I’ve enjoyed writing posts for this blog. Admittedly, I probably took advantage of the whole “pick whatever topic you’d like to write about” direction, in that this was a very scattered, disorganized collection of posts. It’d take me awhile to explain how all of them relate to the overall concept of freshman life, but I still think I could do it. The things I’ve written about are a reflection of the world here as I’ve perceived it, and I hope at least a few people have been able to relate to my words or at least laugh at them. I like to write, and I hope that people enjoy reading my words.
I think blogs like this are important. It gives the writer incredible control and power, and most importantly the opportunity to create. You could write stories on here, rant about your day or cover the news, as I often do with Onward State.com . And best of all, the writer decides who gets to read it.
I think this exercise has been an excellent idea. RCL isn’t everyone’s favorite class, I’m sure, but the blogging has relevant value for several reasons other than the aforementioned freedom of expression.
First, everybody has a blog nowadays, including prominent businesses and organizations that make lots of money. People from across the globe have made careers out of their blogging and social media skills, and have had massive amounts of fun doing it. Mark Manson, bestselling author and curator of markmanson.net, gets paid for writing books with titles like The Subtle Art Of Not Giving A Fuck and maintaining his pretty interesting blog. My point is, blogging skills, writing, sharing on social media, working a website, are important, and can be useful in today’s internet-focused society.
Second, creating a blog teaches you about accountability. You know your work will be read by, at times, dozens of peers, and for this reason you’ll likely do your best to at least not write something terrible and factually incorrect. There’s also something about putting on the internet that’s especially terrifying. No matter what level of security your post is guaranteed, you always feel that it could be recovered if necessary, and that others, from anywhere, could read it at any time.
Finally, as I mentioned in brief earlier in this post, can act as a personal and intimate journal. Journaling used to be a common, pre-bed ritual for lots of people, but has disappeared in the same way that letter-writing has gone almost completely extinct. It’s up to you how personal you want to make it, of course, but even the act of writing about something that you find interesting can be meditative and even healing. The blog therefore acts as a sort of therapy, something that can take your mind off of the stress of life.
Although blogging for RCL may have been a hassle at times, I think it was a useful exercise that probably be beneficial in the future.
I hope you’ve enjoyed reading mine, I’ve enjoyed reading the posts put together by the rest of the class.