Blogs have been in existence since the early-mid 1990s, and there are now hundreds of millions of them floating out there in cyberspace. So, it seems reasonable to ask, "Why would anyone wish to add to this cacophony of voices, and why now?"
The answer?
There isn't just one. In no particular order:
- Writers write, and lately I've been a bit blocked and looking for a new outlet.
- My opinions on local and national events need a place to be, and though the city's newspaper prints my essays and letters to the editor on a regular basis, they limit both what and how often they accept submissions.
- One could imagine this blog being the equivalent of my Facebook page, which is something I've so far successfully avoided. I know that FB has the power to make valuable connections among people. Unfortunately, it also is designed to monetize your personal information, and it spreads disinformation that undermines our democracy and the very fabric of our society. Thus, this becomes my alternative to a FB page.
- Ego. There. I said it.
I have no idea how often I'll post here, or even whether or not I'll tell folks of the existence of the blog and alert them to new posts when they arrive.
It can be awkward to say to friends, "Hey, look here!" when that includes the implied question, "What did you think of it?"
I mean, seriously now, other than asking someone to help you move your 50 boxes of books and records to a new 3rd floor apartment, is there anyting worse than saying to a friend, "I just finished my new 500 page novel. Would you read it and give me your opinion?"
That's a burden one should rarely place on the shoulders of a close friend, let alone a group of acqaintances.
In light of all that, perhaps for now I'll just leave this blog to finds its own audience, and wait to see what happens.
Thanks for reading this far.