Blogfriendly

Jonah Lehrer contemplates people we know through blogs:

I feel like I really know my favorite bloggers, in a way that I would never presume to know my favorite novelists or newspaper columnists or magazine writers. Partly, I imagine, it's the informal voice of the blogosphere, and partly it's the enticing mix of idiosyncratic personal information and opinionated commentary that defines the bloggy format. A blog, at least for me, is the writing genre that most closely approximates a friendly conversation.

It's an interesting piece and, as both consumer and producer of blogs, I see a lot of points of resonance in it. That said, when I finished reading the piece I found myself navel-gazing about the things I don't write about here. I don't write about my business or workplace, for example. I don't write about my friends except in caricature. Part of the reason for that is that most of the people I know in real life don't know that I write a blog. My wife mentions it once in a while in public and I always snarl at her that she shouldn't do that. My children don't know I do this, nor do my parents, nor does most of my extended family. If they did, I'd have to be more judicious about what I write. And I don't want to be judicious.

This blog is a secret life for me. It has never been anything but totally self-indulgent. I do it because I enjoy it, and the day I stop enjoying it is the day I stop doing it. I shouldn't do it, because it takes up a lot of time, and when I get to the end of my life I'm going to regret the book I never wrote, and this blog will be tiny solace.

Nonetheless, I'll be back tomorrow.

Comments

[fish]

Looking forward to tomorrow......Batman!

[Wally]

I suppose I'm marked for elimination.

[Frank]

I know exactly what you mean. There is exactly 1 person who I know in real life that knows that I blog. I take my anonymity very seriously, in that if most of my friends or family knew about my blog, they would flip their lids. My brother makes comments like, "I really don't understand the appeal of blogging. I have better things to do with my time." I usually just nod and change subject."

[Tom]

The thing is, Frank, I agree with your brother.

[Frank]

Oh, I know what you mean, which is why I sometimes go weeks without posting. I have better things to do. But I have always been someone with lots of opinions and I like to share them. Rather than getting into political fights at work, I try a little more healthy outlet and just throw them up on the blog or come here and argue with you. It's therapeutic and I get to keep my job. Everyone wins.