This is becoming a habit, and I'm not sure if it's a really bad one.
I feel like Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof, talking to God..."On the one hand..."
On the one hand, most nights I come into my office to shut down my computer before bed, and end up sitting down going through emails -- it used to be just emails. Now it's Twitter -- what did I miss? What should I check out in the many information-filled links that fellow Twitterers are sending out from all over the globe? Some have already been to bed, and are just waking up and starting their work day in New Zealand. It's tomorrow for them. Some are signing off for the night. I can't resist checking something out, or retweeting, or answering a tweet.
And then, a link might end up sending me to a site or blog ( many are getting to be one and the same) and the next thing I know I'm signing up for something, belonging to something. Like now -- somehow I ended up at this blog. It asked me if I wanted to compose a new post... and of course, I just said (how many days ago?) that I was going to keep this up. So here I am.
I checked Facebook and LinkedIn while I was at it.
It's getting later, and I look forward to finally snuggling into bed and putting myself to sleep with DVDs of an old British comedy series, As Time Goes By.
But that's not happening, is it? Not yet.
On the other hand... When I was writing my (as yet unpublished) novel, I would be at it late into the night. I loved it. "Time becomes meaningless in the face of creativity" -- love that quote, maybe I'll post it on Twitter.
I've been asking myself what the PURPOSE of this blog is. How will it help my business? How would it help readers? What value is there in reading it? Because all the posts I'm reading about on social media stress that there has to be something of value given to readers or they won't return, and you'll be in the dungeon of unloved and ignored blogs (where this currently dwells, poor thing).
What is MY purpose on the web? Aside from making a living I have no other answer except that I'm a writer at the heart of it all, and this is about a writer...writing. A writer's life. A writer's emotions. There are lots of blogs about writing skills and grammar, that kind of thing, lots of business writing info -- all from great people.
I'm here, at 10:34pm, writing a blog post because when all is said and done, this is what I love to do. Think, write, communicate to some unknown reader.
If that happens to be you -- welcome. Wish I could offer you a cup of tea.
I hope you'll know soon your real purpose on the web!
Sam Nisbett
Posted by: bladder control | April 02, 2010 at 02:11 AM