The once underestimated web writing has helped me grow as a writer. I have a new found respect for both web reading and writing. I did not understand how difficult it was to write the first thoughts, reactions, and emotions that came to mind until I was placed in the shoes of a blogger. The free form spontaneity is both awe-inspiring and a challenge. I used to not like writing because I thought the process of completing an "academic paper" was arduous. I know find that there is a comfort in the structure of writing for educational purposes and that spontaneous web writing is almost stressful.
I have started to notice that the change of how I read, write, and process information on the computer is actually affecting my everyday reading and writing. I find myself taking notes more frequently and much more carefully then I had in the past. Since having to take notes on articles for our blog posts I have found myself reading other pieces on the internet that I would have ordinarily just skimmed. I am now very much interested in the blogging community, though it is unlikely that I will create a personal blog. Now that I have looked at blogging from a different view point, I admit that I much prefer online information updates as opposed to that of newsprint.
All and all I must say that blogging has positively changed my views of internet reading and writing. While this change is taking some time to get used to I believe that it will help me in the future. The challenge of adapting my writing style to fit that of the fast paced blogging community is worth it, in my opinion.
