I don’t want to be a blogger

Last week the annual TCEA Convention in Austin, TX was preceded by the first annual Lone Star Edubloggercon.  I had been tangentially involved with the planning of this event, and though I'm not an Edublogger, I wanted to attend it as well.  Unfortunately due to the travel involved, I was only able to take in about half of it.  I got there just as people were breaking for lunch, but still managed to pick up some valuable tidbits of information in the afternoon sessions.

Later in the week I was talking with my friend Miguel Guhlin and the subject of blogging came up. Those of you who know Miguel know that the subject of blogging always comes up.  In the course of the conversation he called me a blogger and I corrected him.  "I'm not a blogger, and I'm certainly not an edublogger.  I'm just a guy with a blog."

This morning as I was reviewing my notes from the Convention I came across this article entitled "How to Bling Your Blog."   This article troubled me.

I've never really been able to put my finger on why I bristle at being called a blogger, but reading the article above helped me to understand it better.  Blogging may be the only act of writing where the publication venue is more important than the content.

People don't say "I'm a newspaper article creator." or "I'm a magazine article producer."  They simply say, "I'm a writer." and if pressed, they follow up with the type of writing they do and the method by which it's published.

Bloggers say "I'm a blogger." 

I'm concerned that in the rush to use "Web 2.0" tools in our classrooms we're teaching blogging instead of writing. 

Writing is the skill that will serve our students well- the ability to map your thoughts onto the mind of another person across the barriers of time and space is powerful.  The Blog is just a tool.

Would a master carpenter say "I'm a hammerer?"

A blog, like a hammer, is a tool used by a writer, not the end-result.  In years past writers would hone their craft and tune their skills so that one day they might be published.  Publication meant something.  It meant you were worthy. 

Publishing was once a laborious and expensive affair. One needed specialized tools and skills, and then once the act of publication was completed, more specialized skills and more financing were necessary to distribute the publication.

Now anyone can create, publish and distribute in minutes.

I'm not saying this is a bad thing.  "Web 2.0" is, for the most part, a good thing.  It's the democratization of publishing.  It's a crucible in which the dross is burned out and the best ideas are refined.  Anytime, anywhere, publication and distribution are good, but at what cost?

It seems that the common belief is that publishing and creating are the same thing.  The art of writing is being lost in the machinery of publishing.

One of the tips in the article above says:

Don’t overdo your text! Remember that sometimes less really IS more and who wants to come to your blog to read a novel? So, add pictures, graphs, charts, videos, etc…

All I have to offer you here on this blog is text.  But it's not mere text.  Text is the conveyance of my thoughts and ideas.  If you didn't come here to read, then why did you come here? 

I don't want to learn the science of blogging.  I want to hone the craft of communicating.  I don't want my children to learn to blog.  I want them to learn to write. 

I don't want to be a blogger.  I want to be a writer.

What do you think?