Well I do, otherwise I wouldn't be doing the things that I do do.
But really, I love blogging, and since I work at a Six Apart they asked me to write a bit about it all on Everything TypePad. Fancy! You can read the post here (or I've posted it again after the jump for your convenience), but it more or less summarizes the reason I blog. Some of it may come across as a bit mac-cheesy, but it's all the truth. I can't help but become overwhelemed when I think about how different my life would be if I wasn't so involved with blogs and social media, and while I'm always trying to understand how it fits in the greater scope of things, it's been a pretty fascinating ride so far.
In the spirit of sharing (and always caring), to all the bloggers out there (ey-yo!) why do you blog? For all the non-bloggers (oy-ye!), why not (or what do you do that you qualify as blogging?) Just curious, you know.
Check out the post, after the jump!
I Love Blogging: Broadcasting 'My Passions Through My Posts'
For Valentine's week we regaled you with essays from several Six Aparters on why they loved blogging (and so many of you also chimed in!). Tiff's essay got stuck in my junk folder and so I mea culpa to her and to you. It is never too late to declare your love for blogging! In this post, Product Manager Tiff Chow reveals her history and love of blogging:
It all started when I was interning at Six Apart during the golden summer of 2006. I was a theme designer on Vox, and I figured if I wanted to "keep it real" with the company it was probably in my best interest to start blogging. In my salad days I had attempted writing on sites like Xanga and Blogger, but only managed to assemble an unsatisfactory handful of teenage sob stories. I had no choice but to make a proper showing of myself, so I started my Vox blog posting about the sordid subjects that mattered most to me most.
Little did I know that the things that pertained to my interests, pertained to other folks' interests too, and through Vox I began to realize how terrifically fulfilling it was to broadcast my passions through my posts. As I honed in on my subject matter (which are predominantly videogames, graphic design, and oddities of the Internet), I received more lively responses from my co-workers, colleagues, and readers who I had never met before. My blog became a platform where I could explore my fanaticism while exchanging that enthusiasm with others, and through this dialogue I had created an unexpected social entity that is the reason I still blog today.
Blogging has since become a major social component of my life, and it's hard for me to imagine where I'd be today without it. Through my blog (which is now comfortably situated on TypePad at http://tiffchow.typepad.com/) I've scored a writing gig in the videogame industry, acquainted myself with great friends I would have never otherwise met, and discovered more potential in myself than I would have ever imagined.
Naturally some things are better said in person, but through growing and sharing my blog I've realized that some things are equally better said in... well, blog (you get the point) because I can share things with anyone. It's this key social proponent that keeps me posting about the things I love, engaging with a spectrum of people I might otherwise never speak to, and maintains my optimism that blogging has the power to move us in ways we haven't even seen yet.
Hahaha, I had a Xanga back in my high school days. Eek.
But yeah, I blog because it's unbelievably cool to be able to share my love of videogames with millions of readers all across the interwebs. And I also love oddities of the 'net!
Posted by: Samit Sarkar | February 25, 2009 at 10:43 AM
I've been meaning to ask, do you have a personal blog aside from your Destructoid one? Curious!
Also, you should upload an avatar photo so I can see your lovely FACE.
Posted by: .tiff | February 25, 2009 at 10:44 AM
1) Holy fuck, that was a lightning-fast response.
2) Well, I don't really use my Dtoid c-blog at all. I have a Tumblr blog that mostly comprises reblogs of other people's stuff, but there's a good amount of original content on there too. That's it, though. I still haven't made a single post on my Vox blog -- but hey, at least I'm using a theme you designed!
3) It's hilarious that you mentioned my avatar, since, as soon as I posted that comment, I went to my TypePad profile and decided I wanted to upload a new one.
Unfortunately, I have yet to come across a photo of me in which my face can legitimately be described as "lovely" or anything close to it, so I'm probably just going to use the same thing I use everywhere: a New York Yankees logo.
Posted by: Samit Sarkar | February 25, 2009 at 10:53 AM
There we go!
Posted by: Samit Sarkar | February 25, 2009 at 11:05 AM
Badical! That's the Samit Sarkar I know and love ;).
I basically sit in front of my computer all day, so when I get a comment notification in my email it's kind of a big deal!
Just followed you on your tumblog... I see that there is a lot of the Destructoid community over there. I like Tumblr sometimes for somethings, but I'm almost completely detached from it. Also, I don't post as much on my Vox anymore, but I appreciate the fact that you're using my theme!!!
Posted by: .tiff | February 25, 2009 at 11:09 AM
Tiff! I really liked your post, and I feel a bit inspired to blog myself beyond tumbling/LJ-rambling/tweeting-extensively. Maybe I will switch to a longer format!
As for my own (EMBARRASSING) history, I have blogged on and off for a really long time, but in a very uncommitted way. Maybe I just didn't know what to hone in on. I've had my blogger account since 2002, and owned a "teen domain" that had a grey matter installation before that... but I always liked xanga, as unsophisticated as it was, because it was the best bridge between real life and online social life. And I liked eProps. Does your old xanga still exist?
Posted by: Jess | February 25, 2009 at 07:06 PM
Thanks Jess! You should blog! I actually really love what you post on your tumblog (you have an LJ??) and I often wish I could comment on all the cool things you do!
Oh man, eProps! I'm pretty sure I deleted my old Xanga (or lost my login info when I retired my old AOL email address), but it wasn't very substantial stuff. Wish I could access it though!
I did copy and save a few months worth of early blogging my Freshman year, which I'll have to dig up at some point. Reading personal things you wrote when you were younger is fun and embarrassing :P Even when I go back to my Vox blog, I feel like I was writing like such a dork!
Posted by: .tiff | February 26, 2009 at 10:53 AM