Blogging Generalizations

Dear Rabbi Ginzburg and the Editors of the Mishpachah Magazine,

I don’t want to knock your magazine, but this past week, I found myself reading the anti-bloggers editorial with a sad expression. I firmly agree with Rabbi Ginzberg, that there are some blogs written by so-called frum yidden who disgrace the Torah and everything we stand for. And, I will not disagree that there are likely thousands of posts on the big bad internet that could turn a confused yid away from the Torah, and even drill insatiable questions into the minds of previously non-confused yidden. My problem, Rabbi Ginzberg, is that you generalize.

Not all blogs are weapons of mass misinformation. Not all blogs serve the sole purpose of bashing the values of Torah true Jews. There are some blogs that have the opposite effect. How do I know?

I own one of those blogs. My blog is not one where people read lashon harah about the day’s leaders; it is not a place where people go to see the darker side of the world today. It is a cheerful upbeat blog, a blog where people come to learn and laugh. And while avid readers of mine may know about the positive feedback by way of comments, they don’t know about the constant emails I receive. These emails are the fuel that keeps me up writing into the wee hours of the night. It’s the motivation that runs through my head when I finally turn my computer on to type up a post at the end of a 18 hour day.

It’s hard to describe the feeling of exhilaration I feel when I receive an email from a reader saying “your most recent post inspired me so much, and I never get inspired these days.” And while other blogs may spread darkness and distrust, emails saying “your blog gives me something to look forward to each day” indicate that not all blogs are like that. And some blogs may paint yiddishkeit in a negative light, but I don’t think you will find that on my blog; “Your post gave me a whole new way of looking at the upcoming yom tov.” Some blogs might be depressing, but emails I’ve received seem to indicate that others aren’t. “The way you write about shidduchim is so real, honest and funny, it reminds me that I am not alone.”

My point here is not to toot my own horn; I don’t mean to contradict Rabbi Ginzberg. I merely wish to point out the dangers of generalization. I know I do good with my blog. I know that I censor everything I write; I bear in mind the wide range of readers and the extraordinary weight my words carry. Some blogs are bad, some are good. It’s a shame to lose out on the good though.

Respectfully,

SD (A blogger and yarei shamayim)