A rationale for blogging

I started this blog because the idea of an online diary intrigued me. I never was any good at keeping up with a private journal, perhaps because I was the only one who would ever enjoy it. So I started a weblog in the hopes that someone else (mainly my loved ones, who are contractually obligated to view and delight in my every written word) might enjoy my entries.

I try to write each blog entry as a distinct story or personal essay on the amusing or interesting bits of my life. Some people write in their blogs every day, but I enjoy blogging much more if I can take more time, but do so less frequently, on a topic of my choice. As Twitter's microblogging becomes more and more popular, I prefer keeping my traditional blog entries longer and less about what I happen to be doing on any given day. This setting provides an opportunity for me to reflect carefully, with no pressures on word limits, so I try to use it to the fullest.

I often find writing in my blog challenging because it lacks a theme, consistent subject matter, and even a viewpoint besides the vague one of my own. It changes with me, which means it's not just a blog on library science or a blog on young professionals or a blog on English majors or a blog on wedding planning; it's (currently) all of these, and it will likely grow with my future experiences and interests.

Other blogs which have a more limited focus I find more successful than mine. One of my favorite blogs is The Kitchn, a blog for not only recipes but also cooking techniques, kitchen gadgets, and really any topic that people who love food or food preparation might find interesting. There are several writers who blog on various topics - for instance, one person writes about only cheeses - but despite the various viewpoints, the blog feels cohesive with a distinct voice, outlook, and visual appearance. The blog lacks the extensive recipe selections of a site like All Recipes, but what it lacks in breadth it more than makes up for in depth. These writers are people who clearly care about the craft of cooking and baking. Posts are written to simply highlight an unusual ingredient or discuss the produce of a local farmer's market. Reading this blog truly makes me better aware of what I eat (without the sense of a guilt-ridden nutrition lecture) and more interested in trying out new recipes (which range from the intriguingly complex to the blissfully simple).

In the efforts to try a more directed blog, I did create another blogger site for an interest of mine. I called it Book Cover Judge. Not only does this allow me to try to write on a specific niche, it also gives me an outlet for a slightly more silly tone. And who knows? Perhaps someday BCJ will become my "professional" blog.

Here are those URLs:
www.thekitchn.com
www.bookcoverjudge.blogspot.com