JordanPatton.com

I think it’s very important to answer this simple question: Why blog?

I should probably start by mentioning that this is not the first time I’ve set up a blog. It is, however, the first time I’ve ever done it for the right reason. The other couple of times I began to write web-logs, I did so because I felt like I was missing out on something. In other words, I did it because I felt like I had to. Understandably, the material I wrote was uninspired garbage.

This time, however, will be completely different! Now, I am doing this for the experience of learning. I want to learn what it’s like to write a blog, what it’s like to have a readership, and what kinds of benefits and responsibilities come with the job. This time around, it’s all about self-education, and I am all about self-education. (More on this later.) In fact one of my biggest motivators in life is education, and when I think I might learn something valuable, I find it very easy to put forth my best effort.

As a result, I’m not intending for this blog to become an income stream, nor am I planning to shout my opinions about the world to anyone who will listen. (You may see some advertisements here and there at a later date, but that’s because web hosting is expensive. Again, more on this later.) My plan is to write valuable content that is relevant to both myself, and whoever may be reading the blog. (If you have any suggestions for content, please feel free to contact me or post a comment any time!) To give you an idea, I expect my content to include the following:

• Reviews of products & services
• Information related to my experiences in online communities (and some “real-life” events)
• “How To” articles for technology and the like
• My take on certain news items, such as when a new product is released
• And other stuff as it comes along…

On the other hand, I will not be talking about the following things:

• Politics. Seriously, folks, do we need another person talking politics?
• “Why I Hate” articles. I don’t think you guys care that much about my pet peeves, so I plan to steer clear of them.
• My feelings or any personal “issues”. I’m not trying to solicit sympathy or “internet therapy”, so we’ll just avoid this subject.
• Relationship advice. I’m not the advice-giving type.
• Random updates about nothing in particular. If I don’t have something to say, I won’t waste your time.

That last point is particularly important. I don’t want to crank out posts simply because “it’s time to write another blog post.” I only plan to write when I have something worth saying. As a result, my posts may seem a bit sporadic. Fortunately, I’ve already taken measures to deal with this problem! If you don’t want to check this website every day, but you do want to know when I update the blog, you can subscribe to my RSS feed. (What is RSS? We’ll cover this in another posting!) I plan to learn as much as possible from writing this blog, and I would love to have your help in doing so. I welcome your feedback in the comments section, and thanks for following along!