While confined to my bed, I discovered this piece on blogging and the ensuing discussion. If I hadn’t been as light-headed as I was I might have been able to follow the comments a bit better but, as I have been accused of making people think to the point of head pain, this discussion rendered me a bit blurry eyed and headachey.
Still it is worthy of a link and a few thoughts. The idea that perhaps we have some responsibility to our readers to think before we write and remember that there are real people sitting on the other side of the screen.
I have gotten myself into trouble more than once in mistaking a personal discussion for a general one, or – and this happened a lot in my early days on the widow board – gave someone one of the sharper pieces of my mind. The teacher in me can’t help but share and sometimes it does come off as “instructing”.
But we have ventured this way before on the subject of blogging and it comes back to the personal. We are not paid professionals. I don’t run ads though I have thought about it. No one sends me goodies in an attempt to “purchase” a blog link (and I am not adverse to gifts people – gift away). This is just my blog and my gentle readers – who have outed themselves – are fellow bloggers and friends who write and share too.
Blogging is about community. Something the world as we know it is sorely lacking. I don’t think it is a waste of time at all.
anniegirl1138 
I keep coming back to this for reasons that escape me, so it must have some meaning that I am still missing.
Thanks for all the input.
It’s a pastime, no more a waste of time than any other hobby. I don’t understand the need to define it beyond that, but bloggers all over the ‘sphere seem to have the need.
I don’t feel any responsibility to my readers because I daresay they don’t feel any responsibility towards me. They may come and go as they please, comment or not, and can always move on if what I write is of no interest to them, which happens every day.
As you say, it’s about the community. It opens up the world to you, if you want it to.
For me, blogging is a way to hone my writing skills. I am not a professional writer and don’t aspire to be, but I do enjoy writing and find it a bit comical that anyone cares what I write. I have developed a small audience of folks I care about and that is enough for me—at least “write” now.
Marsha
It is actually kind of therapeutic, and a good outlet for some of my more esoteric ideas.
“Is blogging a waste of time?” I think this
is a completely subjective question. It
depends on whose time is or is not being
wasted. For me, it’s worth my time. My own
blogging is therapeutic and I feel lighter
afterwards. It also has an archival value
because my memory is crap and it’s helpful
to go back and read things I’ve forgotton. 😛
It’s worth my time to read others’ blogs
because I get to know new people (such as you,
Annie) and read new points of view. So, to me,
it’s not a waste of time.