I went to see "Julie and Julia" last night with my wife. I know, it's a chick flick, but I hoped there would be a clip of Dan Akroyd doing his Julia Child skit from SNL. I wasn't disappointed; they ran almost the whole thing. Meryl did a great job as Julia. In case you don't know about it, the Julie character started a blog about cooking her way through Julia Child's cookbook. Julie wanted to be a writer, and she loved good food, so the combination was ideal. I was jealous when she started getting comments from readers to her blog (the thing I imagine all bloggers hope for). I haven't had many here, and the few I have had came to read this out of curiosity about me after reading my comments on other blogs (at least, I assume so).
My point is, don't be afraid to comment when you read a blog or go on a forum. Comments are exactly what the bloggers and commenters want to see. Good or bad, they live for comments.
I think my own blogging is partly a way to get things straight in my own mind. I feel a certain way about something, so I write about it. In the process, I sometimes discover the reason why I feel the way I do. Or, I realize that I have mixed feelings on an issue. Or, that I don't really know how I feel. Comments can help by getting others' perspectives.
I don't follow any blogs regularly outside of the Chief's Corner, but I have stumbled across some (perhaps the same way my commenters stumbled upon mine) that were really interesting or really funny. Most of them blog every day, something I could do, and probably would do, if I thought anyone was reading it. In the absence of readers, I need an issue, something that is bothering me, to give me an incentive to write. Actually, the incentive today was that the NFOA forum site is down for some reason, and I have developed a need to write somewhere.
Maybe I should try to be more funny. I think I could write a funny blog. At least it would be funny to me. Sometimes I get to laughing so hard at my own funny thoughts, I can hardly make my fingers work on the keyboard.
This hasn't been one of my best efforts. I better stop.
2 comments:
The best thing to do is write for yourself. Don't try to write for your readers -- this makes you look fake and/or desperate. Most of the more interesting reading I peruse on the internet is done by people who felt that their only motive was to explore their own thoughts and feelings on random subjects. Moreover, don't be afraid of a little controversy. I have quite a few writings on my website that I know some day will get me some unfriendly emails. But my theory is: "if you aren't willing to be hated, you don't deserve to be loved." You know at least you have one trusty reader...
Thanks for the comments, Trevor. I think I started blogging as a way to share happenings and events I was involved in with my family and friends. I don't think any of them ever came to read it, though! :)
Now, it's mostly like you said, a way to explore my own thoughts and feelings. I would, however, relish some good debating over most any kind of issue. I had two or three close friends in high school who sparred intellectually with me on a daily basis. I only have contact with one of them anymore, and that is comprised of a short email once in a while or a meeting for dinner with the wives along about once a year. You just can't get a good debate going in a restaurant with wives present who don't want to participate.
By the way, I enjoy most of your comments on the Chief's Corner, as is the case with most of the others there. Seems like there are a few disgruntled officers writing in occasionally, and an odd duck once in a while, but mostly those who appreciate what the chief is trying to do.
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