I was first introduced to blogging in my early high school years when my friends would use LiveJournal, DeadJournal, Xanga, etc., and rant about how much homework they have or how some teacher was unfair to them today. This would soon evolve into the Facebook and the MySpace of today; both turned me off towards blogging because I really didn't care "What cereal mascot I was" or "What percentage of my kiss is passionate." Mead apparently found this type of blogging fascinating. I could do without it.
I have no answer as to why people create these personal blogs, but I can say something about "interest" blogs. Before I worked for TSL, I blogged on a couple of sports blog. Like any other sports fans, I consider myself pretty knowledgeable of my favorite sports, especially basketball.
I contributed on HoopsAddict during my freshman year. I like this site because there are more than just "game summaries." Most sportsblogs tend to just be game summaries. I am no longer a regular contributor, so my work is few and far between.I also contributed on ArmchairGM which is more of a database than a blog. It is very extensive. I stopped contributing because I did not think the quality on Armchair was that good.
Nearly all the people on these sites feel that they are experts. I think blogging gives them a voice and sometimes a sense of authority if people actually comment and listen to them. Interest blogging may boost self-esteem. Something I cannot say for personal blogs because most moods of the day are depressed, sad, or angry.
The last 2 sentences of this post caught my eye. First: "Interest blogging may boost self-esteem."
This is a good point, but I wouldn't limit it to interest blogging. I've always felt that blogging in general may boost self-esteem, because it's all founded on the perception that people care about what the blogger has to say. I've attributed personal blogging (probably without giving them enough credit) to an ego-driven mindset of Well, I keep a diary, but obviously the whole world wants to know everything that's going on in my life, so I'll make it public by putting in on the internet! The wide-open Internet gives the *appearance* of someone listening, which may be just what a blogger is looking for. Before labeling this idea as naive or immature, it's worth mentioning that, in many cases, they're right. People do care, and many people browsing the Internet are easily swept up into the personal lives of complete strangers. Reading a personal blog is just like watching a soap-opera, except that somewhere in the world--somewhere far enough that none of it seems real--someone is living the blog.
Second: "Something I cannot say for personal blogs because most moods of the day are depressed, sad, or angry."
I find that blogging, particularly through sites such as Xanga, often carries this reputation. I, too, am guilty of thinking of them as ways for overdramatic teenagers to vent. Short of "because they are," how did personal blogs come to be seen this way?
From what others have told me, most people only blog when they are one of those three emotions (angry, depressed, or sad). Apparently, feeling otherwise does not involve sitting at a computer chair and writing about "the good life." Couple this with the fact that Xanga, MySpace, etc., are the popular types of blogs, and you create a general idea that all personal blogs are of this emo nature.