What I really need to do is write scientific papers faster, but I believe that any practice turning the thoughts in my brain to cohesive sentences on paper will make me a better writer, no matter how different the two writing types are. This blog is an experiment to try to make me better at my job.
2) Writing a blog is sort of like writing a diary, right? Except that you get free, automatic backup so that you can read your thoughts 30 years from now, even if your house burns down in the interim. That might be helpful. Plus, I type faster than I write, so having a digital diary is way better than writing one out longhand, yikes. But still, why share it publicly...?
3) Maybe someone will read it. Hopefully someone I don't know at all. I have gleaned a lot of thought-provoking information about the human condition by perving unnoticed on random blogs, and I do feel a push to contribute back to the pool. It's quite fun when you discover some stranger's blog and you get a little peek into their family, home, and world. Quaint though it may be, sometimes it amazes me how similar we all are.
I still haven't decided whether or not to tell my friends and family about this blog. Maybe I should have two blogs, one for the strangers and one "sanitized" version for the family. For me, this would sort of defeat the purpose - and take more time - since I want to present the same window into my world that I have seen in others. One where I can unabashedly post photos every day of my cat/dinner/husband looking silly without worrying what my coworkers or mother would think. I want to be honest. And that should be preserved somewhere.
Here is my cat sitting on my butt. This is not an unusual occurrence in our household.
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