Why Do You Blog
I've never been a big fan of the pressure to "Know your why." I'm not into buzzwords and pop psychology and I definitely don't like being put on the spot. I'm still at a loss to articulate why I've done some of the most difficult and incomprehensible things in my life other than it's just what I felt like at the moment. I think that's OK. Still, I do believe in self-examination and realize that sometimes figuring out our motives is helpful, depending on what we do with that information. To that end, I'm looking at my blogging and why it's become as important as it has to me.
The personal essays I write every day serve as a record of sorts. I've never been good at the Dear Diary kind of journaling, writing for an audience of one, future me. It's hard to find inspiration there. Instead I write things that I know my real life friends and family will read. It serves as a record of who I am here in the autumn of my life and gives me a way to share things with them that I wouldn't necessarily want to have a conversation about, like a piece I wrote recently about the end of my drinking life. I wish my grandparents had been bloggers because I'd pay just about anything to have a collection of their stories, thoughts and opinions. I also want in some way to reach other people in my demographic of old white guys and say, "We don't have to be part of the patriarchy or homophobes or war mongers or white supremacists or any of that other bullshit." I also think it's good to let people in marginalized groups know that they have allies. The conservatives that I piss off can accuse me of virtue signaling all they want, I've received too much help in my life from people sharing how they've changed for the better to be silent about what it feels like to come out of the shell that society tries to program us to fit into.
Starting in January, I have updated my/now page every week, using OMG.LOL. I also collect links through the week and post a "This Week's Bookmarks" post on Saturdays on Micro.blog. Since the beginning of April I've written a post each day for App Addict, a blog on the Scribbles platform where I publish reviews of Mac and iOS apps. At about the same time is when I started writing an essay every day about something non-technical and personal for Living Out Loud, my blog on the BearBlog platform. And, because all of that wasn't enough, I started a links blog on Bear in June after I scored a free domain name by signing up for something online. You can find that one at Linkage.
I write the /now page in about 10 or 15 minutes. It lists what I'm reading, watching on TV, what I've written during the week, the coolest thing I've bought and any websites I've added to my personal bookmarks. A lot of what I do online is an attempt to find common ground with other like minded folks to trade book or tv recommendations or find interesting bloggers to follow. It's a search for community. I also fancy myself as having a discerning eye when it comes to finding cool stuff on the Internet and I like the thought of helping to entertain someone else. That's why I share links in so many different ways.
Ever since I first started using Macs at the beginning of the century, I have been fascinated by all the software that's available for the platform. It is different than Windows software in that Mac developers are usually more aesthetically driven and generally have a fondness for that platform that comes through in their work. To me, an empty hard drive is a challenge. I will download and test just about any application that sounds interesting, even if I already have something I'm using in that niche. I think I have close to 20 notes apps installed right now even though I am all in on Obsidian. After providing support to computer users for nearly 30 years, I feel like I have a good handle on what would be useful for folks. That's why I write app reviews. I don't mind when anyone wants to argue over my opinion though. I've discovered some worthy apps that way. I'm super flattered that the blog has done so well. I've had as many as 6,000 visitors in a single day and been quoted in Lifehacker and The Verge.
Writing every day the way I do has taken the place of doom scrolling Reddit, obsessively tuning my laptop and the midday naps I used to think I needed. I'd like to think it's made my life better.
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