I recently attended the ILA Spring Conference in Idaho Falls, where I attended a class on blogging. I thoroughly enjoyed this class, largely because it wasn’t on “how” to blog, but “why” to blog. Since blogging is by design a fairly simple process, I appreciated learning more about the “why” aspect. (It’s also how I found out about this site and the free stuff for blogging here, but that’s another story.)

So, why do we blog, or why should we blog? Please remember that this is based on my notes, and from several days ago, and filtered through my subconscious, etc., so take it with a grain of salt. Blogging, as an expression of Web 2.0, is all about making connections. What bloggers do with those connections depends on the blogger. For example, librarians are always looking for ways to spread the word about programs, especially YA librarians and programs. Since teens are on the Internet more and more, what better way to get the word out than through blogs?

Last summer, when I was the YA librarian, I sort of ran a blog as part of the summer reading program. Each week I posted a picture from somewhere in town and gave out treats to whoever identified it. I also posted this in the library, so I’m not sure if the pictures were identified from the blog or from the library. Still, I got a lot of participation from this one simple thing. Imagine if I had done something even more engaging!

The class I attended mentioned three keys to blogging: passion, knowledge, and relevance. As long as a blogger has a balance between passion (enthusiasm for a subject) and knowledge (credible understanding of that subject), and makes that subject relevant (connected to the audience), then it will be easy to blog. The writing will come.

So, again, why should anyone blog? To communicate with others, get the message out, and make  connections.

What connections will you make?