What I like about blogs is that I read faster than I listen or watch. What I like about blogging is that there can be a fine balance between personal and professional. Admitting mistakes is fine, even an active good, but one can protect propriety.
What I like less is that it can be a pretty silent echo chamber. Maybe that’s why I like sharing resources so much. A list you find through a search can be helpful. That is, I believe that’s helpful whether or not there’s feedback. It’s an objective service, you know?
What I haven’t wrapped my head around is that blogging is way less of a thing now. I don’t know whether it’s blogger burn out or folks turning to series of subsequent developments: podcasts, vlogs, whatever. (All the super short things are in a category of their own. I don’t think readers really went from 300+ words to Twitter, though what do I know?)
But I don’t want to be known by my facial expressions. Or the sound of my voice. That just sounds awful to me. Maybe I’m overly disconnected from my body or something, but know me by my beliefs, my stances and emphases. Know my name, not the dumb expression a video would no doubt freeze on.
So. I’ll just keep doing my thing while I find the time and emotional & creative energies to do it. I can always just fade away and leave my lists of resources & reviews online. (Thus far I totally fail to understand people who just stop paying for a website when the website may offer a wealth of resources.)
But do I want this to be a personal blog? A professional blog? What kind of professional blog? What I want, dear readers, really is to encourage Lutherans to write & build community with/for Lutheran writers. Any tiny bit I can help with that, I want to. Writing is hard. We all struggle with it. Especially making the time, growing & maintaining the discipline, finding publishers, marketing, etc. But now is still a great time to get stuff available. Even as it is a great time to aim for the highest quality possible.
