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Blogging vs Journaling vs Writing

Lately, I haven't felt like blogging. I think this is a little unfortunate, but I notice that a reason I felt this need to blog last semester was to release my negative emotions onto some form of media. I wanted to let go of the stress from school and just vent it on the blog. While it does help clear my mind and lessen the noise, it doesn't make my blog feel that welcoming for readers. When my mood is happier or neutral, I don't really see the point of blogging since there isn't as much stress or annoying thoughts in my head that I have to type. 

Now the question is more about the difference between blogging and journaling. Both are good and serve different purposes. I probably touched upon this in previous blogs a while back, but I think the purpose of a blog is for discussing recurring thoughts I had over a few weeks. Blogs are a good place to have high-level discussions about more complex topics such as the limits of an online friendship or the causes of burnout. As I am writing this, I now wonder what's the point of maintaining this blog if I can write for my college newspaper. I think blogs are good for brainstorming ideas for more formal and serious articles and can serve as initial drafts. Blogs have a lower activation energy than making a new document on Word to churn out a 1500-word article. 

On the other hand, I think my journal is more like a diary. Most of my entries are about what happened during my day, some about memorable moments like this touching song or impressions of a symphony performance. I don't use my journal for high-level discussions unless I am on a plane or train and it is not comfortable to be typing all of it on a computer. 


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