Purposeful Blogging

Mark Pilgrim had a posting about weblogs a few days ago (Influences) that made me think.  He often does.  A few snippets to start:

It is most definitely talking at people, not with them.

Of course there is diversity, fascinating diversity, but only on the outskirts of the community.

The personal web is fascinating, because people are fascinating. Never before have we been privy to so many insignificant details of so many unfamous people.

I think I have become boring. I’ve spent too much time tracking statistics, living up to the meaningless ideals of others, and pontificating on matters of no importance. When I should have been writing about lighthouses.

What do I write about on my weblog?  Design, muffins, South Africa , my deck, the weather in Cleveland, Virginia Tech football, peace instead of war.  A bunch of stuff.  Some bits of it have interest to a larger group than other bits. 

Is my weblog boring?  Probably.  Except to those people who are interested in that specific subject at that specific moment.  And maybe a few friends who stick it out no matter how dull it really is.

Am I boring because I talk about weblogs sometimes?  Definitely!  Yet these posts are what get the most flow.   Occasionally, my somewhat diverse, somewhat on the fringe weblog delves into the current meat of weblogs – which is talking about weblogs.  And a bunch of people I don’t know – or know only through their own weblogs – come visit.

I hope, over time, that this weblog builds up a composite picture of me that has some real relationship to who I really am.  I hope that my writing improves, my audience grows, my weblog tool (Manila) improves, that I post more often and more meaningfully, and that my site becomes a place where many people visit to learn and interact.

But I’m in it for the long haul.  I’m happy enough with the technology I’ve chosen (and hoping it improves, along with my use of it).  I’m building a history of postings that goes back a couple years (even if it is hard to get to at times).  I’m not just talking about weblogs all the time.

I admit that I sometimes feel a bit jealous of those of you who have weblogs that have high enough traffic that you have to pay your ISP extra each month.  But I’m certainly glad that I’m not a weblog technology/scripting author.  I hope the diversity and the distance to the fringe grows.

I hope you – whoever you are – find this site interesting… at least once.  And if you stick around or visit more often, I hope you get to know me a bit.  And maybe even get in touch.

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