Web Log Mutterings

04Oct06

A few days ago, my husband, our roommate, and I were sitting around and talking about our three (now four) cats. The felines had been anger-ridden all day and hissing at each other at nearly ever occasion, so Steve commented that all of them needed blogs. At the time, we giggled and moved on, but now, looking back on it, I guess I wonder what that stereotype really implies.

Blogs as a whole have been a part ofdaily internet surfing for me at least for the last several years. Anything from the feelings of my friends to the ways of fixing a broken motherboard to tips on cats can be found in blogs. A simple google search can lead people to thousands of web logs, filled with thoughts and opinions of other people, digested news (see most articles on Digg), tipcs and tricks, personal information, and the genera lattitude of nearly total strangers.

It always puzzled me then why people even bother with blogs. Surely there are better places to go for news, and plenty of sites have tips and tricks on computers that are far more qualified. Personal information doesn’t belong on the Net at all (in my opinion), and really how much do you want to know about how a random Sally feels this afternoon after being dumped by her boyfriend for her slimmer best friend?

When I first started writing this it was a test to see the major differences between this blog and a home brewed one running on a personal computer. It was just a test, and nothing personal should ever fall upon those test pages. Now, though, I really wonder if blogs have their place in the world, very possibly sandwiched between human conversation and near total silence. My husband says that blogs are wothless. He argues that people should be talking to each other instead of putting things down in a blog because that way the meaning is always crisp and clear. In a blog, things could get confused.

I could never argue with that until I tried blogging as a way of release and realized that maybe it’s almost human nature to want to share our lives with the world. Privacy aside, we’re social creatures and love to know about each other, love to share moments and be a part of other people’s lives. That’s why we own cell phones by the dozen and instant message the Hell out of our friends, why we talk about football games and those movies that make us cry. We’re by far more social than not. (To those who argue that we no longer know our next door neighbors, I say this: a person half way across the world is still my neighbor on this little planet and if everyone could grasp that concept, we’d live better lives.)

I like talking to my husband and friends about the better points of life, kittens, jobs, exciting summer plans, vacations, best home-made cheesecake and much more. You probably tell your friends things all the time. But what if you had a chance to tell the whole world what you were telling them? I guess a lot of people take that opportunity.

Take this blog, for example. Odds are no one will see it.

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