Friday, September 03, 2010

Blog Post #401 - Why I blog

I noticed that my post yesterday about the possible demise of the printed version of the OED was my 400th post. Since I like numerical landmarks I thought I'd mark the occasion with my 401st post and write about why I blog.

My first post was nearly four years ago on November 13th, 2006, when I simply wrote that I was setting up a blog and that I hoped to "publish some thoughts, articles, reports, short stories, and other publications". I'm glad to think that I have mostly adhered to that hope. I really only got going on blogging a year later in November 2008, and since then I have been blogging on a reasonably regular basis. Since November 2008 I have averaged 11.5 posts a month on a wide range of topics. The most posts in any one month was 22 in March this year - I had been nominated the previous month for the Irish Blog Awards and I guess I was trying (unsuccessfully) to impress the judges with volume. The graph below summarizes the number of posts per month since I started blogging.


One thing I don't know is how many people read this blog. I know it is just a handful, but I sometimes get a surprise when someone I meet comments on the blog or mentions to me that they had read a post. To those of you who do take the time to read this blog - many thanks for dropping by.

I wish blogging was around when I was younger. With the exception of the year 2000 (when I got a present of a Whoseday Book - on 3rd September 2000 we went to the Botanic Gardens with the kids!) I have never kept a diary. I'd love to be able to look back and see what I was thinking on a particular day - for example, what was I doing on September 3rd 1975? Even though my blog is less than four years old, I do like to occasionally look back on posts over the past few years. 

Susan Gunelius of About.com gives the "Top 10 Reasons to Start a Blog" as follows:
  1. To Express Your Thoughts and Opinions
  2. To Market or Promote Something
  3. To Help People
  4. To Establish Yourself as an Expert
  5. To Connect with People Like You
  6. To Make a Difference
  7. To Stay Active or Knowledgeable in a Field or Topic
  8. To Stay Connected with Friends and Family
  9. To Make Money
  10. To Have Fun and Be Creative

#1, #7, #8, and #10 are the only ones listed that I feel are reasons why I blog. I love the freedom of it, I get a thrill when someone mentions they read something on my blog, I teach about blogs in class, I can write/say what I like, I can comment on anything, there are no limits, and even if my comments are trivial or of no interest to anyone but me - I want to blog anyway. 

You can get addicted to blogging - David Wallace writing in the SearchRank website lists "10 Signs That You May Be a Blog Addict". Among the signs: "You get inspiration for new blog posts at the strangest times – in the Jacuzzi, sitting on the toilet, during marital activities (cough, cough)… you get the picture".

So - here's to the next 400 posts!

1 comment:

  1. I follow your blog all the time trough an rss feeder. If you stopped blogging you would notice more people asking what happened to your blog.

    Try this to see how many visit your blog I find it a great addition.
    http://my.statcounter.com

    ReplyDelete