Journals by RSS
Journals by EmailI’ve realized that having a blog helps me think more about my professional activities and interactions than I would otherwise. I give them more thought because I think about whether they’re something I can write about. This can be a problem if I think about everything in terms of whether it’s blog fodder, and I don’t want to live my life thinking of my experiences in those terms. Of course, since this is a tech comm and writing blog, I don’t write about other types of experiences much, so I don’t think of them in terms of whether they’re worth a post.
As an example of experiences I consider posting about, in my previous post, I talked about a conversation I had with a coworker who produces some user documentation for a different client. We were in the middle of the conversation when I decided it was something I could probably write about. I didn’t go into the conversation thinking of ways to get some blog material.
Writing about things helps me analyze them. I write in a personal journal one or two times a month, and that exercise helps me process events that happen in my life. I think a result of this is that life doesn’t just happen to me; I can adapt and change because of what occurs. Similarly, by blogging about the things that happen in tech comm and my job, I think more about how those things affect me and the work I do.
In a way, this blog is a public journal, so I suppose the benefit is potentially higher for me than for you. However, I hope that in the process of my analyzing tech comm experiences, you get some benefit out of my thoughts.
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4 Comments to 'Blogging: A Way to Give a Bit More Meaning to Life'
January 26, 2009
@Ben: Thanks (or “thanx” in other slang-tinged parts of our “kewl” blogosphere, lol). While I’m an anime blogger by night, I’m a technical writer/editor by day. So in terms of anime posts, my experience is quite similar. The thoughts and insights of other perspectives are always beneficial. Whether they follow technical conventions or plow full speed into the “urban dictionary”, hehe. So this comment is my way saying, “I’m reading. So don’t stop writing.” Thanx again. ^_^
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January 27, 2009
It’s a funny time to be blogging. Comments are scarce (they used to be the life blood of a blog, not so much these days), and more and more people will read via RSS meaning it’s hard to get a good picture of how many people are reading.
I’ve definitely learned from your public thoughts, and I’m sure others have as well. I have 2 blogs, both of which function just how you describe yours, as a way of processing and analysing my thoughts.
Keep on blogging!
And maybe try Twitter too?
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January 27, 2009
I think blogging is a great way to keep in touch with colleagues and friends, especially for those who tend to be introverted.
Thanks for your interesting, well-written posts. I always enjoy them even though this is the first time I’ve commented.
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January 27, 2009
Thanks for the comments. Gordon, Tom (whose persuasiveness was a big reason I started blogging in the first place) has suggested I get on Twitter, but believe it or not, I don’t even have a cell phone (… yet?). And if I were to use a Twitter site—well, I may as well just blog.
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