To Blog or not to Blog
(If that's even a question)
2002, Christian Sauvé
[2004 Note: My thinking continues to evolve on the subject, even as the world of blogging continues to evolve. Please don't laugh too much at my now-unnecessary attempt to define blogging.]
[2005 Note: Argh! I'm now a blogger at http://www.fractale-framboise.com/ Feel free to ignore what follows.]
1. Blogging? Whazzat?
It may be a waste of time. It may be the web's only original contribution to communications. It may be useful. It may be self-indulgent. Whatever it is, it's sweeping the world and changing the way we view the web. One thing for sure, though, is that it's here to stay. It's blogging.
Short for "web logging", blogging is nothing more complicated that a personal web page/site that is updated on a frequent basis. At its simplest expression, it's merely an online diary. At its most sophisticated, it can become a radically effective mean of communication between a self-selected group of people on highly specialized subjects. Even the "personal" aspect of blogging isn't mandatory, as small groups of people working on a common project can share a single blog to keep a larger audience informed.
Blogging isn't a new phenomenon, going back all the way to the early .plan files of Unix days. But it has recently come into the public spotlight through a variety of high-profile cases. Media journalists are now using blogs as a way to keep in contact with their readership, free of the constraints of their medium. Some non-professionals are playing with blogs as a new journalism tool, bypassing bigger venues to focus on highly-specialized subjects. Others simply see it as their own op ed column. It usually takes some time for any new endeavour to mature into a genuinely useful tool, and this is where blogging is right now.
Fine for blogging. But what about me? Paying for web hosting facilities can do strange and wonderful things to your web site. Now that it's not merely a free hobby, well, it's time to revisit the assumptions behind the site. Should I start a daily blog or not?
2. The Case For Blogging.
Why would I want to start blogging? Here are, I think, four good reasons.
2.1 Previewing the future: Privacy is dead / The web lives
Let's dispense with one thing from the start; I firmly believe that "privacy" is an expensive luxury that will increasingly lose a lot of cachet in the next few decades. David Brin, in The Transparent Society explains it far better than I could hope to, but it pretty much boils down to one thing: I think that too big a sentimental attachment to privacy will eventually become a mental health problem in an era where transparency and openness are our only reasonable options.
This conviction, mind you, isn't all that relevant to the subject of blogs because the blogger can always be in control of what is written on the blog. A blog isn't merely "an online diary", because what it contains can always be tailored to the wide and unknown audience liable to read it.
But there wouldn't be anything wrong with putting up an online diary. Most people's oh-so-precious privacy is usually only a smokescreen obscuring an ordinary and boring life. I could put up everything I eat on my web site and no one would care. (Except for my mother because, well, that's her job.) In this context, I'm not terribly worried about anyone with a web connection peeking at my daily adventures; unless that person is either fantastically bored or knows me quite well, chances are that they'll go away quickly.
Privacy being dead, a blog would, I think, be an excellent way to affirm my faith in the upcoming values of the twenty-first century. It also helps that I think that blogs are one of the web's true new innovations.
Think about it; has there been anything in the previous history of the world as a public personal diary available to anyone regardless of education, race, sex or geographical location? When the web was new (insert scooby-wavy sounds) everyone was ranting and raving about this being a new frontier. Well, here we are.
2.2 A lot of people are doing it
As of early 2002, blogging has attained an impressive level of, if not maturity, at least proficiency. It's not a strange and unusual concept; several personas, professionals or amateurs, are using the medium to communicate, pontificate or simply list what they had for lunch. Some blog straddle the line between a log and a publication, with highly informative postings on technical subjects. Some extraordinary people in extraordinary situations are chronicling their adventures for all to read. In Quebec, a blog was used by strikers at the Radio-Canada network to stay in touch while locked out of their office.
Even some friends and acquaintances of mine have dipped in the blogging pool, chronicling their day-to-day lives and broadcasting them to the world at large.
In short, there's some peer pressure to start blogging, or at least explain why someone with his own dot-com, some writing skills and a megalomaniacal ego is not blogging.
2.3 It can be *very* useful
For people with widely-scattered friends and family, blogging can become a wonderful way to stay in touch, effortlessly. No need for repetitive email correspondence with multiple acquaintances when most of what you want to say is already on the blog; now emails can be truly personal rather than merely catching up on common ground.
If you have a specialized interest, blogging can also be a useful way to share what you are working on, and a way to get feedback on some new notions. The blogs I read on a daily basis are technical in nature, and tend to represent a sure-fire way to keep the pulse of technical communities, as even the slightest news get dissected as they happen.
2.4 Goodness, an audience!
Learning to write usually depends on practice, practice and even more practice. For writers, blogs can be an addictive way to practice; if you get in the habit of churning out, day after day, a certain wordage, your skills hopefully improve. The occasional spelling flame from readers might even make you see the dictionary in an entirely new fashion.
Let's face it; there is something thrilling about putting your words on the web, when unknown (but presumably vast) masses might just stop and read. For a writer, it's kind of a rush; the illusion of an audience. No more toiling in the dark! Instant feedback! It's to the old way of writing what live theatre is to film acting.
Then you might argue that blogging can make daily life even more fun, as a trivial incident can become a full-fledged crisis at night, comfortably sitting in front of your computer. People with a lot of imagination can re-play entire conversations, wondering how good it might have been to say this instead of that.
The screen can become kind of a confessional, the anonymous kind you're certain will remain safely separated from your daily life (except for the faint thrill of a possible discovery...)
3. The Case Against Blogging.
Alas, all of the above consideration shrivel when faced with the harsh glare of real life, at least in my case. Let's examine a few very personal objections to daily blogging:
3.1 What have I got to write about?
Unlike some bloggers I admire, I don't work in a cutting-edge field. Nor is my job a hotbed of excitement. I don't have much of a social life either; most of my entries would read suspiciously like repeats of "Went to work. Worked. Went home. Read. Wrote. I'm going to bed now." Gripping stuff, wouldn't you say?
For the life of me, I can't imagine anyone being interested in that type of stuff. Is there a market out there for the daily musings of a single public servant geek? Well, probably given the sheer amount of weirdoes out there, but I wouldn't even read my own blog, for goodness' sake!
The only activity of mine I can think of sharing is my reading and movie-going. Guess what? Most of it has been on the site since 1997. You go read.
3.2 Everyone can read blogs
It has long been a personal policy to put on the web only things I would be comfortable telling to parents, friends and colleagues. Mostly.
Blogging tends to make a fuzzy notion of private/public life, if you're not careful. A substantial portion of my job, for instance, is technical support. People aren't always happy when they come to me with problems. Sometimes, I'm not even happy when I have to deal with a particularly stupid problem. Could I put this stuff on the web? Perhaps, blurring names and details. But, presumably, said colleagues would know about the blog and recognize situations.
In short, blogging leads to some curious mental games about what you can or cannot say. Simple decency, for instance, would make you reconsider detailing every single conversation. But what's the point of blogging, then, if it becomes a self-censoring diary? A simple collection of cool links? Not that there's anything wrong with that... but if you're going to blog, might as well blog all the way!
Not to mention that this plays on both sides. When meeting friends who are known bloggers, I know that they won't go and spill the conversation on their blog. But what if they do? Am I being witty enough? Am I giving them good quotes? Do I run the danger of seeing myself described as "boring" the next day? Blogging is sort of a Social Heisenberg Principle from Hell: Observation (or rather the knowledge of subsequent observation) affects the event being observed.
In short, despite by tirade against privacy, I'm still not comfortable with the idea of logging my life for all to see. I don't think it's a tenable option in a social workplace like the public service. I think it may very well jeopardize valuable relationships with more private individuals. (I was once badly burnt by someone who thought I was being too open about her with my own family; now imagine blogging!) In short, I still haven't wrapped my head around public diaries. This too may pass.
3.3 I'm already out of time!
Despite my boring so-called-life, I'm not someone with a lot of free time. In between a full-time job, two ongoing web consulting gigs, a long commute, a house, a garden, an obsession for 15-20Km walks, movies, books and music, there isn't much left. Whatever time is free is never quite enough to write what I want and do the rest of what needs to be done. I stay away from computer games because I know I would otherwise be sucked in that particular black hole again.
In this context, even a fifteen-minute daily blogging session fills me with dread. I'm not sure how long I could sustain such a regime. Long-time readers of this web site have noticed that my "monthly" reviews can ofter appear at the end of the following month... I really don't want to take on Yet Another Writing Project, especially a blog, whose value derives a lot from being able to do it in a consistent fashion.
4. The Verdict
So there is no question of turning christian-sauve.com in a daily blog. Can't. Won't. Shouldn't. Despite my admiration and respect for bloggers of all shape and colors, I won't join them anytime soon. Farewell, folks!
Ironically enough, when I stop thinking about what I can't do and start planning what I *can* do, I'm back to pretty much what I'm doing already:
The only thing that's interesting about me are the books I read and the movies I see. Fine, then I'll review those and put everything on the web. Check.
I'm uncomfortable with putting up my life on the web. Okay, so I'll keep personal content out of the reviews I write. Sort-of-check, with reasonable limits.
I don't have time to do a daily blog? No problem, I'll simply do monthly updates... surely I can find enough time in a month to write what I have to say?
So, what, all of this to be back at the beginning? Maybe. But at least I'm back at the beginning knowing *why* I'm there, which is already more than I knew at the onset. Not only that, but at least you too know why this site isn't a blog.
I'm not sure you're any happier or wiser for knowing that, but what did you expect when you started reading this?