Blogs

Keeping Up with the Times

Submitted by roadrunner on Thu, 04/30/2009 - 18:33

I’m only 20, but I’m often made to feel far older because of my absolute refusal to twitter (or is it tweet?) and obsessively update my Facebook status every single second of the day, acts which have been embraced by most of my peers. Now, with even CNN urging everybody to get involved (okay, we get it, you’re young and hip), I’m starting to feel older than ever for refusing to get with the times when crazy congressman and even crazier celebrities are hopping on the bandwagon with such zest.

I thought blogging was even too much when it first took off. Writing about my own thoughts all the time? Oh god, how narcissistic. But it ballooned into such a phenomenon that when I heard about this course, my reaction was “why not?” It would be a nice way to dabble in the new craze, as well as document my time here and my observations of the place.

It was definitely harder than I expected. To come up with something each week, something that was meaningful and not just words, was a task that proved to be more difficult than expected. With whirlwind trips here and there and classes, to sit down, gather your thoughts, and write required intense concentration.

The weekly themes were a great help in stimulating thought. While I may not have been the most punctual when it came to my posts, I often waited because I wanted whatever it was that I was going to write about to come to me naturally. I wanted to wait until I experienced something that clicked with the topic.

And when that happened, it was great. Translating the images in your head into words is the best way to clarify your thoughts. 

I agree with you because

Submitted by Radek on Fri, 05/08/2009 - 11:54.

I agree with you because writing about a place is hard, especially when you are trying to be creative and original. Often, I felt my writing was more forced than it was an enjoyment. It was nice to reflect on the experiences I had though.

the point

Submitted by DanMS on Thu, 04/30/2009 - 21:05.

So what, really, is the point of blogging? I'm in a creative writing class here and we talked a little yesterday about how the novel is the form of fiction of the nineteenth century. Novels are certainly the best sellers. It seems like blogging keys into the same thing that the novel does (or at least did) which is the self. As you said, you are translating the images in your head to words on the screen. Twitter and facebook updating take the ability to experience a hint of how another individual feels about something to another level. I wonder what will happen next. Personally I don't think blogging has to have the same end as twitter. It is about sharing personal stories but more than that blogging is just sharing information. It is told by an indiviual, true. But the blog is more about news, ideas, sharing experience in order to give people an idea instead of a window into the soul. Well, your post got me thinking, thank you.