Last blog post reflection

This year has been an interesting year when it came to blogging. I think that I was able to think through my thinking more because of this blog and I was able to really think about books in my own way. 

I guess through this blog I learned a lot about myself as a reader. I realized that I really enjoyed reading the same type of books by the same type of authors. In the beginning of the year I was thinking that maybe I would try to broaden my horizons when it came to the types of books I read but I didn't really follow through on that. I really think that that's okay because I really enjoy reading realistic fiction and this year I read a ton of Jodi Picoult books. I think I will have plenty of time in the future to explore new genres so it was completely fine that I sort of stuck to what I liked to read and think about. 

I can say that I definitely benefited from having the experience of having this blog. It definitely helped me think through my own thoughts in ways that I might not have been able to just talking to people in a big book club. It allowed me to really think about my book and write about my thinking. It also enabled   
me to put my own opinions out there about the world and see how my peers might respond. This blog also benefited me because it taught me so commitment even if I didn't always want to do it. Having a blog due every week helped me think about my book in the week so when I had to write my blog I actually had interesting things to write about. 

I think writing online is very different from writing in a notebook. When you write things online you have to be aware that anyone could read it and give their input good or bad. You have to be ready for arguments and criticism. Once you put something out there online you have to be ready to here the responses from people. As soon as you write something and put it online it enables people to say whatever they want back. If you write in a notebook it’s much more private and personal. You don’t really have to censor yourself because it is your notebook and you can control who reads it.

Writing online in my opinion is both liberating and limiting. I think that when you write online it can be liberating because it allows you to create your own personality that you want to share with the world. It's fun to write online because you know that someone- even if it's just one person is probably reading your writing and thinking about it which is a great feeling. It's also liberating because creating an online personality in some ways can be easier then in real life. People will write things online that they might never say to someone in person so it becomes easier. It is also limiting for those same reasons because if you're a good person you might need to censor yourself on some things you write online. If you write in a notebook you can basically say whatever you want. I mean you can say whatever you want on the internet but it might not be the smartest thing to do.


I think that it totally varies when it comes to being yourself online. For some people blogging online allows them to be their total selves and talk through things really honestly. For others I think they can definitely create personalities that show off their best or worst qualities. Some people definitely abuse the internet and use it to be unkind to people. Like I said before people say things all the time online they would probably never say to someone's face. Creating personalities can be good and bad. It can allow people to become their real selves or it can create fake reputations of meanness.

Finally some teens abuse the internet and use it for mean things and to bully but other really just use it for fun. I think it totally varies once again. I think in some cases the fact that people might be able to express themselves online and defend themselves in ways they might not be able to do in person can be a good thing but abusing the internet for bad things is not good at all.

Over all this year has been great. Having my own blog has allowed me to experience new thinking processes. This blog has made me think about the internet and how I use or abuse it. I don't know if I will keep up my blog but I'll see.