Rand sent me the above comic strip and instructed me to let it inspire me (it seems he enjoys giving me the occasional homework assignment), and the first thing I thought of when I read it was, "Why do people blog?"

I read a lot of SEO blogs (around 50--not nearly as many as Rand), and I think that one major reason why blogs are crucial in the SEO sphere is that it's a great way to dispense information. For us, having a blog is like a written "You scratch my back, I'll scratch yours." We share information, tips, and tactics in order to build trust with others so that they can, in turn, share their magic with us. I love the camaraderie in the SEO world.

That being said, another (obvious) reason for the increasing onslaught of blogs (currently nearly 60 million tracked by Technorati) is because bloggers, quite simply, want attention. Obviously, I'm not providing you with some profound secret you didn't already know, but the comic strip made me think of a good number of blogs written by vapid people who think that everyone wants to read about the minutia of their day-to-day lives, when in reality they're too wrapped up in writing about themselves that they don't have time to read or care about what their family and friends are doing. It's a "Well, I'll just blog about the events in my life instead of picking up the phone, and the people who truly care about me will take the time to read it."

Bloggers, quite frankly, are the ultimate attention whore. They'll happily write about awkward, personal things that they probably would never tell you in person because hey, what do they care, they're hiding behind a computer, privacy be damned! Likewise, want to spy on that person you despise so much? Read his or her blog! It's like hiding in the trees with a pair of binoculars. Creepy.

I'm referring to the millions of random Blogspot, MySpace, and LiveJournal blogs penned (typed?) by people who lead excruciatingly insignificant lives, yet think that their Friday night at the club make for a compelling read. But, at the root of every blog, whether it's personal or business-run, is a desire for attention. SEOmoz is no exception. Case in point: Rand, Matt, and I were having sushi Friday night (yes, we SEOmozzers hang out a lot; it's not sad, it's cool and you wish you were a part of it), when, at the end of our meal, a guy approached our table and said, "Hi! I don't mean to bother you, but I really enjoy your company."

After some confusion (we weren't even sitting near him and he enjoyed our company?), he said that he works for a startup in Kirkland and reads our blog all the time. Imagine our surprise that someone recognized us in person, and we weren't even at a conference! After Rand chased after the guy to grab his email address, a lady at the table next to us leaned over and said, "I'm sorry, but what exactly do you all do?"  Wow, just like that we were minor celebrities. Bashful embarrassment aside, it made our heart grow three sizes.

While our brush with fame was pretty cool, obviously, our inherent goal is to attract attention for reasons other than "we're self-absorbed and want the world to know it." In the case of SEOmoz (and other businesses), we want our blog to attract attention so that we can continue to brand our company and be more successful. For this Super Proposal Guy, yeah, he wants to attract attention so that he can fulfill his goal of proposing to his gal during the Super Bowl, but the Vanderbilt Children's Hospital will also benefit from the buzz. For Joe Morin, the man helping the Super Proposal Guy out, he's blogging to attract attention to the project, which will, in turn, help get his Storybids idea off its feet. Pretty crafty, huh?

I don't mind blogs or bloggers--the blogosphere occupies a good chunk of my job. I just think that there's a huge difference between blogs that offer a service, whether it be information, tips, or tools, and blogs whose service is to TMI you to death with content that reads like personal diary entries.  While both types of bloggers want attention, at least the former use it to operate under the Forces of Good (or proactive intentions, anyway), while the latter absorb it and strengthen their Forces of "Me-vil."

Remember: only YOU can prevent superfluous blogs. Or at least not read them.