Thoughts on Blogging
The first time I ran across Gates of Vienna was after I submitted to one of the editions of the carnival of homeschooling. That afternoon, I noticed I was getting a lot of hits from a site I'd never heard of. So, like anyone, I clicked to see what it was. The first post made me laugh one of those uncomfortable laughs when you know you shouldn't. But you can't help yourself. It was like reading the Darwin awards. As I looked over their blog, I couldn't help thinking, "Why on earth would they link to me?" Then I found the entry promoting the carnival and they had kindly pulled out my post and shared a summary.

Over time, I found out they had homeschooled their children. Dymphna has lost a child. I've laughed. I've cried. I've been dismayed at the state of this war they cover regularly on their blog. I thought, "Wow." When I read about their Bloody Borders Project which I cannot load to my painfully slow connection, I realized they were insane. Who has that much time to blog? I already struggle with dedicating a little more time to this than I should. But these people are clearly deranged. OK, so some people do make a living at it. And maybe they do. And maybe they just have a topic close to their heart and have found a medium for expression.

Then I began reflecting more on blogging in general. For me, it is a hobby. An outlet for some writing, a chance to share my views with other homeschoolers and a way to ease some of the sense of isolation I feel out here where I live. It is a place to talk about my children, discuss the news and share some laughter and tears with people I have never met in person. But is that all there is behind having a blog?

When I travelled to London, I discovered something interesting I had never known about: Speaker's Corner. Here, in a public park, anyone with anything to say could put up their soap box and begin to speak. As we walked through, we heard excerpts from speeches on religion, politics, culture and entertainment. Some of the speakers answered questions from the developing crowds, others tried to talk over their listeners and still others held their audience at silent attention. Here in the US, we have the freedom of speech so long as you are not loitering. Or the editor of the paper thinks your letter worthy of publishing.

Or you have a blog.

, , , ,