Amitabh Bacchan blogs. Abhinav Bindra blogs. Omar Abdullah used to blog. I blog.

Most probably, you blog.

We all have our own lives (well, mostly). We all have loads to do (again -- most of us). Why do we blog? Is it really so good to express our thoughts, views, opinions -- even our lives -- to complete strangers and some friends? Does the fact that we have a medium to express ourselves mean that it must be used?

Blogging is a lot like other mass-communication media but in one crucial way, it is completely different. There is no editor; no restriction. Write what you like, when you like, if you like -- just write. Is it that surprising that searching -- or rather, googling -- for "rant" + "blog" returns 491,000 results? That I have my own "Rant" category - which is also, surprisingly enough, the one most often used? [That was pure, unadulterated sarcasm, incase you didn't notice.]

Blogging seems to have many, many uses -- spreading information/knowledge, setting up your own, easily edited web-page without much technical know-how, showing off your pictures, raving against people you don't like. Everything and anything. You have video blogs, picture blogs, news blogs, blog blogs... Name it and you can find it. This also means that blogs are amongst the most heavily abused media too; there is no such thing as quality control -- no need for references, "being correct". No Wikipedia labels marking the entry/page as "This article doesn't cite it's sources.".

All this has been debated on -- heavily. On news networks, in newspapers, websites, and -- yes, of course -- blogs.

What I've never really found an article on is why do we blog? Earning through advertisements? Gaining the proverbial fifteen minutes of fame over the net? As a means of catharsis -- anonymously sharing our most intimate thoughts and experiences with complete strangers? Learning what others think without repercussions? Perhaps all of these. Maybe none.

My own reasons for blogging are varied: as a means of expressing myself; seeing if anyone else thinks as I do; announcing something important in my life; sharing technical knowledge with others -- as others have shared with me; simply having my own, clearly defined -- and visible -- virtual existence. A way to connect with many more people than I can physically -- across countries, contintents and oceans.

If you're reading this blog, and have a blog of your own, answer this: Why do you blog?

I cannot answer that question for everyone. Perhaps it would be like asking an author -- why do you write? Or an artist -- why do you paint? Why do you create? My favourite answer for this question comes from Thomas Berger - Because it isn't there.