what YOU said (in comments) about why YOU blog . . .

Well, I was blown away by the breadth and depth of your reasons for blogging, as articulated in your comments left on my last post.  Anyone who thinks blogging is a frivolous endeavour just has to read the following list of reasons why you, dear followers, blog - to discover that is not the case.  Your list demonstrates that we are a varied, diverse, multi-dimensional, intelligent, creative group of people.  So there!

Here are the reasons that you say you blog, that I culled from the paragraphs and paragraphs of comments:

• 
  
  to reach out
• 
  
  to communicate, share ideas
• 
  
  to learn, expand, know what others are thinking about
• 
  
  to challenge ourselves by encountering new ideas
• 
  
  to have our old ways of thinking challenged
• 
  
  for the camraderie
• 
  
  for the pleasure of writing down our thoughts
• 
  
  for the therapeutic value
• 
  
  to stretch our thinking
• 
  
  for the stories, poems, photographs, art, music, books, movies, reviews, ideas
• 
  
  for the good laughs we enjoy
• 
  
  to be able to compare our lives with others
• 
  
  for travel information
• 
  
  for historical information
• 
  
  to share and discover new recipes
• 
  
  for information on health and wellness
• 
  
  to store and receive family photos and updates
• 
  
  to help and be helped to attain goals
• 
  
  for mutual encouragement
• 
  
  to share expertise and talent, and benefit from expertise and talent of others
• 
  
  to be generous because while blogging we are not competing for resources
• 
  
  to express without being overpowered or interrupted
• 
  
  as a platform to share our creative ideas, artwork, crafts, photography, etc. etc.
• 
  
  to connect and converse
• 
  
  to explore our life's journey and progress
• 
  
  to compensate for lack of expression in our home environment
• 
  
  to feel included and not alone
• 
  
  to challenge our talents and improve our creative abilities
• 
  
  to honor the "invisible threads" that connect us all
• 
  
  to record our special moments
• 
  
  as a letter to home or about home to as yet unknown readers
• 
  
  as a journal that can be handed down to our children and grandchildren
• 
  
  as a means of better absorbing and understanding the moments of our lives
• 
  
  for the human connections
• 
  
  for the comfort of strangers
• 
  
  for the buzz that comes from interacting with like-minded people
• 
  
  to dance to the pulse and beat of life on the internet
• 
  
  to enjoy a sense of control over what, how, when, why we express ourselves
• 
  
  for company
• 
  
  as a safe way to interact because it is low risk and somewhat anonymous
• 
  
  as a way to network with other people in the same field of endeavor
• 
  
  as a way of sharing skills and knowledge
• 
  
  as a showcase where one can feature themself
• 
  
  to compensate for a narrowing of life for whatever reason
• 
  
  as a place to exercise empathy and understanding
• 
  
  to feel appreciated
• 
  
  as a way to be of service to others
• 
  
  as a way to express generosity of spirit
• 
  
  to dispel isolation
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  to have control over the connections we make
• 
  
  as a place to gather more knowledge
• 
  
  as a place where we can learn, help, share - at our convenience
• 
  
  as a place to test and validate our talents
• 
  
  as a way to not miss out on what is happening currently in the culture around us
• 
  
  to find an audience
• 
  
  to find love and affection
• 
  
  for the pure fun of it
• 
  
  for the possibility that blog-chums could become real world friends
• 
  
  to compensate for loss of community and connection in this busy world
• 
  
  to enrich our lives
• 
  
  to enjoy an interaction that is more honest than television
• 
  
  to take advantage of free, on-line learning opportunities
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  to "get out" without having to leave home
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  to meet fabulous, creative people
• 
  
  to get free group therapy
• 
  
  to be provoked into becoming more self-aware
• 
  
  to contribute to a world-wide pool of kitchen table wisdom
• 
  
  to be able to engage as much or as little as I choose
• 
  
  for the experience
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  to find and accept the gifts it has to offer
• 
  
  to keep a journal of, even "by" our pets
• 
  
  to stay in touch with actual communities of which we are a part
• 
  
  to keep the writing pump primed
• 
  
  for the sheer joy of laughter
• 
  
  to make sense of our situation - its virtues and imperfections
• 
  
  as an outlet to explore both inner and outer worlds
• 
  
  to record travel adventures and memories
• 
  
  to record life memoir gradually in posts on blog
• 
  
  to share different culture of our youth with our grandchildren
• 
  
  for virtual (even global) appreciation, encouragement, cudos, affection
• 
  
  as way to meet people from around the world, we may not otherwise meet
• 
  
  as a more comprehensive way to journal, with photos, drawings, etc.
• 
  
  as a forum to showcase people, artists, artisans we love and admire 
• 
  
  to offer a specific service e.g. using Blogger or photo-editing             

What a list!  If you think I have missed anything, just mention it in your comments and I will add it to the 80+ reasons already listed.

So if you ever find yourself wondering, "why on earth am I doing this", it could prove useful to review this list and see if you can find out what resonates for you and if it is still enough to keep you blogging.

Thank you so much for your candid participation.  This was rich!