Writing. Blogging is not just writing, but writing online in order to communicate effectively, by selecting words carefully to talk to my audience.
Concisely. I want to say it in as few words as possible. I tend to want to write too much, explain way too much and analyze things into oblivion. So, I have to develop a blogger's consciousness. I have to remind myself that you are extremely busy, and do not have the time to read a dissertation. I have to capture your attention in a few precious seconds.
To You. This may sound trite, but you may be from another county, another state, another nation, or another country. You are part of today’s world audience, diverse in culture, religion, perspectives, views and visions. You are from all walks of life, earn a paycheck in countless ways, and have an infinite number of life experiences which have molded you and made you who you are today. You collectively are a potential giant, powerful and fierce in your shared vision. Yet, at the same time, each one of you is unique with something different and important to share.
About What You Care About. My blog is not a private journal locked away somewhere for my children to muse over after I am gone. It is writing to you about something which you care about. How do I figure out what is meaningful to you? I admit that I am often guilty of choosing my own topics. I do take the liberty of pimarily staying within the boundaries of health care law, policy and ethics, and fitness. But, at the end of the day, this really is about you. I must figure out what you are thinking, saying to each other, and feeling. What gets under your skin or sticks in your craw. What either sinks you into darkness or lifts you up into a better place.
That is Happening Right Now. In one of my favorite books, the Joy of Living by Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche, Rinpoche tells us that we must live in the present, Otherwise, he explains, we become prisoners of the “tyranny of time” with our thoughts about the past and future dominating our existence. I love the way Rinpoche jolts us into this reality by saying "You can break down the present into smaller and smaller increments, but between the instant of present experience and the instant you identify that instant as “now,” the moment has already passed. It’s then." (Rinpoche 2007, 87). What is on our minds as people today may be old news tomorrow. I need to find the present and stay there. I must steep in the “now,” so that I can discover what is dynamic, raw and fresh.
With effective visual tools. I have at my fingertips hundreds of blogging techno delights: widgets, gadgets, buttons and high tech multi-media effects. It is like picking a color out of a virtual Crayola Big Box of Crayons with the built in sharpener. If you will indulge me for a moment, I decided to do a little research on the history of Crayola Crayons. Crayola started out with 30 colors in 1905, 64 colors in 1958, with fluorescent colors added in 1972 to make 72, and now has 120 Colors, with “specialty sets” of Silver Swirls, Gem Tones, Magic Scent and Silly Scents. Even so, when I was a child, I remember filling in my coloring books with a few favorites like "burnt sienna", "midnight blue", "sunset orange" or "peach". Today, Im the same way. I will probably not discover, or even know how to use, most of the ever expanding list of gizmos in the blogosphere. Hopefully, however, I will choose a few which speak to you, rather than overwhelm you.
So, here is my answer to “why do you blog.” I want to talk to you about something which you care about. I hope to do more than create the proverbial echo in cyberspace canyon. I would like to start a conversation. I am glad that my friend asked me this question. I hope that this is a step toward better blogging.
Over 120 Crayola Crayon Colors
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