Blogging:Chapter 2

Prior to reading this chapter I had the "blogger in pajamas" view that Levinson discusses towards the end of the chapter. I think it was difficult for me to understand the purpose for having a blog. Why would anyone want to take the time out of their day to type out their random thoughts on random subjects and share them with people that they don't necessarily know? I often wondered where people found the spare time or why they would not use this spare time to do something more productive. I wish I had extra time and if I did manage to find some I highly doubt I would spend it online. Plus, I thought, as a non-expert, as many bloggers are, why would anyone even want to read a blog that I wrote? Why would anyone care what I had to say? And if someone has something they really want to say why not call a friend to discuss? Why use the Internet to discuss?
So basically I was full of these questions, mostly seeing blogging as a waste of time that is slowly replacing vital person to person, face to face, interaction. However, upon finishing up Levinson's chapter I realized that blogging has other facets. I really liked the part where he didn't know an actresses name and instead wrote "XXX". The blog was then used as an information source as a reader was quickly able to fill in the "XXX" and provide a name for the unknown actress. Levinson also discusses that a blog can be used as a money making tool. Obviously I could understand why someone could take an hour out of their day to post their thoughts if they had a monetary incentive. Maybe the payoff isn't always large but its still existent and has room to grow if the blog becomes more popular. Finally, I liked how he pointed out that a blog can be a platform. Of all the writers in the world not many of them have the opportunity to publish and share their hard work with a large audience. If their writings are picked up by a publisher the writer is placed under the hand of the controlling company seeking to make a profit. However, through blogs writers everywhere have found an outlet through which they can freely share their work. The writer has total control of the blog, therefore they also have total control of their work, being able to edit, add or erase anything whenever they see fit. Plus, readers can post their opinions, so the writer has a constant opportunity to receive feedback and improve on his or her work.
Through reading this chapter I gained a greater understanding of what makes blogs so appealing. Although blogs still might not be something I would do outside of class, I enjoyed learning more about them.