First Blog

I don't really know what I think about this blog. I've definately never been into blogging, or even reading blogs for that matter. I find them a waste of time. I think that if someone knows me, then they can ask me what I think about a particular topic, rather than me posting it for the world to see. If someone doesn't know me, then how is it their business to read my thoughts? Why do they even care? Why would I even post things like my thoughts, dreams, impressions, and so on? Who am I to tell people how to think? I am only a first year at UVa, in what way do my opinions and impressions matter to the world at large? They don't. I guess that's why I never understood why someone would blog. That, and, I strongly dislike gossip. Blogging, especially when affiliated with some form of entertainment (American Idol blogs pop into my mind), seem so.... gossip-y.
With that being said, I understand the point of this blog for the Japanese 101 class. I think it's a good thing, in theory, but I'm apprehensive to see how it works. I think it's good to be able to post questions on how to study if the course is hard for you, or to post help if you've found something that works. The question is: how frequently, especially with all the other classes, clubs, organizations, and social events available at UVa, will our students be able to check their classmates' blogs? I know for me that I have a very demanding schedule. I find myself doing it seems like 5 hours of Calculus 2 problems every day, and I'm still behind. That's just a small fraction of my 17 credits I'm taking this semester. I'm not complaining, I chose my workload and I'm happy with my classes, but I am busy already. How much time will I have to devote to reading other people's blogs? Especially when they are as off topic as this one is?
I don't expect to have avid readers, or any readers at all for that matter. I am not a stellar writer. My word choice is not vivid or varied or even that articulate all the time. I can't see why people would be interested in how my day went, or what classes are giving me trouble, or what I'm doing this weekend. I don't anticipate having problems studying for this class. I don't have any innovative study techniques. If someone were to ask me how I study for Japanese, I'd say something along the lines of: "I listen in class. I do the homework (when I remember to). I take the tests." That study strategy doesn't work for the majority of people. It works for me because I've seen the material before. I've been around Japanese long enough that the vocabulary makes sense, the sentance structures make sense, and listening comprehension is relatively easy.
I don't know what kind of asset I will be to this blog site project. I don't know how I will be able to help people. For now, I'll just do the assignment.