In Why I Write, George Orwell suggests the following reasons that someone may wish to write:
- To make money.
- Egoism, eg a desire to appear clever, or to be remembered after your death.
- Aesthetic enthusiasm, eg a love of words for their own sake.
- Historical impulse, ie a desire to see things as they really are, so that posterity my benefit.
- Political (with a small ‘p’), ie to influence other people’s ideas about society.
I’d also add another two:
Educational, ie the desire to give others the benefit of the knowledge you’ve acquired – which I suppose could also come under the heading of egoism, or even political.
Record-keeping, be that as a diary, a research record, or another kind of journal.
So I am wondering if these categories might be applied to blogging? Why do people blog? I’ve set up a very simple, and no doubt simplistic, poll to find out. I know the categories are subtle and overlap and interface with each other. Nevertheless, my poll comprises just one question:
What is your number one reason for blogging?
Do take part, and feel free to add reasons of your own on the ‘Other’ category. Let’s see what transpires.