Why I Write for a Small Audience
re: What's the point of having a low traffic blog?
I first started blogging as a way to chase my dream of being a writer. That blog started out not being hosted here. It was linked into all of the social channels. I don't really remember what numbers it did there, but I ended up collecting a few emails, mostly from friends and family.
When I first found Bear, I started this blog, partially to claim my subdomain, and partially to motivate myself to write. I started out here with a goal of writing something, anything, every single day. I wanted to develop the habit of daily writing as a way to keep the creative juices ever flowing. It wasn't happening with a private journal. Publishing nonsense to no one was a way for me to trick my brain into staying accountable to the habit I was trying to form.
Eventually that habit faded. Daily blogging consumed all of my creative energy instead of keeping the river flowing. I shifted to other projects, and my time here waned.
I eventually got tired of my original blog not doing numbers that justified my yearly hosting bill. I moved it to Bear and keep it going for the small size of people who are interested in what I have to say.
There are times the numbers feel too small to be worth it. There are times I want to give it all up and do something else with my time.
But at the end of the day, if I didn't write, I'd probably go insane®. I publish to whoever wants to listen as a way of finishing one thought and committing to the next.
I also write cause you guys are so freaking cool. From letting me know you've been here the whole time, to that something I said inspired you, to challenging me to refine my thoughts and worldviews, every email I receive makes my day brighter than any interaction in a large traffic medium ever could.
This whole thing right here, a reply blog, is the kind of magic that only works in a small, quiet space.
In my offline life, I much prefer socializing in the quiet intimacy of a one-on-one friendship over chaos of a loud party. Posting in a small corner of the web where only a handful of people will hear me is the closest I think I can get to intimate interactions online with relative strangers. I love it.
I want dialog. I want to communicate with a real person. I want to know there's a real person behind that single (maybe double (never triple)) digit number. I want that real person to know that I'm a real person.
Why do I write? I write because I need to write. Writing helps me feel human.
Why do I publish? I publish because it keeps me writing.
Why do I publish on the small/indie web? I publish on Bear for a small audience because it's one of the few places left where I can be confident that there's another human on the other side of the void, because sometimes they reach back out.
What's the appeal in public posting?
In the end, I think my answer is simply to know I'm not alone and to let you know you aren't either.
You are Love.
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