The article, "Why We Blog", describes a study conducted on the different uses of blogs for unique Internet users. The article suggests that Internet users utilize blogs for different purposes. These purposes include blogging to document one's life, blogging as commentary on a variety of topics, blogging as a cathartic outlet for thoughts and emotion, blogging for muse or inspiration, and blogging as a means of community. The study found that users were motivated to blog for these reasons. People use blogs to document their lives and what is happening in them, either for personal reflection or to share with an audience of friends and family, and sometimes even for strangers who may not actually know the blogger. Some users blogged to comment on opinions they have of particular issues, in which the blog evolved into a form of "democratic self-expression". Many users blogged as a means of catharsis, a medium through which they could express their emotions and thoughts to readers. Then, there were those who blogged as a means of inspiration, such as the group of bloggers who shared their poetry amongst a group. These bloggers found that by sharing poetry with one another, they were inspired to write their own poetry, which they could then share within the group's blog as well as their wider audience. The last motivation of blogging found by the study was blogging as a means of community, in which bloggers used their respective blogs to communicate within a specific group of people. Overall, the study found that blogging is extremely versatile in it's application for different Internet users. Blogging continues to evolve in the way people are using it and will continue to develop more uses as the medium evolves and as Internet Communication increases.
Personally, I have seen all of these motivations present in different blogs I have read. I agree that each unique Internet user has different reasons for blogging and these reasons are meaningful to the particular blogger. I also noted how the part of the study which analyzed blogging as a means of community applies to our class. I believe this will help our class to communicate better amongst ourselves, and to have more engaging discussions. We all grew up in the age of the Internet, and many of us may feel more comfortable sharing our thoughts and ideas through the use of the blog, as opposed to traditional forms of communication.
