When I was a kid, I wrote to an audience of one. I wrote and the teacher read. Later in life, I understood that because I only had one person to please, I needed to personally write to that one person. I wrote and the teacher marked. If I only cared about the grade on the paper, then after I was given that grade, I would throw out my writing. I wrote and that was it.
In a way writing mirrored my life. I was a consumer of information. I would stare at a television screen for hours on end, enjoying the audience of one. There would be no meaningful interaction or feedback, except for the occasional calls by mother to get up and do something other than watch TV.
In a way writing mirrored my life. I was a consumer of information. I would stare at a television screen for hours on end, enjoying the audience of one. There would be no meaningful interaction or feedback, except for the occasional calls by mother to get up and do something other than watch TV.
One-way consumerism is not what language is meant to be. When we converse, we do so as system of two or more people, sharing ideas and information. When we write in today's world, we do so with the knowledge that yes, someone will read our personal web-page, respond to our Facebook comment or answer our tweets. An audience of one is no longer true then when it was when I was a kid.
I see blogging as a form of communication in the spirit of why we teach better language skills. Blogging isn't limited by number of characters or one word answers like "Congratulations!" or "LOL". Blogging is writing something meaningful for a known audience who can interact with the piece. It isn't write for one, read by one, and thrown away. What is hoped is that there is a dialog or at least a sharing of information to an audience who can learn and appreciate.
It might seem stra