Motorcycle Blogs – Showing Off or Sharing the World?

Fuzzy in Switzerland

In March of 2012, MotoChat, the motorcycle Twitter/Facebook chat dedicated its hour-long gab fest to the topic of Motorcycle Blogs. One of the questions that was posed was:

Big Epic Trips: Is it showing off?

When motorcycle bloggers post about their trips to far flung places or their weeks or their months out on the road – do you see it as showing off?

My point of view~
Without people sharing their stories, their photos, writing about their experiences – a huge part of what inspires me to want to see more of the world would be missing. I have learned so much from reading about others travels. Sometimes I don’t even realize that a seed has been planted in my imagination until much later.

Showing off? I say, no way.

Have you ever read about something or some place in a blog and said – I have to see that and actually went for it? Was it around the corner or some far away place?

What do you think – is it showing off?

Fuzzygalore

Rachael is the whimsical writer behind the 20+ year old Girlie Motorcycle Blog. As a freelance blogger, she is on a mission to inspire laughter, self-examination, curiosity, and human connection. Girlie Motorcycle Blog can be found on several Best Motorcycle Blog lists.

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21 Responses

  1. RichardM says:

    I’m in the “Share the World” camp. How else could I find out where I’d like to go, what works or not, or what to expect. No different than the ride reports on ADVrider.

    I keep forgetting about #motochat. When is it these days?

    • Fuzzygalore says:

      I don’t know, Richard-but clearly someone must be in the “show off” camp to have even posed the question. ::shrug::

      Motochat is on Wednesdays at 1pm Pacific. I keep missing it now at this time – doesn’t usually work out for me 🙁

  2. Carla King says:

    Sharing. As a journalist who started writing about her motorcycle travels, and a woman, it was my job to share. But I also wanted people to know What It’s Like Out There. And that Women Do This Too. I am always interested in how other people live, how they travel, how they are received and what they give to the places they visit, which is a gift that technology has provided – greater reach, influence, and inspiration!

  3. Sharing. I don’t think its showing off at all. I enjoy reading of other motorcyclists adventures whether they be epic or jaunts. You learn so much about places and people through their stories. It has helped to create a list of places I would love to visit. I also find it informative about other motorcycling topics as well. I love your blog Fuzzy, your humor, talent for writing and pictures make it an enjoyable part of my day. Thanks for taking me on many a journey.

  4. Ed says:

    Why does it have to be mutually exclusive?

    It’s a bit of both, but then again… I never thought of “showing off” as a bad thing. 😉 [says the guy who likes to ride wheelies around the block on his bicycle… and then tell his friends, “I’m just practicing my balance.”]

    • Fuzzygalore says:

      I suppose it doesn’t need to be mutually exclusive.

      I tend to equate the idea of showing off with something negative. When I read the question initially, it stunk of – look what i’m doing, i’m way more awesome than you.

  5. kari says:

    Many of the places I read about I’ll never visit in real life. I guess I’m living vicariously through other people’s stories. Places closer to home I may visit someday and those can be inspiration for a future trip.

    Before the internet I loved to read stories of other peoples travels and adventures. Sailing the world (like to read it, don’t want to do it) Climb Mt Everest (brrr, too cold, no thanks), but I’ll read about it. I was a big time library user.

    Then the internet came along and I discovered adventures from real people. I love the stories and if they’re a little less than polished and “professional” than something from a publisher, that just adds to the charm.

    For myself blogging is a journal about my life, the stuff I like to do. I’m really surprised any one bothers to read it. But for me and my family it’s like a photo album or scrapbook. Something to go back over from time to time just to reminisce.

    And, truth be told…sometimes I show off a little. I like a little pat on the back from time to time.

    • Fuzzygalore says:

      ::pat::pat:: You always do a great job on your posts & pics, Kari.

      I love the “real people” aspect of blogs, too. It makes adventures seem so much more attainable.

  6. Andrew says:

    I love reading blogs from around the world – it gives me things to add to my bucket list! I’ve been reading of quite a few trips to Alaska (at least 4 different blogs) and am really keen to get there one day.

    Then there’s…

    • Fuzzygalore says:

      Same here. The Alaskan trips always have a sense of so close, yet so far to me. But the more and more that I read about those undertakings the more I realize that the only impediment for me to go is… time.

  7. Chillertek says:

    I’m with Andrew on this one. I’ve seen lots of things on others blogs to add to my bucket list. I enjoy reading what other riders have done or are planning on doing. Some of those long distance trips are the best.

  8. Joe Popp says:

    This is a very interesting question. I agree that I do love reading the blogs of others and I don’t consider their blogs showing off but sharing. But writing about myself sometimes does feel narcissistic as if I am saying “look at me”. Not that many people read my blog because I veer from the personal to all kinds of other topics, so I just consider my blog a personal diary that I share with whomever is interested. At times my writings are showing off and other times soul baring.

    • Fuzzygalore says:

      Interesting to me that you see your own blog posts as occasionally showing off. As a reader, I don’t get that from it.

      The personal bits and the tangential thoughts are the things that round out a blog, for me. Yes, Motorcycles bring the readers in initially but in some ways they are just a common thread that bring you to a blog that may in fact be about motorcycles but is so much more than JUST that.

  9. Trobairitz says:

    I don’t see it as showing off at all. I see it as people who are proud of what they are doing and where they have been and want to share their experiences with the world.

    Sure I might be a tad jealous of where people are going but maybe it will inspire me to go there myself one day. I definitely have increased my bucket list by reading blogs.

    I like to live vicariously through other bloggers.

  10. Ronman says:

    I don’t see it as showing off at all. I think it’s a great way for others to decide if they want to go to a certain destination or not. Also, they may find out about side trips in an area that they never would have known about.

    Ronman

  11. Shybiker says:

    I agree with you. Travel posts are inspiring and entertaining.

    To object to them for this reason is very petty.

  12. George says:

    Sharing. I’m interested mostly in blogs that show trips and with lots of photos. I rather have more photos than text, I want to see what the rider saw. I also read trip reports in the hope I will do them one day.

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