Sunday, March 26, 2006
The Blogger World
Before I started blogging I didn’t really know this blog world existed. I mean I knew of blogging, but I thought it was for people who discussed and debated current events. The few times I had read these sort of blogs I wasn’t interested enough to join in the debate- although we do plenty of that at home around the kitchen table.

However, after starting my blog I realized that blogging was much more. It allowed me into the lives of people I would otherwise never know. It also let me share my thoughts and feelings with the outside world- sort of like writing a book. This is what I like about blogs.

When my oldest kids were little I used to think to myself- I wish I knew how other people were handling life. How they did certain things. I used to wonder what type of routines people had with their kids and what they did when various problems came up. Perhaps other people had life all figured out and if I could just get them to talk about it then I could do what they are doing.

I mean, of course, I, like most people had a few friends that told me about their lives, but I think a lot of issues were kept hidden. Also, it is difficult to have very many friends that you are close enough to, that really let you in on the details of their lives. So it can be very limited. Also, close friends might not be in the same place in their lives, as you are in yours. Blogging can expand your friendships all over the world with people who share common interests and experiences.

With blogging you can skip all of the small talk and get to the really interesting subjects about your thoughts and your life. Can you imagine a small talk blog:

You- “Hi! How are you?”

Them- “Fine.You?

You- “Good.”

Them- “Great.”

You- “Weather’s looking nice today.”

Them- “Yeah- it looks great.”

You- “How’s work”

Them- “Good, doing well.”

You- “That’s good to hear.”

Them- “How is the family?”

You- “Fine. Everyone is doing well.”

Them- “How is the adoption coming along?”

You- “Well, our agency got re-accredited recently, so that is good, but we are still waiting.”

Them- “Oh yeah? I hope you hear some good news soon. It was good to see you. Gotta run.”

You- “See ya later.”

Wow. I have now officially blogged a small talk conversation. I must be really running out of ideas. (:)) Back to the subject- with blogging, versus the kind of conversation I just spelled out- you can connect with and support others that are in a similar situation or have similar interests as yours- or are just interested in your life.

In some ways, reading blogs is like viewing the parade of homes, or a similar event where you can view the inside of people’s homes that you don’t know. Whenever I would walk past nice homes I would wish that I could look inside and see how the home was decorated and what it looked like. This type of home viewing event lets you look into homes that you would never have been able to see otherwise.

I guess that is what reality TV is all about. The appeal is to see what is real in other people’s lives. On the other hand, real reality can be boring. I saw this reality spoof on TV where this guy was filming his parents and they were just sitting at the kitchen table barely talking- reading the newspaper. It was actually quite funny. Blogging can be boring too. I suppose if people are just going on and on about something boring (like maybe this blog-:)). However, for the most part bloggers make me laugh and cry and feel better about life. Readers (lurkers) and commenters (just like my family and friends) make me feel like my life matters. I am amazed at how many people click on my site every day (based on my counter) and are interested in my daily thoughts. This is another one of those mysteries of the universe.

At the same time, I really enjoy reading the daily thoughts of others. I want to say thank you to all of the bloggers out there who have shared a portion of their lives with the world and let us look in on who you are, what and how you are doing and what you are thinking about life. Thank you!
7 Comments:
Blogger Rhonda said...
I agree with you completely. I was thinking about how much of my extended family gets to be involved in each minor paperwork victory, rather than just hear "oh by the way, our agency was reaccredited". They get to know what a BIG deal that is and how long we've waited for it to happen. Blogging is so much fun. I am glad that you started your blog Jen. I read your posts every day.

Blogger Maggie said...
I agree. I didn't expect to find so many like-minded people. I know my blog represents my true feelings -- even those I'm not proud of -- regarding adoption. It's a safe place for us to really express what's going on. I still think it's bizarre that I think of you, Lisa, Rhonda, Tricia, and others as friends when I have never met you. Cool, but bizarre.

Blogger 6blessings said...
I didn't know what blogging was when my husband suggested it to me. He had to get me started. I'm still not very good at it, but I enjoy it. I feel a connection and understanding for and from others in my blogging circle of friends. With our recent loss, I keep saying, "No one gets it. No one understands. They don't understand how much these kids mean to us." I don't have to say that here. I know you guys all understand and know what I'm feeling. It's great to have that support. I agree with Margaret that it's really cool to have friends out there that I really don't know. Maybe though, we know each other better than we know our friends we see all of the time because we can really be ourselves and open up in this bloggy world.

Anonymous Anonymous said...
Great post- its funny, not that many people IRL know that we are heavily leaning toward adoption- I guess I feel like its not worth going into the detail until we pick an agency (still agonizing). But its nice to be part of this community because I learn so much from others that are further in the process. Plus, I like hearing about other stuff going on in people's lives, or what their thoughts are on blogging, cooking, politics, whatever.

Blogger A Room to Grow said...
This is a great post - I was just thinking the same thing. The reason I started my blog was that I was lurking on a few adoption blogs, and felt like I might as well share some of myself, rather just "take" from others - since everyone was putting themselves out there. I also was planning to share my blog with my friends in other parts of the world so we could stay connected with my day to day life (friends from my hometown Madison WI; friends from when I lived abroad in the UK), but then actually had the thought of... do I really want to share all of these thoughts with my "real-life" friends? Would they think I'm too weird and going on about the same thing over and over? But now, I honestly consider my blogworld friends just as important as my real-world friends, so maybe I should open up my blog to everyone and see how it goes. But it's nice to have this anonymous yet personal avenue to vent thoughts and feelings.

Blogger Yeah So said...
I started blogging because it is difficult for me to tell anyone what I am going through, let alone how I feel about it. It is great to know that there are other people going through the same nonsense, because I don't know anyone personally who is. I too would like to thank all the bloggers who are so candid with their lives and allow me to share it. It helps me deal with my issues so much more than you know!

Blogger CarolinaGirl said...
WOW...this is sooo true. I have to say that I have shared more feelings on our blog than I do with most people that actually know me. Tricia..I am so with you!. I felt like my friends or family just didn't really want to hear about the same things over and over again. Besides...I didn't know anything about blogging, I thought that me, myself and possibly my husband would be reading it. So, I have become real open with my thoughts. It is such a great experience to meet all these incredible blogger friends that I have. It has made me feel like maybe I have something of interest to say to somebody. It sure has helped me out a lot!. I want to thank everyone too!!!. It is great to know also that there are others out there who feel like I do, think like I do too. I am not alone. That is such a nice feeling!!!