How do I blog thee? Let me count the ways...

I've been tagged by Adam to name the top five reasons why I blog. I have to question, however, what Adam meant by "no cheating" on the top 5. Did it mean there should only be 5 reasons? Because--hello!--he slipped in a reason 4.5! Or did it mean we couldn't copy off someone else's reasons? What constitues "cheating" in a top 5 list?

So, anyway, my reasons. I'm afraid they're not all that original, but they are true. (Truth=not cheating.)
!. Writing I love to write. This has been a fun, easy way for me to "publish" my writing, and has also provided me with an opportunity to write more. Sure, it's fluff writing most of the time, but who cares?

@. Pictures Since I hardly ever print pictures, this blog is one of the easiest ways to share pictures with my family and friends. And it's free. There are actually several pictures I've taken for the sole purpose of posting them on my blog. Ahh, digital camera, thou and I shall never be parted, and our love shall be made complete by this blog.

#. People/Relationships I enjoy the conversations, internet and real, that have resulted from blogs. It's been very interesting to see how "real" relationships have been supplemented and/or improved by blogs. Side note: when I was in college, I took an interpersonal communication class, and we had to do a project on some form of communication and how it affected personal relationships. My group chose internet communication, which was relatively new at the time, and we focused on emails and IM's. One of the things we discovered, and that I've certainly seen and experienced in blogging, is that a lot of people are actually more likely to share things in an email (or blog) that they might not say in person, deepening relationships instead of hindering them. I think it's the combination of anonymity and intimacy, with the added benefit of editing, that makes it such an effective means of communication.

$. Sanity I have several "conversations" with myself throughout the day, (seeing as how no one else in my house is over the age of 2, or, at best, 7) and blogging has given me an avenue to share those conversations and alleviate this nagging feeling that I'm a bit loopy. I guess feeling like I'm "talking" to someone is better than realizing I'm talking to myself. It's also a way to share things about my day/life/feelings that ensures I will share, rather than just forgetting or feeling too silly to say something. I guess this sort of ties in with reason #.

%. Bandwagon/Fun I really enjoy being a part of the blogging community. I like reading other people's blogs. I feel like I know my friends better from their blogs, and I "know" people that I don't even know. There are some great writers out there that I've only been introduced to through blogging. It's a very grassroots-y (there's that word again) form of information-sharing, and I think it's great.

(And, yes, I meant to press the shift button.)