Why do I blog...?

Tom tagged me in his post about why he blogs and it's an interesting question. AND because I'm suffering from a patch of bloggers block at the moment, I thought it would be a good topic to comment on.

I know I first started blogging when I was overseas last year on Monty's Shagging Tour of Europe. I had decided to do Berlin and Eastern Europe on my own as a personal challenge and as a way of really being "out" in an environment where no-one knew me, where I could be free from the normal constraints of life. And so I arrived in Berlin full of confidence, and then it hit me...I was in a foreign country all by myself. No-one knew me, I had no-one to talk to, I didn't know where I was going...suddenly I wasn't so confident. Thankfully, NSSG's boyfriend, the late (in a blogging sense) DG was my lifeline and I logged onto MSN and had some long chats with him when I was freaking out! And it was about this time that NSSG got DG onto blogging and DG suggested that I start one as a way of expressing what I was going through in my journey. Not just my physical journey through Europe but also my journey/transition from a formerly straight boy to fully fledged gay boy!

And so I started it, more out of curiosity...a kind of see-how-it-goes experiment. And it was liberating! Particularly whilst overseas, I could express myself about what I was going through via blog even if I couldn't talk to anyone about it. AND for the first time in my life, I was able to express myself openly about subjects that were formerly very taboo...ie gay stuff. And in reading other people's blogs, suddenly I realized that there were lots of people out there in the blogosphere who had their own challenges just like me. Maybe different challenges than mine, but equally difficult or confronting for them in their own personal circumstances.

Suddenly, I discovered a hitherto unknown world of individuals drawn together and interacting with each other despite the fact that they live in different parts of the world and have for the most part, never met....and most likely would never meet. As Tom mentioned (and Campbell has in a previous blog as well), it has become somewhat of a community. In the world in which we live, where physical community has taken on less and less significance, the online community, and in particular, the blogging community has started augmenting it. I wouldn't say it has replaced it, nor would I like to suggest that, because I do feel that it's a fundamental need for humans to interact directly. But it certainly has become an important part of my life...not just the blogging, the ability to express my thoughts on whatever subject I want, but also you, my fellow bloggers, who have become an important part of my life. We all have our own blog styles - some blogs are just eye candy (mmmmmm), some are more a commentary on the gay lifestyle, some are more like an advice column, some are just simple online diaries of what you've done; some are highly amusing, some are sad, all in their own way are inspiring. And it's certainly helped me, a relative newcomer to the gay world. I've got lots of advice and support and I've met some wonderful people because of this.

DG started me on this blogging journey and although he's given me lots of advice in the time we've known each other, the suggestion to start a blog has been the single best piece of advice he's given me. And I certainly appreciate all the comments and suggestions that I've received on my blog and all the fascinating entries that you all do on your blogs! Thanks everyone! ;-)