Why Blog?

I have been pondering why to blog. I have tried to keep a journal, the old pen and notebook way, and I would never keep at it. I still have one from 1996 laying around with about 10 entries spread across as many years.

One thing about blogging is the "new blog post" form. There are the open fields waiting for you to type things in there. And I'm so trained to click and type and fill out the empty fields and get down to the bottom of the page and click, "done" or "purchase" or whatever the case may be that posting a blog feels more like buying an airline ticket than jotting down my thoughts or feelings. Why is that? Obviously paper and pen was enough for humanity for many centuries. In museums and history books you always see old letters and diaries replicated...though I can never read the hand-writingin those old-style letters. Maybe I can make out every other word.

Anyways, why blog? Is it purely egocentric, hoping someone will read it and think I'm great? Even that did happen I am old enough to realize that one person's opinion of my tiny addition to the world wide web means nothing. And more than likely another person's opninion could do more damage to my tender ego than boost it!

I have always really enjoyed reading Thoreau's journals, and that is what I have attempted to replicate when I have attempted my own journaling. So it makes me wonder if Thoreau would blog, and if he did, would he accept comments? Would the comments affect him and his writing? I would like to know what he would have to say about all this....