Who Blogs?

Who blogs? Do you blog? Do you know people who blog? Are they all the same, or are they different? Who blogs?

Two friends of mine recently had lunch together and, of all topics, ended up discussing my life. Here is a “censored” version of their description:

I can’t imagine waking up one morning and deciding I want to live my life on the road, so you get major props from me for going off the beaten path and sticking at it. We discussed your work on the WordPress Codex and came up with a few sentences about how darned offbeat your life is. My thinking was along the lines of ‘usually when people live in trailers it’s not a matter of choice’, and his was more ‘you don’t expect people who live in trailers to have such a presence in geekery’, but I guess for both of us it was that generic socioeconomic stereotype vs. your story that seems interesting.

It’s so easy to stereotype and judge people, even bloggers. I’m often judged by my living circumstances, lifestyle, work, looks, and perceived socioeconomic status, as well as my blogging. Are you?

I believe stereotyping breaks down when it comes to bloggers. Bloggers come in every shape, size, age, type, and, well, other type. They are Jewish, Muslim, Christian, Buddhist, Atheist, and Can’t-Make-Up-Their-Minds. They are literate and well-educated, and stupid and ignorant. They are naive and have never left “home”, and they have traveled the world and seen sights most people see only in books.

When you are reading a blog, do you think about putting the blogger in a labeled box that says “Jewish Female Blogger – Expert on Creative Writing” or “Atheist Political Blogger”? Or do you imagine them sitting in front of their computers wearing jeans and a t-shirt or a suit and tie? Are they actually sitting in a professional looking office, or a dimly lit, chilled basement, or possibly in an Internet cafe sipping lattes for hours on end?

Probably not.

The content and subject matter a blogger writes about usually gives you some form of an impression, typically about their expertise. Though, how would your perspective on that information change if you heard it coming out of the mouth of a 60 year old business professional compared to a 16 year old web wizbang?

While a blogger can be anyone, the common ground for bloggers is their willingness to share their passions, lives, and knowledge with others, as well as their powerful determination to have their say.

See Also

Old Blogging Sites That We Thought were Gone

My work with the Blog Herald is to help you understand more about bloggers, blogging, and offer you some tips on WordPress, since I am also known, among my many titles, as a WordPress Diva. I hope along the way we can learn more about who blogs and how they blog.

Along the way, I’m sure you will make some assumptions about who I am, what I am, and why I have any business writing about the things I do. Judge me as you will, but beyond all of your judgments, I hope you will see the passion behind the words.

To get started, I want to know who you are and why you blog.

And answer this: Are you who you blog?

Lorelle VanFossen blogs about blogging and WordPress on Lorelle on WordPress, and is a long time support volunteer for WordPress. Lorelle travels too much and reports from life on the road in Taking Your Camera on the Road and covers family history and genealogy on Lorelle’s Family History, and writes for too many blogs, ezines, and magazines.