Jesse A. Schroeder

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I've thought about putting up a blog for a long time. I really enjoy reading other blogs around the web (I use "brief" which is a great add-on for Mozilla's Firefox). But I've debated on the usefulness and personal motivations for a long time. Since I just sent out an email to most everyone I know and who might possibly have some remote interest in reading a blog of mine, I'll let you in on my deliberations:

Pro: I think a blog can be a lot of fun - it's a great way to tell people about yourself and stay in touch with family and friends, beyond just "how are you? good." Of course, most blogs are about something, which leads me to...
Con: A lot of blogs feel like personal rants that don't really benefit anyone. I learn a lot from bloggers who write meaningful entries and share their opinions about issues in a thoughtful way, but it seems a lot of "amateur" blogs aren't really about anything but an individual's boring life....so -
Pro: A blog would force me to try to put down my thoughts in a way that make sense to other people and are somewhat meaningful and/or interesting to read. I enjoy writing a lot, and have more than once considered trying to write more often in some form or another (books, blogs, journals, etc.) So, hopefully this blog won't include just rants, but actually useful opinions, as well as a format to discuss and engage those opinions - but
Con: I can spend a lot of time obsessing about what I will/won't/should/n't write!! For example, I've probably spent 2-3 hours today writing and designing the blog, since I finally decided I would actually publish something and tell other people about it - which brings me to my final....
Pro: Blogging can be a form of discipline. I've read a few entries from bloggers I respect about how blogging can actually be a sort of spiritual discipline, an engagement with God and other people that can bring you closer to God. I tend to live my life inside of my head (as most of us do), playing out scenarios and examples, but never really doing anything. So, my hope is that by blogging, I will discipline myself in a few ways: To say and do what I believe - and to keep my life in a bit of balance and not obsess over an insignificant website.