Let the Blogging Begin

I know nothing about blogging! In fact, each time my computer’s spell checker underscores the word “blog” I feel as if I have committed a grave grammatical error. Blog. Who uses this word? What are its origins? How would one use it in conversation? "I was blogging this afternoon when suddenly I realized..." As a former high school English teacher, I am prone to ask questions of this sort. In a sense, I have been programmed to do so. At the same time, I feel that I should be learning more about blogging. There are a number of reasons for which this is the case, though two come immediately to mind.

First and foremost is the fact that, as a teacher, I worked with students who, despite their supposed disdain for writing, copiously maintained their own blogs. This is not meant to suggest that my motivations for understanding the blog are entirely altruistic. Having left teaching, I am currently enrolled in a course of study designed to examining the blog’s aesthetic merits. Ahh, the college life! As such, future readers might consider The Daily Blog an attempt on my behalf to better understand the art of blogging. In addition to documenting my experiences learning to read and write in a medium previously foreign to me, I hope The Daily Blog will provide a forum in which academics and popular culture are allowed to intermingle. Though such a pairing is seldom pretty, it often proves profitable. Given the blogs I have read thus far, I cannot help but feel as if I have been missing something of value.

An aspect of blogging that immediately caught my attention involved the apparent decision of bloggers to adhere to a particular theme (though I am sure there are exceptions to this rule). In my readings I have encountered blogs that have addressed the war in Iraq, the literary merits of the comic book, the trials and tribulations of Red Sox fans (of which I count myself one), the ideologies of conservative and liberal politicos, the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the challenges faced by overworked graduate students, and recipes for ethnic cuisine. Seldom did these blogs stray from their intended themes. Recognizing this fact, I thought it best that I dedicate my own blog, The Daily Blog, to a theme important to me. Doing so, however, proved more difficult than I first thought, a testament, perhaps, to the power of context to influence the act of writing (or blogging, as the case may be).

Clearly, bloggers do not blog simply for the sake of blogging. Or do they? Recognizing that the ability to answer questions of this sort would require my spending considerable time at the computer, I wanted to choose a theme in which I had a vested interest. After much consideration, it occurred to me that my own ignorance regarding the nature of blogging presented the perfect subject matter. What better way to learn about a medium than to fully submerge oneself in it? Out of this moment of inspiration (or tension) was born The Daily Blog, a blog devoted to the study of blogs. In the days and weeks to come, I intend to use this site to chronicle my own experiences as I learn to blog, reflect on the strengths (and shortcomings) of blogs, establish a set of criteria against which the artistic merits of blogs can be judged, and communicate with other, more experience bloggers. Any advice, opinions, or further questions to consider would be greately appreciated. Having said that, I am prepared to embark on my journey!