Blogging: The Modern Journal
The Wall Street Journal
published an article about a man, Charley Kempthorne, who has been writing in a
journal every day since 1964. He estimates his journal is about 10 million
words long.
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| Journals (photo/commons,wikimedia.org) |
Do you remember writing a
journal when you were younger? For me, it was fun to write my thoughts and my
daily routine.
When my grandfather
passed away in November, my family found his journals. He wrote in his journals
from the late 1990s to the point when it hurt his hands to write for a long
period of time. We had no idea he kept journals, but after he died, it became
very special to read his words. Those were his
words, his thoughts and ideas, his questions and his concerns.
Unfortunately, keeping a
journal is an old habit. It’s very unusual for one to keep a journal in today’s
media culture. Instead of keeping a journal, people blog.
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| Blog example (photo/sproutsocial.com) |
I blog for my Social
Media Principles course. I blog three times per week, and I enjoy the process.
I enjoy creating ideas in a specific place. I feel like I am connecting to my
audience, and my readers are learning more about myself with each post.
This is my blog. These
are my word, my thoughts and ideas, my questions and my concerns – exactly the
same as the journals my grandfather kept.
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| My blog (photo/Kasy Long) |
Except it has changed.
Blogging is a social media practice. I find photographs to accompany my words. I
consider my reader’s attention span. I want my readers to be entertained by my
blog posts.
Blogging is a popular
action in social media. Topics could be about anything. If it is popular, it is
shared among others. So, if you read a blog, share it with others. If you write
a blog, keep on writing.
Keep on writing your
journal.
-KJL-
You're correct that blogging is today's journals. I believe that one reason that your grandfather lived well past 100 years old is that he kept his mind active through his journal writing, puzzle solving, and game playing. Keep on writing!
ReplyDeleteI agree that blogging is today's version of keeping a journal. With a journal, your thoughts were more private and you didn't want others to read it. With blogging, one of the sole purposes is to share your thoughts with others.
ReplyDeleteYes, I agree, that blogging is a modern day version of journal writing. Although, it is a lost art for many in taking pen to paper to write down your thoughts. I'm sure you are very happy that you have your grandfather's journals of his thoughts. That is a special treasure!
ReplyDeleteI wonder how many blogs are updated daily, but made private. One could have the longest and best blog but not share with anyone. I think this is the biggest difference between blogs and journals. Privacy can be achieved online, but it's usually rare and only capable if the user is computer savvy. I think having a private blog and a public would be a nice way to find balance between personal writing and public publishing.
ReplyDeleteI wonder how many blogs are updated daily, but made private. One could have the longest and best blog but not share with anyone. I think this is the biggest difference between blogs and journals. Privacy can be achieved online, but it's usually rare and only capable if the user is computer savvy. I think having a private blog and a public would be a nice way to find balance between personal writing and public publishing.
ReplyDelete