Last night, my husband and I were discussing the future of blogging. With so many social media outlets–most of which requiring only a sentence or less, did blogging have a future?
It’s easy to jump to “yes!”, especially if you are a writer who simply must write, or if you generate an income from your blog.
However, blogging and the web’s instant gratification has killed printed publication (but saved trees) and made what the public perceives to be bonafide journalism out of, well, the often unjournalistic, the implausible and the unresearched. We’ve actually reached a place where news can arrive in less that 140 characters–and we believe it. Where does that leave the blogpost, with its (comparatively hefty) average of 450 characters or more?
John Khoury, CEO and founder of Liquic.com, a comprehensive online health and wellness resource encourages writers, amateur and professional alike to do it for good mental health; “Jotting down your thoughts on a daily basis will not only add some ‘me’ time to your schedule, but will unfold the writer and philosopher in you. From daily diaries to travel logs, journaling/blogging can help left and right brained people organize ideas, and boost their well-being.”
For Khoury, these are some of the most rewarding aspects of maintaining a weblog:
- Clarify your goals. By logging your thoughts, you can examine your feelings and objectives with a different set of eyes. Blogging gives you the unique opportunity to provide yourself with feedback from the person you trust most.
- Meditate through your journal. Believe it or not, blogging can be a form of meditation. It quiets your mind, and it is as soothing as turning off all lights and sounds around you to focus on what truly matters.
- Make some time for you. Think of your blog as your personal time, where you remember and analyze all portions of your life. You’ll be setting aside time to reflect on the best parts of your day and all your actions and feelings. Making you will feel valued and refreshed.
- Make a Decision Easier. Expressing your doubts and anxieties allows you to weigh your options. Should you change jobs? Should you move to a new neighborhood? Listing the pros and cons of each choice will point you to the right direction.
- Eliminate negative thoughts. Scripting all negativity in your life feels as liberating as lifting a weight off your shoulders. Venting to your friends is a good idea, but having them “in print” can help you identify your fears and get rid of ideas that only bring you down.
- Track each step of your life. Scribbling your actions keeps you aware of your mistakes and accomplishments. It will also highlight the aspects of your life that you should be paying a bit more attention to.
- Improve your relationships. Writing will give you the opportunity to communicate your feelings towards others–and choose your words carefully. The experience will let you value perspectives not understood before, and will provide you with patience and reasoning to deal with conflicts. You will also appreciate your family and friends more and recognize the essential role they play in your life.
- Do what makes you happy. With work and responsibilities, we end up spending most of our time pleasing others and performing mandatory tasks. After a while, you may find it difficult to distinguish what part of the day was dedicated solely to you. Through blogging, you will discover ways to include things you enjoy into your day: like something as simple as listening to your favorite song to grabbing lunch at your favorite spot.
What are your favorite aspects of blogging? What do you think will be the future of blogging?
A columnist and fiction writer, Rebecca Lacko chronicles the sometimes chaotic adventures of exploring the world with her husband and two sons.
Her food column, The Unassuming Foodie, has been featured in a celebrity charitable cookbook, which was the finalist in the cookbook category of the 2009 National Best Books Awards sponsored by USA Book News. Her blog, Rebecca Lacko allows a perfect distraction from writing her first fiction novel about a hopelessly dysfunctional Orange County family unraveling at the seams.
