Wednesday, December 29, 2004

Are Blogs Impersonal?

What do you think? Are blogs impersonal?

My lovely wife argues that blogs are impersonal... I agree, but only to a point. Blogs are what they are: me communicating to you, my friends and family, probably a multitude of strangers, and telling you what I think and what's happening to me and mine. Wifey-Pooh argues that old-fashioned letters, personalized to the recipient, is personal, but a blog is not. She basically says that maybe Fred cares about my cats but Jed does not... why would I tell them both the same things?

I figure this blog is a way for me to allow others to keep in touch and up to date with me & mine (hence the title) without having to receive emails from me regularly. I post things, you read them if you want, when you want. The posts don't get lost, and my feelings don't get hurt if you ask to unsubscribe to my mailing list.

I think of blogs like those annual Christmas letters I get from some friends and family. Surely not everybody is interested in Timmy's new bike or Bill's new Volkswagen (yes, that's how you spell it)... but eveybody does get reminded that the family still exists and still remember they exist. This blog is like that Christmas letter, but without me bugging you.

Impersonal? Maybe... or perhaps it is too personal but not personalized enough?

I don't know, and either way I'll be blogging, so there. :-)

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