Ruminations on blogs, bloggers, blogging, and blates.

While Matthew and I were on our South America trip a couple months ago, I was asked many times the dreaded “what do YOU do?” question.

I know people are just trying to make conversation, so I don’t hold it against them, but it always makes me a little squirmy to explain that I’m not working right now, despite being educated and perfectly capable of working. Pretty much the most interesting thing about me is that I have a blog with a somewhat substantial following, so that topic tends to come up in conversations.

And it is just so darn funny to see the wide range of reactions from people when I tell them about my blog or blogging in general. I’ll never forget the reaction of one middle-aged gentleman who sat with us at lunch one day on the trip. His doctor-girlfriend asked me what I do, so I started rambling about not exactly working, though my blog is like a part time job and earns me a tiny (*TINY*) bit of income.

I’ll never forget the look on this guy’s face when I described my blog to him. His eyes were as wide as pancakes and his jaw just about hit the floor. His reaction actually sort of startled me! He was just so shocked that anyone would post photos and personal information about themselves and their lives on the Internet, and he started grilling me about the safety of it all and blah blah blah… it was quite funny.

The thing is, many people just don’t understand what blogging is all about and its potential to entertain, to educate, to generate a little income, to bring people together, and to change lives. I really believe in this medium, and I will defend it ‘til the end.

I am so fascinated by blogging and the relationships we forge over the Internet. I really and truly believe that one day it won’t even seem strange to people. I just met another blogger friend for coffee this morning, and she and I joked about how blogging is kind of like match.com, but for friendships. The nice thing is, you don’t have to worry about your new friends trying to get in your pants on the first date—or ever (hopefully?).

My experience so far has been that bloggers are just real people, and their blogs are a pretty accurate representation of who they are in “real” life. Because the Internet, to me, is just an extension of real life. In fact, it’s more “real” than some of the relationships we deal in every day of our lives!

So that’s that. Blogging is awesome. Bloggers rock. I will never be ashamed to tell someone I blog somewhat “professionally” (or that’s my goal, at least), because I have met some truly wonderful people in doing so and have become inspired to be the best version of myself, both personally and professionally, thanks to this wonderful little world on the Internet.

So with that, I leave you with a few pictures from my latest “blate,” with the seriously sweet and BEAUTIFUL Rachel from Guide to Menhattan. This chick grew up in Austin, lives in NYC, and is about to move to Berlin for a few months. Drives my point home that bloggers are real and cool and LEGIT. They just happen to write all about it to “strangers” on the Internet. :)