Blogging - Invading our own privacy?

Blogging still baffles a lot of people. I've been doing it since the turn of the millennium over a decade ago, over a variety of platforms.

From political rants and stories of some minor health issues on Blogger to
lamentations on broken hearts and East Texas bars on Myspace to a
rambling on and off blog on my life to this one about the business I've begun, I've been putting my thoughts out on the internet for years now.

But why does blogging still seem to confuse and even scare people? Why are they reluctant?

Part of it, I am sure, is laziness and a lack of time. Heck, I just went more than a week without updating this blog, because, well, time got away from me. It does happen - no doubt. Sometimes, we lose track of time, and sometimes we really are too busy.

For the most part, however, I think we all really do have the time. Even if we only update a couple times a week, we're at the most losing, what, an hour of web surfing time? I would imagine that most of us could spare that time, and not be any worse for the wear.

So, if that's not the bigger reason, what is?

And the masses screamed "privacy!"

For some people, it's not an issue. Their life is an open book. For others, they struggle completely. And then there are those who's lives are an open book. I've got a couple friends who are sometimes called "mommy-bloggers", and they often find themselves straddling a fine line, protecting the privacy of their partners and children while writing about them at the same time.

Privacy is what you make it. When you blog, you're in complete control. You can discuss what as much, or as little, as you'd like. Your blog can be deeply personal, or superficial. It can be professional. It can be political. It can be a mixture of all three, or really, anything you want.

Blogs are just another tool of this information sharing era. They're a way of sharing information.

From a business point of view, it's a way to spend an hour a week potentially letting millions of people know about your business, at little or no charge.

It is virtually free advertising, and a simple Google search on nearly any topic will likely net you several blogs from people who are discussing that very subject. From social security lawyers to pilots to accountants, people in all sorts of careers blog.

Every one's doing it. Whether folks are involved with birds, bees, or educated fleas, everyone is blogging.

It is a way to possibly reach a nearly limitless number of people, and since you've got complete control of the content, it would be harder to find a more cost-efficient way to spend an hour a week.