To blog, or not to blog? Is it a question?

A blog? What’s in a blog?

That’s what I asked when she challenged me on the stairs. She looked at me as though I was a newly completed idiot.

‘You need one. But first find out what one is, then get one.”

If she hadn’t had that look about her, you know the one that makes you want to look and listen and hope you will see her again, that look, then I might have ignored her words, but the look combined with the words unsettled me.

The words, in fact, took over from the look and now, when I try to think of her, I only have the words. No look.

A blog? I’m thinking: Sounds like something that blocks, or blogs. It’s got that feel.

So what could it be and why would I need something that blocks? Blocks what? Spam? Telemarketers? Phone calls from the inlaws?
On the net I’ve learnt if I don’t know, go to www.google.com and seek a definition. So I did. And now I know what a blog is, so what? What’s the point? To blog, or not to blog, is that the question?
And, if I decide to blog, to start a “web-based publication”, I’ll then have to supply content.

Do I need this extra work? And who will pay me? Me?

What if I don’t pay, refuse to pay?

Can I take me to court and sue me? What if I don’t turn up, or declare myself bankrupt, who will pay then?

All that extra work for what, so I can make a mess of things for me?

You would not believe how many times I have turned against me when all I was trying to do was help me improve my income base, my lifestyle, my life.

Did I get any thanks? None. Not a word. (Thank you Jackie Mason - http://www.jackiemason.com)

Right, then I met that woman again, the stairs-woman, same place, same time. Was she waiting for me?

“You idiot. Don’t you know anything?” she said.

I looked at her. She still had that look, the one that makes you look, but this time she looked different.

Before I could look long enough to retain the look, she was gone. And she took her look with her. Who is she anyway? Will I ever see her again?

I’m left standing on the stairs, trying desperately to think, of something, anything.

Then my son came home, slinking around, looking for money, or love, or crockery. He left home 18 months ago and only visits when he has run out of clean utensils. But this time he had a job to do: he was trying to sell me a new range of household products.

And he said: Blogging? Easy. Go to wordpress.org. So I did.

Generally speaking (though there are exceptions), blogs tend to have a few things in common:
•A main content area with articles listed chronologically, newest on top. Often, the articles are organized into categories.
•An archive of older articles.
•A way for people to leave comments about the articles.
•A list of links to other related sites, sometimes called a "blogroll".
•One or more "feeds" like RSS, Atom or RDF files.

I’m still not sure I need one, but the idea of other people supplying content is good and time saving and, who knows, I might meet someone.

Right, I’m going to do something about it. (I think.) Watch this space.