Earlier this month I decided that I was just going to use this space for me. (See post A New Year’s Wish). I had grown tired of trying to dream up only public relations posts to WordyMouth. So I sort of checked out. It wasn’t worth it to me to be known as a prolific blogger. In fact, I was tired of the whole scene. I wanted to be just me -a writer, Dad, friend and sometimes a public relations professional who happens to write.
Along today comes Ike Pigott, who formally has announced “I am no longer a blogger.” He’s done. Hung it up. Threw in the towel. Taking his insightful, thought-provoking blog posts and moving on. He’s become just a writer.
I know how he feels. Writing is something I do because I want to do it. I have a need to express myself. Just because I happen to publish my thoughts using WordPress doesn’t suddenly convey upon me some sort of magical powers.
Writer, stand up, I knight thee, Blogger!
Ike points out the word means nothing. Blogger actually sounds bad, like something blown out of your nose. And it has negative connotations – there’s a bit of elitism among those who consider themselves Top-Blogger, or Long-term Bloggers, or dare I say it, A-List Bloggers.
If you follow the denotation of the word, I was blogging in 1986 on CompuServe. I would post a thought or comment, and others would post their thoughts. When Gopher came out I had a Gopher Hole. Then the the World Wide Web arrived. I remember telling people about my site in early 1993, which was one of only a handful of sites. My point: I’ve been a computer geek since 1979 and a writer since before that. I became a professional writer in 1986, so I’ve been around the block a few times. Whether it be a journal, scrap of paper, or this space, I am a writer first.
I’m joining Ike’s Manifesto. I’m no longer a blogger. I’m no longer going to scold myself for failing to write something wise and timely. I’m just going to be a writer. A writer who happens to publish my thoughts using a blog, or a website, as us old-timers still like to call them.
