blog ponderings?

Sometimes I ask myself why I blog and post to flickr and enter photo contests. Sure, I love the magic of photography - the ability to capture a moment in time and hold on to it. Photography feeds my creative side. It rocks. Anyway, I digress.

So does the online world feed my creative side or does it feed my ego? I think both. Yes, there is a good deal of learning and growth to be had from online activities. The sharing of ideas, techniques and criticisms can fuel creative growth. But I think the bigger part of online communities is about ego - and the fueling of ego. I'm not saying that's a good thing or a bad thing - it just is.

For example, when I first got into the flickr community, I was fascinated with getting comments and landing on the interestingness page. It felt good. There are many clever people in flckr-world who have figured out ways to get noticed – and noticed a lot (regardless of ability or skill). Over time I realized that the comments and attention didn't make me any happier (really). And they certainly didn't make me a better photographer. I'm still an active flickrite. It's a great place to see fun and funky photography and be inspired. If I'm lucky, my work will inspire others too (hey, that's my ego talking again).

Blogging is the same animal. All of us bloggers want to be noticed at some level, don't we? Why else would we post our thoughts and opinions for the whole world to see? For me, I hope someday I will better understand why I do what I do (no matter what it is). For some bloggers the motive is financial. Some desperately need attention. Some want to get strong reactions (positive and negative). And others just need an outlet for that voice in their head that just won't shut up. So they blog.

I haven't yet got my head around why I blog. It's a combination of many things. It changes almost daily. Sometimes it feels like a burden. More times it's great fun. Some days I learn something about myself. And sometimes, it's all just a load of meaningless crap.

So, is that a good thing or a bad thing? It just is.