I am as ambivalent (okay, conflicted) about blogging as I am about so many other things. The desire to express myself for the (presumed) pleasure of others keeps smacking up against my embarrassment about being so obvious about it. I’d like to think I’m a keen observer with a unique perspective and a dry sense of humor, having lived (in general) and especially having lived through some pretty challenging 
experiences more recently. But what will others think?
Many bloggers don’t worry about all that. I mean, they’re out there, sharing their opinions, their obsessions and yes, their observations with strangers which, I have to admit, is kind of empowering.
On the other hand, if you’re posting in cyberspace, you’ve opened the way for others to publicly reject your ideas, attack your principles, insult your writing, insult your intelligence, destroy your fragile self-confidence and diss your family. That doesn’t exactly appeal to my sensitive side, I’ll admit. Then again, if you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen, right? Actually, I don’t have much to worry about; I’m not all that controversial. Mostly I’m in it for the entertainment value, mine included.
I’ve been immersing myself in blogs over the past year. They vary as much in quality as they do in content. The most well-known blogs seem to deal with politics. Some of these are insightful and analytical, some are funny (intentionally or not), and some are clearly scripted blogs by politicians. The popularity of these sites make it obvious that we ought to be speeding towards web-based voting. With this level of interest in politics (and self-expression) and with untold millions of people living in front of their computers already, voting for their favorite “American Idol” or in a poll about this or that issue, it should be a no-brainer. People worry about fraud but that’s nothing new and think of the turnout! We could get half the eligible voters! And admit it, it’s so much easier than standing in line at your local polling place while kindly, elderly volunteers search for your name on a list and you’re running late for work and you know your boss doesn’t give a damn whether you vote or not.
I occasionally look at blogs centered on celebrities, the media or the fashion industry. It’s amazing how fascinated by or worked up people can get about other people they’ve never met. Sometimes I think these sites are written by twenty-somethings (or wanna-be twenty somethings) so they can rag on folks they envy – or on each other. They get to play Mean Girl (or Mean Guy), an opportunity they apparently missed back when they were hanging with the geeks and nerds in high school.
Blogging is very democratic and I’m all for that. Blogging can encourage dialogue and I’m all for that too. On the other hand, I don’t subscribe to the idea that we all have, want to have and should have an opinion on absolutely everything. And even if we do, maybe we don’t need to express it. But hey, that may just be the editor in me – or the coward.
And yet I’ve joined the ranks of the bloggers. I am offering my opinion on selected and wide-ranging topics that affect me or catch my fancy. It’s all fairly light-hearted (except when it isn’t) and it’s probably only temporary until I can figure out what I’m going to do next. Of course, I say that about my house and I’ve lived in the same one for fifteen years. Maybe I don’t want to seem like I’m just following a fad; maybe I’m afraid I won’t be taken seriously. More than likely I’m just hedging my bets. If blogging goes by the wayside, I’ll do something else or I’ll do the same thing and I’ll call it something else. It’s all good.
