bottledworder

102 responses to “Why read blogs?”

1. 

   kelihasablog

   November 30, 2012

   I read the other blogs and look at the photography because they always inspire me… 😀 I really just don’t have enough time to really get around as much as I’d like.

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2. 

   happyflowerwordzoo002

   November 30, 2012

   Superb questions/responses, reminding me of reasons I write. I first posted just to hear feedback about the writing. I was in the now defunct WLS group. Quickly I was introduced to ‘blogging’ as a way to connect and develop a community that fit with an at-home lifestyle. I did not anticipate this social aspect of blogging and it is one of the greater rewards. I was also, at that time, introduced to just going out and visiting blogs – sampling. I enjoyed finding so many poets, pundits and opinions. Enjoyed the reflection prompted by this post.

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3. 

   ankoku1331

   November 30, 2012

   I read blogs because many of them provide a view point that you cannot get from professionals. I read blogs because they entertain me. I read blogs because they have inspired me and I read blogs often to see what not to do.

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4. 

   Jason Anderson

   November 30, 2012

   Great article and, you’re right, awesome comments. I agree with the folks who say meeting other writers and getting exposure to their work — different worlds, different viewpoints are just a click away. And the randomness is beautiful – each blogger I “meet” expands my world a least a little bit (and my favorites are the ones who keep it expanding)!

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5. 

   electronicbaglady

   November 30, 2012

   I like to read blogs because of the connection to a real person rather than something mediated and manipulated to achieve an effect. So the authenticity,item has a big tick from me, along with personal experience.

   I am interested to see people saying they read blogs because they write them. For me it’s the opposite. I write because I read. It was a while before I blogged even though I had been reading for a long time, and indeed blogging intermittently for a fair time. Reading eventually gave me confidence to try my own. The experiences and insights and opinions stimulated me to thinking and wanting to share my own thoughts. It’s an opportunity for a conversation or piece of self-expression which might not exist in my “real” 3D life.

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   1. 

      happyflowerwordzoo002

      November 30, 2012

      Interesting. I read quite a few first before I got brave enough to post. I like/enjoy the variety of self-expression.

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   2. 

      bottledworder

      November 30, 2012

      I find it very interesting how you express authenticity of blogs.

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6. 

   tf141soldier

   November 30, 2012

   I’m going to have to agree with the most recent comment – it’s a way to get to see inside someone’s head, how they work and what not. Reading yours is a way to figure out your philosophy and what not. Very good question.

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7. 

   Jae

   November 30, 2012

   I feel like blogs are a way to get to know people, especially fellow writers. Sometimes they are able to express an experience or piece of advice in a way I hadn’t considered, or even in a way slightly different than I would have approached it and it opens up even better pondering. I get to meet great people, many of them with very different beliefs than me and yet with blogging I’m able to find the common ground and realize that even though we might not agree on everything there’s something we can come together on.

   Thanks for posing the question!

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8. 

   N Filbert

   November 30, 2012

   very interesting – the questions and responses – advisable variety of queries to anything we do / read / hear / engage –
   the images are “at the ready” through trusted bloggers – not a stack of heavy art books for triggering each morning
   i do read more books than blogs – but scan texts of blogs in a similar way to artistic images – like a portable compendium of book-parts – little vitamins of words before plunging in to more sustained meals
   -and the respect of attention – if anyone is going to read me, it becomes dialogue, and i must listen
   (are some of my thoughts)

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9. 

   Merry Insouciant

   November 30, 2012

   I like good writing (hence, why I follow this blog), thoughtful and/or funny writing, and to hear people’s stories. I think the world of mainstream writing–and I’ll take straight news writing out of this equation, and keep it to creative non-fiction and personal essay and the like–is an incredibly closed world. Much of the writing is fantastic, but it oftentimes it is just the writing of a narrow group with similar life experiences over and over. When OpenSalon was a robust site, there were a couple of bloggers I read regularly writing movingly and well about caring for elderly parents. There was a blogger who owns a secondhand bookstore doing a masterful job chronicling the end of the bookstore era. In a mainstream publication, every other essay seems to be about the breakup of someone’s rather tepid relationship, because of the world has been chopped up into narrow demographic slices, of which only a few are targeted. You can find a range of voices and experiences and insights in blogs are that aren’t in the mainstream markets. Also, you can follow a story or experience as it unfolds. Oddly enough, I believe this also extends to professional writers, who might keep blogs because it allows them to stretch their wings and communicate to and with their readers with fewer limitations. I personally prefer the reading to the commenting, but that’s because I find the community part of blogging can be extremely time consuming. I usually limit myself to a “like,” and comment only when I feel strongly about something. And I do feel strongly about voices not being dismissed because they don’t fit the traditional mold of “writer.” Obviously,the trade-off is most bloggers don’t make any or much money :). And this comment seems to have turned into it’s own little mini-essay. I guess I’m feeling wordy today.

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   1. 

      bottledworder

      November 30, 2012

      This is a brilliant comment. I have felt many of the things you’ve talked about. Literary writing is its own industry just like the popular genre industries except that the popular genre ones have no pretences– its profit based, hence somewhat less closed off. Thanks for the great insights.

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   2. 

      bottledworder

      November 30, 2012

      The “breakup of tepid relationship” bit was such an apt observation! The other topic of concern is identity and confusion. 🙂

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10. 

    Jill Weatherholt

    November 30, 2012

    I read blogs for the interaction with other writers, as well as for the knowledge I often gain. Sometimes I like to read blogs just for a good laugh.

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11. 

    Zen A.

    November 30, 2012

    I like reading blogs simply as a way of interaction with other people. It’s interesting to read their thoughts, and some of them have really great or funny content. It holds my attention too, which is more than I can say for many things!

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12. 

    mrs fringe

    November 30, 2012

    On one level, I read blogs for the same reason I read anything else, because they’re entertaining, thought provoking, or informative. As you wrote about in your blog yesterday, they’re another writing form/genre. On another level, I read and comment on blogs for the personal, the community, the social opportunities to have interactive discussions on subjects that are of interest, with people I wouldn’t otherwise have the opportunity to sit, chat, and enjoy a cuppa. 🙂

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13. 

    JMaybury

    November 30, 2012

    I guess….it’s because people want to see into what people are really thinking, an nasty agenda getting in the way.

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14. 

    planetcoops

    November 30, 2012

    I read a post last week by someone who had been chatting to a professional blogger. The professional didn’t understand why anyone would want to read a “vanity blog”, but all the points you raise would be a really good answer to him. It is still a social arena. We can go out and meet like-minded people, those who have skills we would like to acquire, a lifestyle that interests us or a writing style we enjoy. It is a true social experience, from the convenience of the internet.

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    1. 

       hritzontheedge

       November 30, 2012

       I totally agree with you. I write a “vanity” blog, and I think my readers would probably tell me that reading about the crazy in my life either makes them laugh or gives them that moment of connection, that “YES, I can totally relate!” feeling that so many of us crave. It’s nice to know we’re not alone, that we’re navigating the waters of writing or parenthood or humanhood or whatever together. I know the blogs I frequent invoke a similar response in me.

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    2. 

       bottledworder

       November 30, 2012

       I’m not familiar with all the bloggers’ terminology yet. What’s a “vanity blog”? Thanks for both comments.

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       1. 

          planetcoops

          November 30, 2012

          It was that particular person’s term for people who blog without being paid or advertising something. ie. blogging without having an economic reason to do so.

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          1. 

             bottledworder

             November 30, 2012

             Thanks. So mine’s a vanity blog. 🙂

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          2. 

             OmaOrBubby

             December 2, 2012

             I know there is a sort of derogatory phrase called “vanity press” for certain types of bogus publishing companies, …..but vanity blogs?? Never heard of it…I guess learn something new every day. Another reason to read others’ blogs! 🙂

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       2. 

          hritzontheedge

          December 3, 2012

          I also think of “vanity” blogs as being self-indulgent. I’d consider my blog a vanity blog even if I got off my ass and scouted around for some advertising. Thank you for your post; it spawned a post of my own, which you can check out here if you’d like. http://wp.me/pDVfO-GD

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15. 

    Life in the 50’s and beyond…

    November 30, 2012

    I was considering a post about why people follow certain blogs… I think its because we can find kindred spirits in fellow bloggers. For me, its a way of interacting with people I would never be able to meet in person from so many different backgrounds and areas of the world. Since retiring from the world of work, I still crave the human connection. Reading and commenting on other blogs fulfills that need.

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    1. 

       happyflowerwordzoo002

       November 30, 2012

       Agree. With retirement I felt disconnected. Yes I could read/view news online but that human connection grew with read/comment of other blogs.

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16. 

    Subhabrata Dasgupta

    November 30, 2012

    Very thoughtful. I’ll try to answer from my point of view.

    *Blogs that I read are honest blogs by honest people. It is my view that the world craves for honesty. For a change it’s good to read something that’s not selling a product, promoting or running down something/someone. Blogs are honest ideas let out in the imaginary space we call blogosphere. You may not agree with all of them. But atleast they are honest.
    *The world craves for interaction, for meaningful conversation, for stimulation. For instance, it’s 3:30 in the afternoon and I have not met any new people today, nor have I ventured out of the house, but on the web, on the blog, I’ve interacted with people from Australia, Cambodia, somewhere else in India etc. I may not know them, I may not know what he/she had for lunch today, but atleast I know what an honest individual thinks about a certain issue.
    *and, I’m also here on blogosphere to make friends. And I’ve succeeded. Somewhat.

    Have a nice day!

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    1. 

       bottledworder

       November 30, 2012

       yes, the voices do seem honest. thanks.

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17. 

    Luis Carlos

    November 30, 2012

    In response to your first question, you can simply do both. I don’t stop reading the good old fashioned writers just because I’m also reading blogs ever now and then. I mean blogging is cool, but now then Isaac Asimov is better IMO xD

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18. 

    thebleakwallet

    November 30, 2012

    “Is it the fact that blogs are mostly written by people just like us that attracts us? Not larger-than-life successful people or specialists?”

    my answer is yes.

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19. 

    ozonenut

    November 30, 2012

    I read blogs because they are written by ordinary people, and for the most part, are well written and intelligent. It gives me hope to see that there is some intelligent thought going on in the world and we are not all sinking into an illiterate bunch of reality TV and soap-watching sponges with no culture.

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20. 

    anewcatsworld

    November 30, 2012

    I think the reason is, as you said, that blogs aren’t written by professional writers, or at least not “professional” as most people define the word. You are getting the views of what newspapers used to call “the man in the street” – everyday people who aren’t afraid to express their opinion on whatever subject catches their interest or arouses their ire.

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21. 

    harulawordsthatserve

    November 30, 2012

    Hmmm, all of the above and…because I am so often surprised. I LOVE surprises and, unlike a newspaper or magazine that I choose and have certain expectations of, when I go to a blog to check it out because they liked mine I might find something totally unexpected…something I wouldn’t otherwise have read or looked out for but unexpectedly find myself fully engaged in. Blogging broadens my outlook.

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    1. 

       Nicotime

       December 3, 2012

       My thoughts exactly!

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22. 

    jannatwrites

    November 29, 2012

    Good questions! I never read blogs before I started writing one. As people started visiting my blog, I’d check out theirs to see what they were like. It’s opened up a world of diversity that I wouldn’t have known otherwise. For instance, I’ve always read novel-length works, but with some of the writing challenges, I’m reading more short stories and poetry. As I visit blogs more regularly, I become familiar with their authors and it’s the ‘knowing’ them that keeps me visiting (that, and the fact that I’m interested in what they write about.)

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    1. 

       cgparkin

       November 29, 2012

       And a good comment too! I think we are (were) brought up to read novels, but blogs wouldn’t have featured then. So now many of us (including me) are coming to the “party” later

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    2. 

       23missb

       November 29, 2012

       This. I wasn’t much of a blog reader initially, but that changed when I started writing a blog. I have a fairly strong sense of etiquette in the web 2.0 world. When someone takes the time to like, follow, or comment on something you’ve shared, I feel that a person should return the action (or something of a similar nature), so I try to make sure to do that. I enjoy opinion a lot though too. I like a friendly debate. I like the give and take of information without pretentiousness. I like feeling like the things I’m reading about are coming from a real human being who I could know in th real world and actually connect with in some way.

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23. 

    bottledworder

    November 29, 2012

    Thanks for your comments. Keep them coming! They are beneficial and interesting not just to me but to all of us who blog.

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24. 

    kkline922

    November 29, 2012

    Many have already touched on the matter. For me, blogs are more personal, human, and I enjoy the passion in the writing.

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    1. 

       Robb714

       November 29, 2012

       That’s what I was trying to say. The establishment just doesn’t get it and that’s why their audience is drying up.

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25. 

    pishnguyen

    November 29, 2012

    I think the interactivity has a lot to do with it. For myself, there is a desire to find a like-minded sort of community, too. I think creating, particularly writing, sometimes has to happen in a bit of a vacuum. But I also think that being part of a writing community can help enrich the experience.

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26. 

    LuAnn

    November 29, 2012

    Your posts always give me much to ponder. Thanks! 🙂

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27. 

    wayne2013

    November 29, 2012

    It is a good way to hear from other people. I like publications too but it is interesting to read what other people have to say, Readers read, writers read…I just hope it’s something interesting.

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28. 

    Robb714

    November 29, 2012

    I took your post as rhetorical. I read blogs because the are anti-establishment and usually creative without editorial influence. Rock on.

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29. 

    chrisbkm

    November 29, 2012

    It’s certainly changed over time but I’d have to say that I read blogs because I write one. Otherwise I would never have started. For the longest time I wrote but didn’t read, or would try sometimes to find blogs or writers that I enjoyed, but just didn’t seem to be very successful with it. That was okay, because the main reason for my blog was to get me writing anyway and that seemed to be working.

    I’m not sure how long ago it was, maybe six months, suddenly I tapped into some writers who I really enjoyed. Talented, inspiring people with a diversity of styles that were easy to appreciate and enjoy. They had things to say. One good writer, led to another. Now I’ve become part of a community of talented, caring and supportive writers. It’s both amazing and quite unexpected. As part of a community I also make sure now that I consistently read others. There’s a very reciprocal and rewarding exchange.

    I also like the independent (as in “indie”) aspect of blogging a lot. You write and you read. No one in the middle filtering, making the calls or creating the scene. It means that the quality of content can be quite diverse, but a lot of amazing thoughts get out that would never make the mainstream. There is a very raw and authentic nature to a good blog. I love that it’s writers just writing.

    The immediacy is pretty cool too. I’ve been thinking a lot lately about blogs and the community. Great question. Thanks!

    Chris

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    1. 

       bottledworder

       November 29, 2012

       Great points very well put. Now I’m inspired to continue reading and writing blogs.

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30. 

    meromusings

    November 29, 2012

    Ahhh, a very good discussion starter, I started reading blogs and blogging since i came across a relationship blog while I was searching for the stuffs needed to prepare for a Nepali wedding. The blog I landed in was very interesting and it got me hooked. It was an honest blog which lured me into reading more. Thus my answer would be, I read blogs because it lets me peak into people’s mind and their circumstances and in turn helps me to understand my own circumstances better. Also it lets me know that I am not alone and there are many like minded people around.

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31. 

    dragonfly1121

    November 29, 2012

    I read what strikes me and I follow what feels kindred or makes me curious. Sometimes I think maybe there is potential? I read what I like, but thank you for making me ask the question why?!

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32. 

    lenwilliamscarver

    November 29, 2012

    everything you questioned and answered it is more appealing to me to get to know the author this way than some “celeb” that I will never know the true reason for writing what they wrote unless filtered through a publicist. thanks for the thought provoking article.:)

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33. 

    Author Charmaine Gordon

    November 29, 2012

    You nailed the answer with all your questions. Real, authentic, slice of someone’s life and revelations. Good going and look at all the pertinent responses! Dynamite.

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34. 

    msherice

    November 29, 2012

    Readers like to read. Writers like to write. Artists appreciate real art. All are people. People crave interaction. To be heard, understood, accepted, or even argued with. Life is full of love. Love is defined differently to everyone. Shared or expressed differently. Readers read what writers write and writing is an art form. All is love. God Bless!

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35. 

    khrystleraine

    November 29, 2012

    Reblogged this on khrystleraineduste and commented:
    For me it’s because they are composed of words… and thoughts… and ideas…

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36. 

    sharann

    November 29, 2012

    I read blogs because it’s pretty much the only way I get “grown-up time” since the majority of my time is dedicated to my five children, farm, and husband. Also, it’s a great way to meet like-minded people, which are few and far between in my *very* rural neck of the woods.

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37. 

    deWriterMD

    November 29, 2012

    Reblogged this on MetaRead360 Small Press presents and commented:
    NOTE: An entire blog of thought-provoking questions…answers needed? LOL

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38. 

    frequentneed

    November 29, 2012

    I read blogs because I write blogs. Kinda simple for me. 🙂 I write them for many reasons and one primary reason is I get quick feedback on myself. Thats important to me.

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39. 

    JackieP

    November 29, 2012

    I read blogs because I want to hear from everyday people like me. After all we are the consumers, we are the readers, we are the ones that use the products or whatever. Sure the experts have their opinion, but I want to hear from ordinary people that don’t necessarily have an agenda.

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40. 

    everydaybuckle

    November 29, 2012

    I think that when you find a really great blog, written by a person that loves what they’re doing and has spent time developing their abilities, it’s more fulfilling than the perfectly crafted blogs by established writers, journalists, etc.)

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41. 

    Polysyllabic Profundities

    November 29, 2012

    I love reading thoughts from people that still have a passion for writing and don’t consider it a job. After that, there is something lost in translation.

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42. 

    berry556

    November 29, 2012

    Your questions give a glimpse of how blogging shows some what they have in common or just the opposite in some cases . I still see the same question from others that I ask myself everyday . The same as your’s . Why ?

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43. 

    fransiweinstein

    November 29, 2012

    I read all kinds of blogs for all kinds of reasons. Sometimes they are written by reputed writers or journalists whose work I like. Sometimes they are written by professionals or colleagues whose work or ‘thinking’ I respect or admire. Sometimes I just stumble upon interesting blogs on my way to somewhere else. And when a blogger visits my blog and comments and/or ‘likes’, i am always curious about what they have to say. So I visit their blogs. If it resonates, or provokes, or challenges, or interests me I follow them. To me, it is not ‘blogs’ that I am reading as much as an opportunity to expose myself to the varied thoughts and perspectives of individuals from all over the world — expressed in many different ways: prose, essays, poetry, drawings, photography, recipes etc. etc. it’s fabulous!

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44. 

    jaschmehl

    November 29, 2012

    For me it is “the attraction of interactivity,” as you so eloquently put it. I read plenty of ‘professionally written’ articles during the day but have no desire to share my thoughts with the too distant author. But here – well, I know that you will actually read and think about what is written in this little comment box. Just like I do. That is what keeps me coming back to the ‘Reader’ on a regular basis.

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45. 

    mari wells

    November 29, 2012

    Good post, few things to think about.

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46. 

    Carl

    November 29, 2012

    They’re not a business keeps PR to not offend, but with an effort to improve the business image. Blogging, when it’s done by a person without the constraints of a business name, has the interest of the reader and the writer alone. In a business, there are usually investors and stakeholders who want a particular outcome, so it’s a group effort. And the more people in a group effort, the less individual it is. I like individualism.

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47. 

    omilaca

    November 29, 2012

    All of the above – sort of, but mostly this one:
    “Is it the fact that blogs are mostly written by people just like us that attracts us? Not larger-than-life successful people or specialists?” – Yes, yes, and yes!!! This really resonates with me! I like learning from like-minded writers. Each blogger I read is an expert (or purports to be an expert) in their area. It’s like having a support group of writers with a leader. The blogger is the leader and all of the followers are the students. Also, reading other blogs validates me as a blogger because I see their trends are similar (or different) from mine, and it solidifies my own identity, when I see similarities and differences in other bloggers.
    And of course – the one about our ability to comment…:) — but that’s superfluous for me to state that. It’s obvious, isn’t it? 🙂

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48. 

    heatherballenger

    November 29, 2012

    Truthfully, I enjoy reading blogs because they just seem so much more….real, authentic. You feel that human connection that you don’t tend to feel with someone who’s ultra successful, and a little more unapproachable. And most of us who are out there blogging are putting our hearts and souls out there for ourselves, and no one else – we do it quite simply because we love to.

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    1. 

       Deborah the Closet Monster

       November 29, 2012

       What Heather said. All of it.

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49. 

    Gardner’s World

    November 29, 2012

    Deeply personal and so much less formulaic than the established media

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50. 

    The Bumble Files

    November 29, 2012

    You ask a lot of really great questions. I often ask myself why I do it, too. I could be reading a magazine instead. I definitely like the interactivity and the shared experience of it. I think there a lot of personal stories I enjoy, too.

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