In Praise of Blogs

In "Why I Blog," Andrew Sullivan makes an important distinction:

Reading at a monitor, at a desk, or on an iPhone provokes a querulous, impatient, distracted attitude, a demand for instant, usable information, that is simply not conducive to opening a novel or a favorite magazine on the couch. Reading on paper evokes a more relaxed and meditative response. The message dictates the medium. And each medium has its place—as long as one is not mistaken for the other.

In the video that accompanies the story, Sullivan refers to blogs as drafts. It's easy to imagine a blog as a pencil sketch. Some would argue that a sketch is only a study, a stage leading to the completed work. From this perspective, a sketch is a lesser effort: embryonic, dashed off, a doodle. The sketch is merely preliminary and -- by extension -- better left unseen.

Others would scoff, claiming the sketch and a "completed work" (whatever that may be) are separate animals, not points on a continuum. One form is no more laudable than the other. A sketch has its own integrity. That the sketch is lithe, unvarnished, immediate is not a shortcoming but rather a defining characteristic. As in improv or cinema verite, spontaneity is an attribute and an asset. The dynamic, unconstrained nature of the sketch is the source of its vigor and value.

Put another way, would you say that a conversation is less valuable than an essay?