msmazzola wonders why people blog. She’s conducting informal research on the topic and asks folks to respond by posting their answers to the following questions and then posting a link to their post in her comments. (thanks Bridgett)
1. How long have you been blogging?
I began blogging June 21, 2001.
2. Why did you start blogging?
I was looking for a way to create a journal online — I’d been keeping a journal since I was in 9th grade and wanted a way to journal and make it public. I eventually found Blogger.
3. What have you found to be the benefits of blogging?
I’ve found a community of people that seem to enjoy reading about my life and I enjoy reading about theirs. It gives me an outlet for my writing. I enjoy writing and having someone else read what I write makes it all the better.
4. How many times a week do you post an entry?
It depends. I average about 2 times a month. I’d like to post more, but real life gets in the way.
5. How many different blogs do you read on a regular basis?
I’ve got at least 75 blogs on my feed reader, but don’t read them all the time. I do, however, make sure I read the 15 or so under the label “friends”. I’ve only ever met one person on my “friends” list, but I feel like I know the others just as well.
6. Do you comment on other people’s blogs?
Yes, I try to comment many of on the blogs I read.
7. Do you keep track of how many visitors you have? Is so, are you satisfied with your numbers?
I do tend to obsess on my stats sometimes, but other times I forget to check. I’m never completely satisfied with my stats, but there are so many blogs out there, it is understandable that mine doesn’t get checked very much. I always love it when I get a new comment though. It kind of validates my writing.
8. Do you ever regret a post that you wrote?
I don’t regret much of what I write because I try to not write anything that can hurt. I did have a blog a few years ago that I did write some regretful things. I removed it.
9. Do you think your audience has a true sense of who you are based on your blog?
Yes, I think I am pretty honest about who I am — even in the blog I removed.
10. Do you blog under your real name?
Yes and no. I have a few blogs and some don’t have my real name.
11. Are there topics that you would never blog about?
Yes.
12. What is the theme/topic of your blog?
A couple of my blogs are about everything. One is about birds. One is about accessibility. One is about my trip to Ireland. One is about our favorite recipes.
13. Do you have more than one blog? If so, why?
Yes, I have several. I blog about what interestes me at the time. Some go nowhere. Some go on and on.
What you said