Why Blog?

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Someone asked me recently, "Why do you blog? Isn't it a waste of time? Isn't it pointless to "talk" to a bunch of people you don't even know? And isn't it dangerous to put yourself out there at the mercy of cyberstalkers or wierdos?"

Her comments made me ask the same question: Why do I blog? Aside from the fact that everybody's doing it, what's in it for me?

Perhaps you've asked yourself, too. If so, please share your answers.

Here are some of mine.





1. I began blogging soon after teaching a resource course for widows/widowers. My original intent was to share some of the resources I had collected with others who might find them helpful. It wasn't long before I realized that I was learning as much or more than I was teaching. My understanding of widowhood has deepened through interacting with other widows I've met online. My most recent widowhood course was way better than my first.




2. One of the gifts blogging has brought me is the opportunity to make new friends. These are people I might never get to know in real life--we're different ages, have different backgrounds, come from different parts of the country. True, we wouldn't recognize one another in a crowd, but blogging has brought us together, and we've bonded. And I haven't met a single wierdo through blogging. So there.




3. Blogging helps me think through and work through my experiences of widowhood. I have a deeper understanding of myself.






4. When I began, I thought my posts would be limited to widowhood, but I've included other topics as well to give some variety to my blog. And yes, I've included a post about my cats. (They didn't actually type it, but they did contribute their two cents).



5. As all writers know, blogging is a great way to expand your platform.



So I'll just keep blogging away. How about you?