While reading this article an aspect of blogging that I had never thought about ran through my mind. How much confidence is needed to blog? Andrew Sullivan talks about the scrutiny in which readers comment about thing written on blogs. It has to affect your confidence in a negative way when you hear horrible stuff said about your opinions. Then again it is easier to write thought down on ‘paper’ then say it out loud where the negative feedback takes a more personal feel because you can actually see the person who is criticizing you. Even if you write a book you still personally know your publisher and editor and their comments do more to your confidence level.
If you think about it, it can become a very dynamic push and pull concept. When you blog criticism isn’t as personal, but there is more of it, and it happens sooner. Therefore is it easier to take criticism by blogging, or in real life? Or does each just take a different kind of confidence?
What I found interesting about this article is when he talked about seeing what he wrote during 9/11, and when Pope John Paul II died. He’s right about going back and seeing exactly what he thought and how he felt at those times. I think we should stop thinking of blogging as online diaries and more like a memoir in-process. I think he is wrong when he says that if new posts constantly have to be put on in order for the blog to be significant. I think all posts can be seen as a piece of history that can be visited again months and years latter.
Why does Sullivan blog? You never really addressed this topic in your blog, at least not specifically. But, I really like your analysis of Sullivan's article. You caught some very interesting bits. I like how you explained that writing thoughts on paper is easier than saying thoughts out loud because that is extremely true.
ReplyDeleteI like what you said about blogging being more personal than writing and speaking even more personal than writing or blogging. The more personal it is, the harder it is to accept critism. This was something I thought about when I hit the "post" button for my posts. I guess since I do some singing, I think a lot about critism from other people and how to get over it. It's definitely something to be aware of when posting blogs.
ReplyDeleteFrom Mary Hamilton
I really liked how you didn't care to tell what you didn't like in Sullivan's article. I also like how you made a comparison to a 'memoir in making'; that was interesting. I agree that having confidence is important when having a blog. You must be open and ready for criticism.
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