Why do you blog?

From time to time, I have people ask me why I blog. Usually they simply say “why do you blog?” When what they really mean is “your blog looks like a huge time suck—why on earth would you engage in such a pointless endeavor, especially since you hardly ever have something worthwhile to say?”

The answer to that question is complicated. The most basic reason is that I really like skiing and riding bikes, and I like to document what I’m doing. Digging a little deeper, I also feel like I’m constantly learning more about both of these sports, so I figure if I’m learning something new, chances are pretty good it’s new to at least one of my readers as well.

When I write about bike racing, I’m usually thinking of my dad as the target audience. My dad rides bikes, but he took it up late in life, so chances are pretty good that if I learn something new about the sport, it’s also new to him.

Occasionally, one of my posts will be laced with profanity, in which case I’m writing for my mom, not my dad. Because she really likes the word shit, or at least I was convinced she did whenever I did something wrong while growing up, which was often. And I like to show her from time to time how much my vocabulary has expanded since she taught me that word.

I also blog because once in a while I have something that I think is funny enough to share with others. And while the really, really good jokes have to be limited to a really small audience because of their very nature, the still very funny but suitable for a broad audience jokes need to see the light of day.

Really, though, I blog because it’s cheaper than paying a shrink. And writing stuff down helps me process what’s going on in my head. I write a lot of really boring stuff for work, so writing something frivolous or angry or self-aggrandizing helps me refocus and concentrate on the writing and other work that actually pays the bills.

From time to time, writing it down is enough, and there’s no need to publish it. Which is why I’m filing, not posting, what I had to say after a delightful exchange with another racer (with whom I have some history) at RMR last night. Because if I posted it, it would just be inflammatory* and wouldn’t do any good. And racing bikes should be all about suffering fun.

*I know, since when has that stopped me, right?

But here’s the question I’m really curious about: why do you read? I’m not a lone man shouting in the wilderness—more than a few people a day check this thing out. So what do you come back for*?

*Do not infer that blog content will be altered to better suit your taste if you provide feedback. The author has posed this question only to satisfy his own curiosity, to bolster his delicate ego, and to try and understand of all the blogs out there, why you read this one. No warranty, expressed or implied, is granted with this question.