Preaching to the Choir

I have often heard it said on this site that we (the bloggers and readers) are preaching to the choir.  I hear this as, "Yes, we agree.  But the problem is all those other people who don't care and don't listen.  WE already know this."

I find it discouraging and I have spent countless hours trying to figure out if anything I write on this site makes a bit of difference at all.  I don't mean to sound victimized or fatalistic, but rather realistically inquisitive about the value of sharing information in a forum where readers tend to assert agreement with and knowledge of the subject.  I can't help but wonder if it's a waste of time.

One of my problems is that I can't come up with another way to do it.  I can't help but write about what I know, what I experience and what I think about.  I don't find it any more productive to write about what others are doing wrong, because I would still be preaching to the choir while firing up those outside the congregation.  I don't see any advantage to that.

My other problem is this nagging little part of me that doesn't buy the preaching to the choir notion at all.  I mean, I do know and appreciate that I'm writing on a website where like-minded people will gather.  I know that to many of the readers my information is not new, profound or surprising.  I'm okay with that. 

The thing is, I also know that there are readers who haven't been around dogs as long as some others.  There are readers who have brand new puppies or just adopted their first dog.  There are folks who have been directed to this site by friends, family, trainers, vets or other online sources who have no other knowledge of dog training than what their neighbor told them and what they saw on TV.

Those readers are not likely to comment.  Those readers are not likely to ask questions.  Those readers are not ready to join the choir and may not have even known it existed.  I feel compelled to reach those readers who are interested, seeking, investigating...but are just starting their journey.  These are people whose minds are open and eager for information.  These are the readers who will make all the difference!

Don't get me wrong, I absolutely appreciate the well-informed, experienced members of the choir!  Those who comment and add to the blogs on this site are doing as much to change the lives of dogs as anyone else.  You could say that consistent readers who comment on blog posts are reaching out to those new readers and showing them that this is a community, not just a bunch of blogs and articles.  A little idealic, I know.  But that's how I see it.

I found another blog about preaching to the choir that I found interesting.  The background subject is very different, but the idea of choir preaching being a part of reaching out to others echos my feelings about my blog writing.

I plan to keep preaching.  I hope the Dog Star Daily choir will keep chiming in!