contentious.com

On Dec. 1, 2004, The Kitchen: How to Cook a Weblog posted an intriguing open question: Why Do You Blog? (Note: That link is not functioning for me right now, but I’m posting it anyway in case it’s just a temporary glitch.)

Several bloggers have already answered that question. I promised myself I wouldn’t respond until I could think of something more meaningful than “Because I can’t shut up.” Well, here goes my attempt:

I blog to explore, and to enhance and share my explorations…

Writing has always been a crucial part of my thought process. In school, I found I understood lessons better if I took notes, even if I never looked at those notes again. The act of writing helps me think and understand. It helps me explore, clarify, and question.

Many people “think things through” or “talk things over.” Well, personally I “blog things through.” Blogging seems, to me, uniquely suited to the never-ending pursuit of context, meaning, and creativity.

Weblog entries are very context-dependent. Weblogs offer many kinds of context, but the most prominent is the context of time: every weblog entry and comment is dated, and they are displayed and archived in reverse-choronogical order.

The chronological nature of blogs is far more than an organizing convenience. It implies, “This is what I (the author) perceive or think at this point in time.” It’s a snapshot of a thought, question, or worldview in progress. It can be followed up in a subsequent posting, or link back to previous postings which comprised that particular path. Moreso than most other communication or publishing channels, weblogs allow us to observe the evolution of perspective.

In my opinion, watching someone’s questioning process and evolution of perspective can be a remarkably accurate barometer of credibility and expertise.

RECONSIDERING CREDIBILITY

So much of traditional media (especially journal, magazine, and book publishing) involves posturing through tone. When authors and editors use phrases like “research shows” and “we have found,” they’re usually striking a pose which they hope will be impressive enough to persuade the reader to adopt their view. They’re presenting their views as a goal for the reader to achieve, rather than one point along a path which stretches forward and backward.

That’s not to say supporting facts and citations don’t matter. However, it does indicate that there are reasons other than logic which dictate how and why support gets presented in published statements.

To some extent, blogging turns that rigid posturing into a dance. Or at least it can do that – and often does.

Blogs are works in progress. That is inherent and essential to the character of this medium. They offer windows into what is currently on the author’s mind (whether the author’s own thoughts, or observations about what the author has encountered online or elsewhere). Some bloggers still adopt the posturing style of traditional media, but many are catching on to a more fluid, relaxed, and flexible tone.

Anyone who reads blogs eventually grasps that the real basis of a blogger’s credibility (or lack thereof) is revealed over time. Credibility and expertise appear across blog postings, not within individual postings. This is not a mere matter of accumulating finished thoughts as a pedastel. It is about letting readers experience the quality of your thinking – wrong turns and missing answers included.

At times, a given blogger may appear baffled, astray, or obsessed. She may contradict herself. He may retract or dismantle points once uttered with complete certainty. She may wander into tangents that seem trivial or irrelevant. He may speak of doubt or frustration. In traditional publishing, these would all be considered grave flaws which would undermine one’s reputation. But in the blogging world, these can be strenghts (all in moderation, of course) because they display the process of thinking.

SO WHY DO I BLOG?

CONTENTIOUS allows me to think things through, and to connect and learn, in public. It helps me evolve my perspective. As a byproduct I believe it helps establish my credibility – even though I sometimes say things here I later change my mind about or regret. But for me, the most compelling benefit is that it allows me to open my mind and share with people who have related interests and diverse perspectives.

I love that this is an ongoing process. I love that blogging allows conversations within comments and across blogs. This feels very vital to me, I find it energizing.

I trust my readers to take what I say as a snapshot of my current thoughts. I love it when they elaborate on and expand my thoughts in unexpected ways – even through disagreement.

I blog because I think best through writing, and this medium allows me to use my writing in a connected way. Too often, writing in traditional media (and journaling) is an isolating experience – at least for me.

So I guess for me, blogging feels more alive than most other kinds of writing, and I find that attractive. Maybe it’s just spring fever affecting my thoughts today, but that’s why I think I blog.

Ask me about this in a few months and I’ll probably have a slightly different answer. My perspective on blogging (as on all things) continues to evolve.