Blogging is rather new to me. I only recently decided to begin my adventure into blogging. In the past, I only had a vague understanding of its purpose. However, I did not have a strong understanding of its various usages and potential. I am truly excited about the advancements in technology we are experiencing throughout the world. With the advancement of technology any individual can create a blog and instantly share information quickly and cost effectively with other individuals on the other side of the globe. I will examine the purpose, design, content, and audience of my blog and the rationale that was behind its creation.
I will focus primarily on the purpose of my blog, as that is the most valued reason for its conception. The purpose of creating my blog is threefold. These reasons consist of fulfilling an assignment, creating a professional - personally scripted, digital environment - where I can expose my thoughts and opinions to the rest of the digital world, and lastly, to connect with others. I believe all of these reasons are valid, although, each category may have a separate and distinct rationale.
Completing an assignment is always important. The very act of setting goals and accomplishing them builds strength of character and self-confidence. In referring to manager and subordinate delegation, Stephen R. Covey, author of 7 Habits of Highly Effective People said, “Trust is the highest form of human motivation. It brings out the very best in people. But it takes time and patience, and it doesn’t preclude the necessity to train and develop people so that their competency can rise to the level of that trust.” I would like to focus on the time and patience aspect of motivation. Writing, in the same way, takes time and patience.
In my youth, I struggled with this concept and I was not willing to apply the time and patience necessary to successfully engage in any form of writing, or any form of schoolwork for that matter. As a result, my confidence and satisfaction in writing vanished. This, in turn, contributed to my grades dropping and the declining of my grades in other subjects. However, one of the key moments in my personal, academic and professional life was when I decided to complete an assignment with a genuine desire to succeed, or at least care. I did it on my own and I hadn’t had the desire to do so for several years. I remember feeling a sense of satisfaction. I also realized I was capable of setting my mind on something and going after it.
My ultimate purpose, therefore, is to help inspire other aspiring writers and to promote the rejuvenation of their spirits. This, I would hope, will help connect us on a higher, but equal, level of understanding. In the process of developing connections with others, I would also like to create a professional atmosphere on my blog; one that encourages interaction on a professional level.
Perhaps the most significant purpose behind the creation of my blog is to bring out the innate joy that comes from writing. In order to do so, I strongly believe I would need to promote enthusiasm in my own writing, as well as for the writing in my audience. When we write we share a piece of ourselves and actually fulfill an inner need. Said D. Ray Reutzel and Parker. C Fawson, “Beneath layers of resistance, we have a primal need to write. We need to make our truths beautiful, and we need to say to others, “This is me. This is my story, my life, my truth.” We need to be heard.” People have many needs, but perhaps the most important need is that of being heard and properly understood.
Being heard is the essence of inner peace. When we are heard we feel understood. We feel cared about. We ultimately take part in one of the most important occurrences in this human existence and that is to feel connected. I would argue that is the primary driving force and success of all social networking websites. People sign up and spend a good deal of time connecting with one another. These connections are now able to take place at anytime of our 24-hour cycle and we can connect with anyone, anywhere in the world. This, I would say, is the essence of my blog… the ability to connect with others.
The design of my blog is meant to be simple and to work on a wide variety of levels. It’s meant to allow me to interact with people from all walks of life – all over the world. My vision is to create interaction, between my self and others, on a global scale. Thus, placed an image of globe, the planet Earth in the background. Given the fact that I plan on interacting with a wide variety of people, hopefully all over the world, I intend to keep my blog simple in appearance verbiage. An example of this could be bold headings at the beginning of a new topic and a brief summary of my thoughts on the topic. I believe the second most important thing I can do is to create simplicity.
My content is to be directed toward a professional audience. However, I believe professionalism does not exclude pleasure. A professional environment should allow room for a few jokes and acceptable lightheartedness. With these things in mind I would hope one would come to the conclusion that I am promoting an atmosphere of calmness and pleasure.
I believe the purpose, design, content, and audience will work cohesively and promote my endeavor to create an adventurous digital environment. Writing is truly meant to be an adventure. Like children, writing offers an opportunity to tap back into our imaginations that may have lain dormant for many, many years. This is one such concept I would like to tap into on my blog and I hope to be able to inspire the same excitement in others.
Covey, S. R. (1989). Habit 3: Put First Things First. In The 7 Habits of Highly
Effective People (p. 178). New York: Free Press.
D. Ray Reutzel and Parker C. Fawson, Traveling Tales: Connecting Parents and Children through Writing The Reading Teacher Vol. 44, No. 3, Teachers' Choices Best New Children's Books (Nov., 1990), pp. 222-227
