I don’t blog enough. Somebody should do something about that.
I might have to make that my blog’s slogan, since Jim puts me to shame. But he does that to everybody. Writing is a laborious process for me. I think I tend to overthink it, and I also feel like I’m not good at articulating my thoughts. Hopefully it gets easier as I work at it, but it’s hard work getting there.
The advantage of blogging through a course is that it pushes us to process what we’re reading and doing and discussing. Wiseman Stephen Downes says “learning is practice and reflection.” Blogging is the practice of reflection. The nice thing about it is that there is no right or wrong, no need for formality, no required length – just get some thoughts out there. In the process, we start to get our thoughts in order. Maybe we start to think a little more deeply. Maybe we see something a little differently than someone else, and offer revelation or inspiration. Maybe we have a question or some confusion, and find clarification.
Jessi has picked up on that in The Internet Course: “I think the purpose of my blog is to grow.” I was glad to see that. I also like the way she has personalized her blog with a hyperexpressive Calvin. Some others have taken that step as well – James with his Photon Powerlab, Kim with her Kimternet, and Alex experimenting with various widgets. It’s good to see that starting. But like me, we all need to do more.
I actually think your an awesome blogger, you get your posts tight, well-crafted, and always drviing towards a coherent point. I lvoe your blog, it’s become a must-read for me for a wide variety of reasons, but not least of which because we share a lot of similar cultural values when it comes to film, books, and art. That’s a key element of blogging for me, and something James has done well recently with his Cyberpunk Anime post. Sharing the stuff he loves, when you turn on your personal passions in your blog it’s more lvoe than labor 😉