More Fun Than Stamp Collecting

Why do the Mazurland authors blog? Well, we're not deluded enough to think we can change the world, though that seems to be endemic in parts of the blogosphere. First, our audience isn't big enough. But even if it were, the idea would still be a delusion.

I can't speak for the other authors, but I do it because I like writing. I write at work, but for enjoyment I write for my running club's web site, I write for a running blog at my local newspaper, and I write here. I write because the act of clearing out my head in a semi-organized way entertains me. I also blog here because I imagine and hope that it entertains the other authors and our tens of readers.

I was never a good fisherman when I was a kid, but I enjoyed it. I'd spend hours relaxing and working at the same time, but all the while hoping. It's the same way with blogging. I organize my thoughts, write a post, and hope I get some good comments, or start an interesting discussion. Sometimes it surprises me which posts get a lot of comments and which ones don't. But as in my fishing days, I don't just drag something big and juicy behind the boat and wait for the big chomp. That's trolling. I'd rather spend time choosing the lure, working the shallows and deep pools, making a challenging cast. As a kid, I would start fishing as soon as the winter ice cleared from the waters. It was more fun than stamp collecting.

So what's the reason for this little apologia? Well, apparently, the high-traffic blogosphere is quickly getting snapped up by paid bloggers. People who are professors or professionals and who also make a little on the side writing for the big blogs. Many of these people had their own blogs not long ago, but were snapped up by newspapers, media organizations, and the bigger bloglomerates. Stephen Bainbridge has something more to say about this phenomenon. Of course, if it turned out that blogging was at all useful or profitable, then this was inevitable. The beauty of the internet is that there are still plenty of small ponds for people to cast a line in.

[HT - Instapundit]