Hmm… after reading Zeldman’s “if the great movies had been websites“, it really started me thinking why the heck am I blogging? Casually I did toy with the question, but never really demanded an answer from myself.
In the beginning it was more like embracing content management technology and at that time, I did not know that there were scripts out there that did stuff like blogging. Did a simple PHP script to show the latest 10 records in a table in a mySQL database, then that problem of not being able to see previous entries crept up. Added a simple blog navigation that basically allowed the visitor to see the previous 10 entries and thats about how I went on for quite some time. During this time I was more fascinated about content management then actually recording down my mundane activities.
I actually found out I was blogging after one of my routine rounds on the net and apprently there was a whole community of people doing that as well. Then with the keyword “blog” I managed to find out about Blogger.com and Newspro. Blogger was a third party thingy, so I did not consider it, but Newspro just blew my mind, it had archiving stuff and the speed of the script just fascinated me. I used Newspro for quite a while then found out about Greymatter.
About this time, I encouraged Pearl to blog as well, but instead she went on to create her gallery of drawings and used Newspro as a way to post up pictures and to archive them. I then found out two of my close friends Desmond & Brenda is blogging as well. Cool… now my cloud (sixdegrees lingo) is getting bigger.
So everything before this was more like playing with scripts, then actually blogging, but along the way that changed and I started to treat my blog as a public diary which allowed friends to know whats going on in my life.
About mid 2001 Brenda told me to lookout for MovableType and when it came out, it smashed all blogging competition with style. MovableType did not have a “I’m better then you” kinda attitude, but more like a “this is but a response to the features the blogging community needs, an evolution of the blogging tool“. Not only did MovableType did well in its application structure, it had aesthetic appeal too.
Blogging became a hit, everyone talks about it and everyone does it, so the natural antithesis came about and big names started questioning about the content in blogs. I’m not saying that they are trying to be cool and dictate what should blogs contain, but that its an inquest into the natural death of content and to solve the subjectivity on the death of content in blogs.
So what is the synthesis? the question remains “what am I blogging for?” now I feel the question is a bit silly and ridiculous. Its like asking “what am I living for?”, “what am I thinking for?”, “what am I for?”, “why does this world exist?”, “how should I live my life?”, “what kind of content should there be in my life?”…
Is there really an answer?
*pause for dramatic effect*
Now… I’m still fascinated in content management and at the same time I also want to have a collection of my thoughts. hey… I think everyone is free to do what they want on their blogs, if it matters so much how others view your blog, then they are dictating how you should live your life. Well it’s your call and that’s what I like about it.
blog on… fellow bloggers, blog when you feel like it, don’t when you don’t?
Don’t take IF THE GREAT MOVIES HAD BEEN WEBSITES as criticism of blogging or anything else. The complaint at the top is just a set-up for the comedy that follows.
Personal publishing on the web is great. That’s what the web is for. Today’s maybe-not-that-interesting site is tomorrow’s great site. (How do you get great? By starting and practicing.) And every site is meaningful to somebody.
blogging is an addictive business. i think it adds thrill to the very fact that other people can see what u have to say. i’ve made many new friends from blogging and i think i will try to maintain it as long as the cause of it is still not lost on me. And i hope u too~
Hi Jeffrey,
I totally agree with you and what you are doing, so i hope you did not take my entry the wrong way. To me your article was a thought-provoking stimulant to anyone who runs a blog and that’s good.
And just for the record Mr Zeldman, you do great stuff and your contribution to the web is much adored, even to a young Asian chap far away in Singapore.
Thanks for your comment.