I was reading Seth Godin’s blog, one of my favorites, and I wanted to make a comment but noticed that he only accepts trackbacks. What a genius idea for spreading an idea and creating a discussion. Now, instead of Seth’s audience viewing/responding to my comment, I’m involving my own audience - and linking back to Seth’s blog so those readers may end up there anyway. It got me thinking about the importance of this whole discussion idea.
If everyone had a blog, I would rid mine of the comment feature as well. But they don’t. Why not? Why isn’t blogging part of an elementary school curriculum? Why isn’t it a requirement of every job? (Okay, maybe not a requirement. But the benefits of blogging should be emphasized, at least.)
What if we worked and lived in a system where everyone was required to be reflective, how would it improve the quality of their work? My sister, and my friend Mariam, are both required to write reflections because they are training to be teachers. Mariam stressed that writing every day was a huge deal for her and helped her improve her skills as a teacher. Blogging has helped me generate good ideas. Jerry Seinfeld advocates writing everyday to help with whatever it is that you do.
But the problem, as my friend Andy points out, is that some people believe that they don’t have the time/interest to write in a blog, and potential bloggers may feel almost narcissistic, as if writing a blog means that you think your thoughts are valuable. And the catch is that they are valuable. They’re valuable to the author, and that’s the only important thing to consider when you sit down to write. And chances are that your thoughts are valuable to at least a couple of people. But if not, at least you’ve reflected.
Dance like no one is watching, blog like no one is reading.
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