Just Do It

The responses Bruce Shneier had to Rebecca Blood’s questions stood out to me because they were honest. When she asked him if he ever writes to deliberately provoke a reaction he shared that he has never written a blog post with the thought: “This will certainly get a reaction from the community.” This intrigued me because I feel that half of the blogs I come across raise controversial questions and topics, almost as if the writer wanted to get a rise out of their viewers. Although Schneier said that he always tries to look for different points of view and opinions to write about, he writes to write. He writes to convey a simple thought or a complex idea because he enjoys expressing himself. I think it is brave when people put their work out there knowing that they will receive all kinds of feedback.

Schneier shared that he wishes he knew who his writing reached. He knows people respond to his thoughts through various discussions and fan mail, but he does not know which specific types of people read his work. Whether he learns the type of people he is reaching or not, one thing is certain: he is bringing a variety of people together and allowing them to relate, simply through the use of words. (In another media class I am taking this term, the professor told us he believes the greatest invention was the alphabet. I could not agree more. Through 26 letters, we are able to communicate on so many levels- how incredible.)

In regards to starting your own blog he says:  

“Just do it. Don’t worry about being boring. Don’t worry about being interesting. Just do it.”

People are going to judge you know matter what you do, but when you are willing to express yourself through writing I think you will learn many positive things about yourself, as well as others.