This is not the first time I’ve started a blog. This is not the second time I’ve started a blog. I would go on, but it may or may not be the third time I’ve started a blog and I don’t want to be inaccurate. The point I’m getting at is that these things are ubiquitous. They are everywhere you look. You can find blogs by models and blogs by athletes, blogs by celebrities and blogs by politicians. High schoolers have blogs about the video games they play, and bands have blogs about their music.
Everyone is talking as loud as they can, which raises the question: who is listening anymore? I signed up for twitter a while back, and in very short order I found myself inundated by announcements from writers who were publishing their first book, and businesses who would love to help me reach my audience, for a low fee.
Not once did I find a post by someone looking for something new to read. Not once did I get a message from somebody who wanted to hear my opinion. Now, in fairness, I didn’t exactly ask for any opinions myself. I’m not judging the people who were on there. But I can’t help how much of a point there is to all of this.
I am a writer. I have a book that will be coming out soon. I hope people will read it. My publisher has informed me that one of the things I need to do is set up a webpage and create a blog. I need to connect to my audience. Or, perhaps more accurately, I need to allow my audience the chance to connect with me. If they want to. But I can’t help wonder if this is really the way to do it.
Everyone does it, of course, but that’s the problem. Everyone does it. I’m sure that there was a time, not that long ago, when a writer setting up a blog was a new and novel thing. I’m sure that there was a time when readers who went searching online and found something like this were impressed and interested. What I’m not sure of is that there’s any real reason for it anymore. Is there really a chance that somebody who comes online looking to know more about an author will find what they’re looking for in one of these? Or is this something that we simply do because everybody else does it and we don’t want to be missing one of the ‘magic ingredients’ for success?
Sometimes I wonder.
leodfitz 