Satisfaction Gained from Blogging :: Blogs

Satisfaction Gained from Blogging The question most frequently asked about blogging is why. What is in a blog that makes it something unique that people find attractive enough to want to write about their daily lives to the whole world? While there are many reasons bloggers do what they do, I’m looking specifically at what satisfaction is gained from it. The blog I have observed over the past few weeks is very much like a regular journal posted by Jim. He talks about anything and everything he deems important enough in his life. Generally speaking, he posts about real events and thoughts on real things that happen directly in his life. His posts go back quite a ways too, about a year, and he posts daily. To me, this sounds almost addicting. It was at this point that I began to wonder what made blogging so addicting and questioned the enjoyment and pleasure factors that are involved. I finally emailed Jim and asked him why he blogs and who he blogs for. His answer was the expected answer; "Really, I just do it for myself. My thoughts have no...order, really...they're all very disjointed and random. I don't know why anyone reads mine, it's really not that good and not as interesting as some of the others out there. Though I am flattered when people tell me they do enjoy it. I also think they're crazy, but that's not the point...My friends do theirs as a journal of sorts...but I try not to write anything too incredibly personal." I think many people like Jim want their readers to think that they just do it for themselves and not for any real reasons. However if this were true, no blogger would write their journals online in the first place. The idea of having potentially thousands of people reading their blogs and commenting on them is enough to make bloggers post. If Jim and all those out there that really just do it for themselves they would keep it private. He states that he doesn’t do his as a journal like his friends, but upon reading a few entries, you’ll find that is exactly like a journal, and some of his posts are extremely personal. â€Å"Though I am flattered when people tell me they do enjoy it.† That kind of reinforcement from the internet public is precisely the idea I am trying to get across to the bloggers who may be in denial about doing it just for themselves.