Somewhere on my bookshelf is a book that contains a collection of Peanuts comic strips. I have had it for a good thirty years or so.
Every so often I'll pull it out and flip through it. I never get tired of watching Snoopy fight the Red Baron or following his exploits as an author. How many dogs sit on top of their doghouse and use a Smith-Corona typewriter to compose the Great American Novel.
One of my favorite strips is one in which Snoopy struggles to come up with a good opening for his book. The major problem is that all of his opening paragraphs are either cliches or duplicates of famous works. It makes me smile, because I often feel his pain.
So you'll forgive me when I say that when I began this blog in the Spring of 2004, it was the best of times and it was the worst of times. There was so much going on in my life that I thought that blogging might serve as a great release.
Very early on I intended to let a number of friends and family know about this place. I think that I even sent out an email or two about it, but there wasn't much of a response. And then at a party I listened to a group of people rant about how arrogant bloggers were. The comment was something along the lines of "you have to have a major ego to believe that people want to read your words."
And while I wasn't fazed by their criticism, I decided that for a while I'd enjoy the anonymity and see what happened. By that point in time I had already begun writing more personal posts in which I shared some pretty raw feelings. So it was actually easier to be anonymous than to have to engage in discussions about some of those thoughts.
If I had to do it over again I probably would do some of it differently. I probably wouldn't be anonymous, but you can't go back in time so this is how it is.
As blogging has become more prevalent and more mainstream I have been involved in more conversations about it and answered more questions about what it is and why people do it. From time to time I still hear the "bloggers are arrogant" comment and I still have the same response. No one is forcing you to read their blogs, so why do you care.
I have yet to hear a good response to that, maybe it is because I am arrogant. Or maybe it is because it is another one of those throwaway remarks that people make without thinking. I don't know.
What do you think?
4 comments:
I think some bloggers ARE arrogant, but the majority are normal people who simply like to have a place to discuss some of their thoughts on life or whatever subject interests them.
If thinking "that people want to read your words" means that one is arrogant, then all writers, authors, and MSM journalists are arrogant as well...
Very interesting post. I started blogging as a catharsis, and my first post was a long and bitter explanation to the world of how I'd been wronged. Several posts followed on the same theme.
Then I discovered some hilarious UK blogs (Chase me Ladies and his followers) reread my posts and deleted them all.
A little bit of angst followed, until I restored some curmudgeonly harmony and established my theme, an attempt to air some hot air over climate change/global warming.
I have to say now that my blog has become my favourite hobby, golf and my wife being 2nd equal, weak laugh, and have exchanged views and a degree of fellowship with many faceless, good people around the world.
Ezzie.
Agreed,most are normal.
Mrs. S.,
One can certainly argue that as well.
Ayrdale,
Curmudgeonly harmony is something that the world needs now more than ever.
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