The majority of the people in my life do not think blogging is legitimate. My family asks me constantly what I do all day on the computer. They assume since I am unemployed that I spend my days watching YouTube videos and dawdling around on Solitaire, which I suck at anyways and you may wonder how one can be bad at solitaire and I would tell you right now but this post is about blogging, not boring games I suck at that suck. Anyways.
My brothers are in a band. They want to make it (Top 40 Style) and play sold out concerts. They think what I do with blogging is completely different from what they do. Because their craft is mainstream and more noticeable, they can’t fathom that I’m actually doing the same thing, just with a different audience and medium.
I want recognition, so do they. I want fans, they’ll need them for top 40 status. I want people to be inspired by my writing, they want people to be moved by their music. I want to write a book, they want to record an album. I want an audience, as do they. I fit into a niche, they fit into a genre. I’d say we’re comparing apples to oranges, but we’re not. They want the same exact things as I do, but they are overt about it, whereas I don’t have concerts or CDs or tshirts (yet!?) and I don’t read my writing out loud to the family (uh, would be weird), but they do. It’s MTV Unplugged at our house every holiday, which I love, don’t get me wrong.
But, it’s isolating. If the band sells 30,000 records, we’ll have a party. If I gain 30,000 subscribers, they’ll look at me with blank stares and never be able to understand how incredible that is to me.
Everyone (ok, for real, maybe, maybe, just my mom) keeps asking me when I’m going to write a book (it has been a dream of mine since I was a kidlet). My family wants something tangible to praise me for. What they don’t realize is that this blog could become my book. This is my muse. This is my outline. This is my constant research.
I hope to one day explain to them and help them to understand the value I am both giving and receiving in this community. This is not a small part of who I am, but an integral aspect of my identity. This isn’t a place to dump my thoughts (not that there’s anything wrong with that), but it’s my place to connect and feel worthwhile. This isn’t silly or unimportant compared to a sold out concert. It’s different, but in no way less valuable.
I have been blogging and creating community online on and off since as early as 1999. This is very much a real and tangible way of life. People say they want to leave a legacy. Well, blog. Truly, this is my legacy. This is where I want my last words to live. Sure, I didn’t make a CD and never will, but this blog archiving back for almost 3 years and the other blogs I have floating somewhere in my Google search results are my platinum records. These posts are my tracks.
And you, you’re a part of it. So, thanks.
Update: There’s a great post over at Life is Like a Box of Chocolates that fits in well with this post. Check it out!
{ 28 comments… read them below or add one }
I’m sure that your parents support you even if they don’t understand blogging. Maybe you could talk to them about their relationship with their parents and find out something that they did that maybe their parents didn’t understand. You could write about how it relates to blogging for you. Maybe you should encourage them to write one. There is no better way of understanding than doing.
They absolutely do support me — you’re right Stacey!
I mean, they get that what I’m doing matters to me, but they don’t understand how amazing it is because they aren’t in it. Great idea — I will encourage them to write more (the bro’s band has a blog area on their MySpace) or even start a blog of their own (for my mom)!
Thanks for those suggestions.
Oh, I totally feel your pain, as always. I don’t make an effort to *hide* my blog from my friends and family like I used to, but I don’t particularly go out of my way to tell them about it because I know they don’t get it. Some people are really starting to get it though…. it’ll come with time. Hopefully we’ll be wildly successful before then.
Exactly — I tried to explain to them about readership and how you can possibly make money through blogging and they SORT OF got it. My mom is the best at understanding, but even she falls a bit short just because she’s not in it.
Yes. The wildly successful part sounds great. =)
Many of my friends and family call me a bit geeky and the digital girl who is ‘always online,’ and I try to tell them that compared to a lot of other people I’m pretty tame. But it’s funny and a good point that you bring up-the value of the online community and blogging is meaningful, some people just haven’t experienced it or can’t grasp it. I’m not going to stop blogging or tweeting just because some of my close friends don’t get it-that’s okay and I’m okay with our ‘platinum records.’ Thanks for the insight
Oh yeah – I am definitely the tech geek in my family. Which is an advantage sometimes, but a disadvantage as well. I ended up having to do 5 hours of Excel work yesterday helping my stepdad create some charts for his work. Being the one who knows about computers didn’t pay off at that point! Haha.
I think blogging is one of those things that will become more universally understood once it becomes mainstream. For now, I actually like that we are the forward-thinking people who have stayed with blogging even if no one around us understands it! Keep it up, Grace and I will, too.
Very true, Jamie. It’s funny because I now have friends just getting on Twitter-acting excited about it and wondering if I’m on it. I try not to be too blunt
I would never want to back down from blogging because as it grows and becomes more mainstream, it’s nice to have been an early adopter growing from the beginning, with our finger on the pulse of change.
Hahahah! So funny about Twitter! My stepdad and real dad actually just both heard about Twitter and it’s hilarious to hear them talk about it. Their favorite part: that when you post an update, it’s called a “tweet.”
We’ll be the seasoned bloggers — all wise and helpful to the newbies! Yay!
Fortunately, I think my mother gets it, but all the people around me don’t really get it. Slowly people are realizing a blog’s value, but we’re kind of in our own bubble most of the time. Sigh. This was an awesome post by the way. Per usual
It’s difficult to not be able to share a huge part of your world with the people around you. Good thing you have your mother and, oh, what about that blogging boyfriend of yours? Zeus?
We are in our own bubble! I met with a friend I had only met online through Twitter the other day in SF. It was so amazing to talk about blogging in real life! It’s actually the inspiration for this post.
I totally understand where you’re coming from, and actually, I just posted about a similar topic today. It’s hard to convince people who aren’t part of the Web 2.0 community just how valuable these sites are to us. You can try and explain, but when it comes down to it, some people will never understand. If you’re happy and writing your blog is fulfilling for you, then you’re already a success.
Sam — loved the post you have up on your blog. I added it to my post!
You’re right — some people may never understand and that’s okay. And my blog is fulfilling, so it’s nice to know I am doing something that I don’t need tons of approval on. Regardless of how many people question my involvement with blogging (outside of blogging), I am still going to participate.
And that’s a true testament to all of us being passionate about blogging: we do it even if the people around us may not understand it. That’s inspiring!
The best way to get the family to take blogging seriously is to tell them you’re blogging ABOUT them. Everything gets real when they think their lives are being broadcast on “The Internet”.
And I wouldn’t say never to making a cd… “Intersected: The spoken word” may be the next big thing… think about it
Seriously, great post, and you’re so right that for most people blogging just looks like a really weird hobby.
Hahaha! Actually — that’s funny you mention that because part of the inspiration for this post was that my younger brother told me to write about their band on my blog (and on a blog I’m doing a guest post for).
I was just all… I can’t just blog about your band with my guest post! Ahhhh, frustration! I explained it though and I think they got it.
The spoken word aspect of intersected? You’re right, that’s totally the next big thing.
Thanks for commenting!
I know the feeling. I blog about an industry that in many cases have no idea what a blog is. I have been told to get lost when requesting information because I am not a “writer”.
On the other hand, if you get 30,000 blog subscribers you will be making enough ad revenue to blog full time.
It’s good to know you are blogging even though you have those roadblocks.
Yes, blogging full time would be amazing! I’m pushing for it, but it takes time. =)
Thanks for the comment!
So is the life of a blogger, eh? We are rarely understood by people outside of our ‘crew’. I think a blogger looking only for recognition will never be successful – but YOU have the right idea. You write for yourself and you write to inspire others. You understand that blogging is not a hobby; it is a lifestyle and a huge investment of one’s time.
I see it as a constant learning experience – and it’s much more productive than sitting around playing video games or watching TV (debatable, again, by some). I am constantly developing my own writing, learning from others, becoming more educated on all sorts of topics and ideas. And I get to engage in some awesome conversations with people from all different walks of life. It’s personally rewarding, and I think you can atone for that as well – it’s what makes a writer a good writer, when it’s not only fulfilling to others, but personally fulfilling and rewarding.
Great thoughts, everyone has to have a ‘why do I blog’ blog at some point. It’s pretty much an unwritten law.
Basically anything that takes dedication and time requires that you are doing it for your own benefit in some way. It’s really difficult to stay motivated when you don’t want to be doing what you’re doing.
That’s why blogging has been working out so well for me, especially in the past 3 weeks.
I always ask my family when they question the time I spend on the computer, “I’m unemployed, a, and b, would you rather I spend this time watching TV?!” For me, I think TV is the most unproductive time spent — it takes absolutely no mental energy. Video games at least require spatial and sometimes intellectual skills.
it’s what makes a writer a good writer, when it’s not only fulfilling to others, but personally fulfilling and rewarding.
I absolutely agree with that!
Haha, yes, this is my why I blog, blog. I knew it was coming sooner or later.
You’re just tempting me to write my own ‘why I blog’, blog. No. I won’t give in! NEVER!
In the end, you are most succesful when you are passionate about what you do!
I hear you. I think part of it is hard for me because I am not even sure what “I” want out of blogging. I suppose making money would be nice, but I can’t imagine doing it incrementally – oh, to wake up and be Dooce or something
It started with just giving myself an outlet to write, and then it turned into “Well, if I ever need a job, it would be nice to look like an authority on something” and now I am not sure what it is, but I certainly check my post counts way more often than appropriate.
You know, I believe that what you want out of blogging will hit you when you least expect it. Trying to figure it out without it coming organically doesn’t seem to be the best way.
I actually have stopped looking at my blog stats. I was measuring my success by feed subscription and page views, instead of by how many people I connect with, which at the end of the day, is more important to me.
You’ll figure out the why in terms of blogging — it took me about three years and I’m still questioning it. =)
I totally know how you feel! Although I have my name and information attached to my blog, I still feel reluctant to send it to my close friends or family, because they just don’t get it! I don’t think they understand yet the value of blogging and how important it can be. It’s still seen by some as a waste of time, rather than a great way to really connect with others and learn more about the world around you.
Blogging is such a great tool, and I wish more people in “the real world” understood its power!
Akhila! I absolutely want to send my blog to my family, but I just don’t think they would get it. They would be all — why are you talking about this random stuff? Hahah! And who are all these people you talk to!? So funny.
We know the value and I’m sure it will catch on sooner rather than later. We’ll be the wise bloggers by then. =)
Jamie,
I agree that the blog can be your book. My 12-year-old son is writing a book. He writes it out by hand and I enter it into a weekly blog. The whole family gets updates each week and they love it. It’s a fantasy book at http://www.argenroth.com. I doubt we will ever do anything more with it, but it is a great way to share it with his friends and family.
Dave
That’s so cool that your 12 year old is writing a book! Wow. That’s great that you empower him, too.
I’m going to check it out right now.
Damn. Exactly.
More power to you for taking the time that’s available to you and turning it into your legacy.
If you write in the blogosphere, and there’s no friends or family around to see it, does your community-building alter-ego writer-self still exist?
YES! Thank you so much for this brilliantly written post – although I don’t really call them on it, I’m often offended when friends of mine say they’ve never read my blog (half don’t even know it exists).
I LOVE your blog – keep up the great work
One day your family (and I’m sure many others’) will understand. Until then, glad we all have each other!
This is a great post. Many people don’t understand the blogger lifestyle. This was a great way of explaining it.