I have recently had the opportunity to participate in a conversation regarding why people blog. Naturally there were many different opinions expressed. Some believe it is for self expression,others believe it is for self-exposure and still other believe it is for self reflection. Many discussed the idea that blogging is one way of contributing to the community from which we often take so much. Another thought was that blogging is part of what web 2.0 technology is all about.
This was an asynchronous on-line discussion which has allowed for nearly 100 different comments so far. Needless to say everyone had something slightly different to offer.
And then someone said, "People blog because they are not talented enough to be published".
Abruptly the conversation stopped for a time. Two participants argued alternative views including that publication is not necessarily a metric of talent.
Another participant suggested bloggers only write for exposure and since exposure is greater in published documents then why wouldn't everyone want more exposure? Therefore, if people were talented enough to be published they would have no reason or motivation to blog.
These two individuals seem to completely miss the basic premise of web 2.0, which is a community of collaborators, sharers of Information if you will. In this brave new world, contribution of content is king and there are lots of opportunities to do so. Which is a good thing. The more voices that are heard the greater the democratization of mass communication. Thanks to web 2.0 just about anyone can have a voice. If their story is significant in some way, it will get exposure. In some cases, more exposure than could have ever been enjoyed had it been published in one paid publication.
I think many would disagree that people blog because they have no talent. I hope so.
Why don't you let me know what you think,
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