This is my first post in a while (longer than I’ve ever gone since I began this blog a few months ago). There are a few practical reasons for this (like I’ve been working, preparing to apply to PhD programs, etc.). However, probably the most important reason that I haven’t been writing lately is because I’ve been questioning my faith in the importance/purpose of this blog (and blogs generally).
From the beginning the goal of this blog was to start discussions. If some people have blogs to let friends and family know what they’re up to, prompt something they create, etc., I’m often trying to push people’s buttons enough that they push back. Obviously some posts do that more than others (though I’m sometimes surprised which ones), but hopefully each blog offers some sort of critical discussion or insight.
What I’m not very sure about is whether a blog can really accomplish that goal, and if it does, if that really matters. I’ve enjoyed the debate on this blog (and several of yours), but I wonder if blogging has really found it niche. Does it offer something that can’t be better achieved in real life? Is the kind of debate on blogging actually enlightening or does it simply promote one-time responses that never lead anywhere? In the end, what is the point of blogging?
Blogging is the writing practice I seldom got as an undergraduate because I spent so much of my time reading. I don't know if any critical public writing practice is a waste of the writer's time. (Though who's to say about the reader's . . .)
ReplyDeleteI thinking blogging isn't a good end, but it is a good means of invention and hopefully it leads to more intelligent face-to-face conversation, especially if someone discusses a topic they've written about. It's not better than what can be achieved in real life, but it gives a more full dimension of real life (as long as it doesn't eat up too much time). I learn aspects about people's thinking that wouldn't necessarily come up in face-to-face conversation.
I doesn't seem to me that bloggings niche is debate--let alone intelligent, worthwhile debate. I mean, I think a blog can be many things, but it definitely doesn't seem to be a forum for debate... online forums seem more suited to that.
ReplyDeleteOne reason that I feel a blog is not the right place for me to "push back" is that a Blog is personal and your's. By me posting a response I am posting my opinion to your work ... not just about your work. So if I dissagree or have my own opinion I would rather not say anything as it might distract or change your writing as my opinion is then published with your's.
ReplyDeleteI like blogs a lot, but not necessarily for debate. I like the keep in touch aspect of it (some people move away and you never really see them again, but you can keep up by way of blogs). I also like reading intelligent blogs, because like Jon said, aspects of thought appear that perhaps would not have otherwise. I don't always comment on everything written, but that doesn't mean it doesn't affect my thought and leave me considering it for a long time.
ReplyDeleteWhy shouldn't blogs be a forum for debate? I think what Jon Ogden says is true, that blogs provide a good resource for exploring your own opinions and etching them out so you can have more meaningful conversations when you are face to face with people. And when other people read your blogs, maybe they don't keep coming back to it and commenting some more, but you've probably made them think about something and perhaps helped them have more meaningful conversations themselves.
ReplyDeleteI don't read many blogs, and being a wallflower I myself am not a blogger, but I do miss reading the ideas of other people when they stop writing. Once you start, it's no longer just about you, it's about the readers, too (no matter how few)... and you almost have an obligation to continue.
ReplyDeleteThe setting most conducive to debate I can think of was definitely in Jim's English 150 class at BYU with all the desks turned in so everyone felt equal in terms of where they were coming from when they shared an opinion. Blogs create a fishbowl-like scenario where someone can look in on others as they share what's on their mind but those on the outside seem only able to tap on the glass in response to what has been said. Blogs are not an effective setting for debate, but in certain situations I think that blogs are ultimately very valuable (this being one of those situations). If debate is what Jim wants then debate is what I'll give...I still wish we could circle the desks but since we can't I say we use what we have.
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