Lately I have been getting more and more questions about blogging, such as: “Why do you blog?” and “Why do people send you free products to review?” and “How much time do you spend blogging each day?” and “What do you write about?” and my personal favorite, “Why would anyone want to read THAT!?”
And that’s a legitimate question, I suppose. In fact, I often wonder that, myself. Why DO you people hang around, anyway?
There is a perception that blogging is a waste of time and energy that could be better spent elsewhere, and I can’t deny that I’ve wondered from time to time if what I do is frivolous and vain. Let’s face it; I don’t exactly tackle the most substantial issues here on Musings of A Housewife. But I read something last summer that gave me purpose for blogging and the confidence to expand my blogging horizons.
I picked up Standing in the Rainbow by Fannie Flagg
In the late 1920s and early 1930s, as more and more electric lines were strung down county roads to farmhouses, the long, lonely days of isolated farmwives living far away from their nearest neighbors were suddenly filled with warm and friendly voices. They were the voices of other women coming into their homes via the radio. As early as 1924, women all over the Midwest known as “radio homemakers” began broadcasting, supplying the wives with new recipes, tips for raising children, household hints, gardening advice, local news, and entertainment, but most important, a daily visit from a good friend.
You know what that is, don’t you — the very first blog! An ordinary housewife having a voice in the media is not unique to the 21st century. The biggest difference I can see is that women in the ’20s and ’30s were probably getting a lot more housework done as they listened to the radio than we are sitting in front of our computer screens.
Of course the age of the radio was replaced by the age of the TV, and you know what that brought with it — the morning talk show. Think of it this way, women used to sit down with their morning coffee and watch the Today Show. Now they sit down with their morning coffee and read blogs. In fact, studies show that Americans get a substantial amount of news and
information from blogs. As a result, blogging has become a legitimate media outlet.
Mom blogging has so many different facets, and everyone’s reasons for blogging are different. Some desire to keep a family journal for their own records as well as to keep in touch with friends and family from afar. Some mom bloggers are in it for the social outlet; our society can be very isolating at times, and blogging brings women with similar interests together. Some mom bloggers are professional writers or aspiring writers, and they blog for the practice and the exposure.
But mom blogging isn’t really a new phenomenon at all, and it can be a valuable means of communication. If anything, it just goes to show that women will always find a way to connect with one another through whatever media outlet is available. I guess that kind of makes us the radio homemakers of the 21st century.
Originally posted February 25, 2008
That’s awesome! I love this! THank you for sharing. I have to admit that reading mommy blogs keeps me from feeling isolated while at home with an infant.
I think this is fantastic and so true. The very first blog I read was Jenny Scott’s. Her writing about her daughter, Allie’s leukemia and unfortunate death, was so personal and wonderful and it made me cry, but in a good way. I remember my dad coming over one day and asking me what I was reading. He was so confused on WHY I would want to read someone’s “online journal”. I didn’t have a good answer for him at the time…and here I am a blogger of one year, and I am that person who sits down in the morning with the cup of coffee and reads the blogs I follow. I love how it has really expanded my perspective because I am exposed to so many different viewpoints. It really helps me formalize the ideas in my own head. Even if it is just fun banter about the kids. It brings us together, and I love it.
I love this idea that we are carrying on a tradition.
Blogging here in N Ireland is not at all common, and I get so many “Why do you do THAT?” comments, and I always struggle to explain.
I find it so hard to explain to people who don’t blog, about blogging. They don’t really understand. But you made sense out of it. It’s our community.
It seems that the “neighbor community” where someone comes over and brings you a fresh pie is gone now.
I read my first blog in December of 2008. In January of 2009 I started my own blog. I realized I have been doing a type of “blog” for many years-just not on the computer. Someone from work would want to try my pork loin recipe, so I would type it up for them. Someone from church wanted a schedule to help them get all of their housekeeping done, so I would type it up for them. A neighbor wanted to see the latest treasure I picked up at a yard sale, so I would show it to her. All this “show and tell” was a precursor to writing my blog. Who knew?!
LOVE that! Next time someone on the “outside” rolls their eyes at me when I try to explain blogging, I’ll share that little factoid with them. Oh, and posts like this are why we hang around!
This is so true. Thanks so much for bringing this up. We should not feel bad about blogging, or ashamed. It has taken me a year to get comfortable blogging and now that I am —–I feel like, WATCH OUT.
Its nice to be heard as Moms.
Its nice to know you aren’t alone.
I am fully embracing blogging.
(I actually have two blogs. You can link to my research blog from my personal blog.)
Funny that you wrote about this. I’m a wife, a mom, and a doctoral student at Texas Tech. As an older student, I have a little more experience in life. My 20-something classmates don’t understand blogging, but most of them don’t have children either, so they don’t understand the stresses I have. (My children are in elem, middle, and high schools, so we have diverse issues and stresses!)
My current research project is on why mothers blog.
I’m learning some interesting things. Please come over and comment. I have linked to your blog on my page but would love your response to what I’m writing. Personal blog has a link, but you can also go to lioncubs.wordpress.com for my research findings. 
Great post!
So this has NOTHING to do with this post. But I though you might like this, Schwan’s has a free $10 promo going with no credit card or shipping fee required. I ordered tamales since I’ll never make them.
But anywho, I also adore your blog. I’m not a mom yet, so I live vicariously through you.
I find blogging to be very theraputic for me but lately I haven’t felt like writing or sharing. I’m wondering if others feel this way sometimes. I hope I get the inspiration back!
Great post! I love how you validate our feelings about blogging, even if we can’t concisely explain why it is important to us. As a SAHM I need this outlet and it has been a blessing to me!
Have a great week!
One of my favorite posts of yours ever. Loved reading it again.
Fantastic post! I had never heard about those radio homemakers before…neat!
Stop in and see me over at Free2BeFrugal sometime.