What is a blog?
Yesterday was the second day in a row, when I was ridiculed for the stuff I had put up on the blog. Okay, maybe ridiculed is not the best word to describe what happened. Let’s see. I had to go through some pretty harsh criticism, for the things I had said, the things that I had written, the things that I had posted here.
It got to me. So much so, that I had to go through my earlier posts, only to look at how I used to do things. The difference. In case you are wondering if I found something, the answer to that is a big resounding: “NO”.
Maybe not as resounding as I’d like you to believe. Anyway.
The whole episode got me thinking. Good critique does that to you. Of course, you need to have the ability to recognise which is what.
I found myself questioning the motive of this thing here, the blog. I found myself looking for definitions. I found myself thinking, looking for answers to the question.
What is a blog?
I’ll save you the effort. Here’s what you get when you google it:
“a regularly updated website or web page, typically one run by an individual or small group, that is written in an informal or conversational style.”
But that is not what my question was about. It was a rather personal question. I needed to answer the question with respect to me. If you’ve been following the blog these past few months, you would have noticed by now, that I really am trying to find my rhythm. I initially thought posting twice, thrice a week was good enough. Then, I looked at places such as Whatever, and realised, that was not going to cut it.
In fact, it was not just a matter of looking at these other blogs, and aping what they were doing. I wanted to put fresh content out daily. I really, really did want to. It was the only way I knew by which I could grow, get better, as a writer. Also, it was fun.
Along with the want though, was also a realization that it is not that easy to belt out fresh content every day, until, of course, I had found this all elusive rhythm of mine. Today, it seems I’ve found it. Apologies for the detour, getting back to the thought. Until I had my rhythm, a specific time frame, a little window, in which I did nothing else, but write, it was going to be real hard to get fresh stuff out the door. And so, I had imagined, that the types of posts would vary. Poems, pictures, and the written stuff. I was going to juggle it all.
I struggled.
Yesterday, I found myself questioning it all, after it was suggested to me, that I did not really need to write everyday. Two, or three times a week should be fine, but the quality, should be ought to be top notch. The question after all remains the same:
“Why should people hit the follow button?”
“Why should people come back here?”
There has to be something that I must offer in return. That’s how transactions work. In exchange for your attention, what shall I offer you? Surely, not half-baked, half-assed attempts at posts.
A blog, hence, I found myself thinking can be one of the two sort of places.
It can be a place where ideas are exchanged. Ideas, stories, content.
Or,
It can be place where lives are shared.
There are enough places here, on the web, which fall into either of the two categories. But, then again, these are the extremes, the theory, the dream. The categories hardly represent the reality we live in. Most blogs are a mix of the two. After all that is what defines the genre, the term.
The dominant percentage of content can hence determine, if it’s a personal blog, or an ideas blog. This is not a personal blog. I am not that comfortable with sharing the entirety of my life with you. Nor, am I that honest. Though, I’m not honesty is a major requirement for a blog to be of the personal sort.
This is a place about ideas. This is a place for conversations around those ideas. This is also a place where I occasionally post pictures of my stuff. As I said before, nothing is black and white in this world, but in shades.
That is the answer, my answer. What’s yours?
