There seems to be a misconception that blogs are just the Internet equivalent of a personal diary, and is therefore not to be taken seriously. This misconception is even shared by some bloggers, who think their blogs are so much better because they do not stoop to the lows of personal storytelling that only people who use LJ or Xanga do. Somehow blogs are only important and worth bookmarking if the content is primarily about politics, technology, entertainment, or some other specialized field.

I call bullcrap on that.

Not only is this line of thought horribly misguided, it’s also marginalizing and patronizing. It also goes against the very root of the blog idea — free-for-all publishing and the expression of ideas. Theme-blogging and niche-blogging are all well and good, and they certainly have their place in the blogosphere. But its fuel, its life force, its entire reason for existence, lies in the so-called murky depths of identity blogging. The LJers, the Blogspotters, the Xanga-ers, bloggers like me who open up their world to all — these are people who are producing the most meaningful content out there in this crazy WWW. Sure we blog about inane things; like shoes, cats, dogs, school, dinner, etc. — but there is a universality in that inane-ness. Shared experiences, common knowledge, common bonds — this is why blogs have taken off in such a huge way. This is why the blogosphere as we know it even exists.

So what if I blog about feeling homesick, or about forgetting my keys, or about the kinds of shoes I like? Does that somehow lessen the import of my more serious entries that indulge my geekier side? Do my personal stories somehow paint me as one of those annoying pre-pubescent teenagers? If you do think so, I feel incredibly sad for you that you are not open-minded enough to appreciate the joys of blogging from everyday life. I also feel sad that you think that in order for me to be taken seriously, I should start writing lengthy diatribes of Important Subjects instead of things that actually impact my life. I’m sorry, but there is more to my life than just being a Writer. And I rather like letting go and writing about my silly emotional tales — it’s how I relax.

Besides, it’s this very kind of personal blogging that has enabled the blogosphere to expand and grow. The sharing of personal tales is how we connect to other bloggers, it’s how we make friends, and it’s how we stay in touch. It’s a chronicle of our lives, this whole blogging thing. If we don’t speak directly and honestly on our very own blogs, where else can we?

Now I’m not saying that everyone should be completely transparent and honest on their blogs. That’s obviously a personal choice, and I respect you if you simply choose not to divulge details of your life for privacy concerns. All I’m saying is, one should not criticize personal blogging for being trivial. I’m saying we should freaking celebrate it for being trivial — because, really, it isn’t so trivial in the first place.