Catching Up 9-03

I viewed the article titled; “Interesting Study Issued…” the article itself is less an article and more compiled for a large list. I usually do not prefer such articles however; there was one quote that touched on something I am quite ‘passionate’ about (so to speak). Blogging.

            Blogging is meant for what the quote speaks about: scholarly communication. What qualifies a scholar? For me scholar means research and dignified opinions. Blogs were created for such so that anyone could have a place to post his or her research and ideas. However, the blog industry has become of a place for a self-promotion fad. As a writer, for one, this grinds my gears. I do not think that blogs were created for someone to tell of their own life. Blogs were created for people to for people to share what they have learned, created, and want to teach others. Do not get me wrong, I love the occasional blog that becomes ‘famous’ and is passed around social media because it is a heart-wrenching story with a happy ending. But, too much time is spent promoting ourselves like having a family blog where a mom gabs about how awesome her children are doing in school. This kind of blogging is abusive to its original purpose and crippling to the realm of digital history.  Let us take the cliché family blog. What if a mom, instead of just telling stories about her kids, used her stories about her kids to teach her friends and family (and whoever else reads the blog) into a lesson or advice in parenting? By doing so, the mom is essentially a scholar. The mom did first hand research by parenting her child in such a way that seems to work. By sharing this kind of information, others can learn and heed her advice. This is just a simple example, but blogging done right involves everyday people into a digital history amplified by bloggers sharing their information.

            I am a huge fan of blogging and believe in its full potential to play its part in digital history. However, I believe the system is often abused and wasted by egocentric bloggers instead of bloggers trying to share and promote learning and knowledge.