Summary Of Why I Blog By Andrew Sullivan

In an excerpt of “Why I Blog” by Andrew Sullivan which he wrote for the Atlantic Magazine, Andrew goes through many examples about why blogging is so unique. One point he hits most often is the blogging atmosphere, which is very different than traditional articles that you find in magazines and newspapers. For one, blogs are usually written in real time, meaning that the author responded to something without going through several drafts. He gives an example, on 9/11 he responded as he watched the news, there were posts from him at 3:47 and 9:46. On the other hand, newspapers wouldn’t be able to respond until the next day, or longer. Andrew believes that that makes blog articles seem more human. However, what adds even more to the atmosphere than real time responses, is the community of a blog.
These comments could range from building upon the article, to attempting to mock or contradict it. Andrew actually doesn’t mind the bashing he sometimes receives, as long as they link to other websites. The links build upon the blogging atmosphere and really makes blogging what it is. Blogs link to other blogs, and no matter if the two blogs support or contradict each other, it’s a win win situation. Because it drives more traffic and more reader’s to both blogs, and will build on the conversation. But even though there are many benefits of blogging, the author also touches on the disadvantages and weaknesses of a blog. Mainly that a blog may seem to have less authority than something like the Times. Because the authors of those articles usually put much more research, deep thought, and have gone through many drafts before releasing the article. Andrew says that this is unavoidable due to the nature of blogging, and blogging should be viewed more as an additional source of information. Rather than a replacement for more traditional styles of