Andrew Sullivan “Why I Blog”

A blog is in simple terms is a web log. The combination of these words has created a new writing medium that has captured and transformed the worlds way of publishing. Andrew Sullivan wrote "Why I Blog"which he explains the creation of blogging and why he has embraced blogging as a new and exciting way of writing. In simple terms he states blogging as a, “spontaneous expression of instant thought.” He means that a blog is not something that is professionally edited. It has no official deadline, yet it must be maintained to survive. There is no limit to the amount of space the writer is limited to. It is simply creating an idea instantaneously with no limits. He compares this to his time working as a columnist. A columnist responds to a situation. They hear the news, interprets it, and write a well thought out factual article for their audience. A blogger is something different. When something happens one must blog immediately. It does not have to be completely factual because that is not what makes a blog. A blog is a writers opinion on what is happening in the moment. It a writer’s initial interpretation on an event, and because it is instantaneous he or she is able to put more of their self in the post. One of the downsides to blogs is the immediate opinions of their readers. These emails come fast, and they can be brutal, “but blogging requires the embrace of such hazards, a willingness to fall of the trapeze rather than fail to make the leap.” Because of this risk taking a blogger creates something, human individuality and connection. He or she creates something that is raw and full of emotion and beliefs, and that requires readers to respond to it. It is up to the blogger to embrace their readers comments to build a community within their blogosphere.