It has come to my attention, through of a few Facebook posts, that some people are not happy with Odyssey. And truthfully – does it matter? Many of the college students on this website will not be journalists (myself included), while many of them are pursuing journalism as their major. None of the writers are doing this for anything except themselves. We aren't asking for much, except maybe a read or two. As someone who finds writing to be an outlet and a way to organize my thoughts and feelings, it makes me so happy to find that other people have the same thoughts and opinions. When someone messages me saying that they completely understand what I am going through (boys, ugh) or relate to an article about mental illness – I feel ecstatic.
I write in a journal many things people do not care to read. And that’s OK. Writing on a blog may not get someone a lot of traction – until it does. There are so many successful bloggers out there that are now being paid to write about products or give DIY tips. Are the ones mad at Odyssey also mad at those people? I have read articles on my Facebook feed that I do not agree with, which is also OK. You don’t have to agree with everyone – that makes life boring.
Having Odyssey as a portfolio of my thoughts and feelings is a great thing to show to future employers – something I am actually very excited to do. Even an article like “10 Reasons Why My Roommate is My Best Friend” is a cool thing to show. Buzzfeed certainly started the “10 Reasons Why XYZ” and “Places You Should Visit If You Live in XYZ.” And honestly? I use those. When I want a new restaurant to go to, where else would I look? Heck yeah, I want to post a rainbow bagel on my Instagram. I’m sure you’ve looked at Buzzfeed articles for tips and tricks too. And who cares if that’s not considered journalism? Why can’t I give other lists of fun things to do in Boston?
I’ll keep writing for Odyssey for as long as I can. I want people to read and relate with me. I want them to feel like they are not alone in whatever is going on. For some, reading and sharing something on Facebook may be their way of getting people to understand what they are going through. Let people do what they want. And if that means you need to unfriend a few people or hide their posts on their timeline – so what? All those posts are based on a Facebook algorithm of what’s popular and trending anyway. Do what you want. Write what you want.
