Blogging about Blogging

Lately, I've been thinking a lot about what I want out of blogging. I've read some inspiring stories from bloggers about how to make your blog better, analyzing trends, seeing if the blog can actually used as an investment in all the time I spend writing. But I've come to a realization after reading some poignant discussions on what you want out of the experience:

I don't want to be a problogger.

Some of the best blogs out there tell an intimate story about the writer as if they're talking to a good friend. I love those stories that touch my heart so deeply I feel like I know the person. I'm all for sharing stories, giving advice, and even telling about overcoming challenges in my life. But I'm not willing to open up to thousands of readers (ok, so three not counting mom, but I'm being futuristic – so sue me) about troubles in my marriage, the daily grind of my job, or details of my sex life. It's not relevant to most people, and, to be frank, it's not who I am.

So, then, who is Mrs. Common Cents?

For starters, I'm extremely perseverant. If there's something I want to do, I will do it. The how is just incidental details. Which leads me back to my earlier revelation – I'm not going to be a problogger, I just don't want to. That doesn't mean I'm going to stop writing, or stop posting, or delete the entire shebang. After all, I am getting something out of it – writing is something I love to do. And that's important as well – the blog is a dance between the needs of the reader and the writer: both giving something to each other, both serving some intrinsic need.

I need to be heard and understood, and though I may be in contact with people constantly, the blog is a way for me to cast a wider net.

I need to be able to provide value to people. There are hundreds of blogs created every day. To speak about the last pair of shoes I bought is not providing and value for the variety of information already out there. My message needs to be unique, and I have to be able to find a way to speak in a voice that isn't simply rehashing something 100 people before me have said in a different way.

I need to be able to offer advice and guidance. Even as a child, I was the listening ear, the voice of reason, the stoic rock in my circle of friends. I was the one you called at 3 am if your boyfriend just dumped you or you just had the fight of your life with your parents. I was the tie that binds and played the patient mediator who saw beyond "Oh my God, can-you-believe-what-an-insensitive-jerk-she-is." This is who I am, and if that serves some purpose to you, that's everything I've aimed to accomplish. I encourage you to write to me as well about what you need, and what you hope to get out of reading this.

In the end, time is the most valuable resource any of us have, and I'm not going to be wasting anyone's, especially my own, if it doesn't serve a purpose.