Andrew Sullivan in theatlantic.com writes a lucid and thought-provoking article on why he blogs, and the reasons he sets forth hold true for all of us. Aside from the need for self-expression, the standard explanation, there’s the adrenaline rush of thinking on your feet, and trying to put your musings and ideas into words with the immediacy inherent in the medium. It is “the spontaneous expression of instant thought“. As such, blogging can be addictive.

But aside from individual satisfaction, we also blog to find a sense of community.

But writing in this new form is a collective enterprise as much as it is an individual one—and the connections between bloggers are as important as the content on the blogs.

A successful blog therefore has to balance itself between a writer’s own take on the world and others.

In this sense, blogging is both a selfish and selfless undertaking. Although we might think that we blog for ourselves, it is really the sharing and interaction with others that gives this activity meaning. No blogger is an island.