What is fodder anyway?

I was having a conversation with my sister-in-law last night about blog fodder, and how I have apparently been lacking lately. Hence, my not so frequent posting (although, it's been less than 24 hours since I posted last time... so, yay for me!). That got me started about what 'fodder' really is anyway. I only ever use the word in reference to my blog. How the heck else can you use the word fodder? My sister-in-law suggested,

"Oh, my Fodder... thou that dwellest..." or "Our fodder, who art in heaven..."

How about, "I can run fodder than you can..."

Ha Ha.

Certainly I understand what fodder means, but, I decided, if I am going to use words, I must understand where they come from as well. So I did some research. Did you know that fodder is, according to wikipedia, any foodstuff that is used specifically for feeding livestock? It is only food that is carried to the animals though... not food that they forage themselves. So, it is literally fed to them.

The word is also used in military speak. Cannon fodder is used informally to refer to military personnel who are considered expendable in the face of enemy fire. They are, so to speak, not food for the animals, but "food" for the cannons. Cannon fodder.

Guess it makes sense considering these uses, that the word fodder would eventually make it in to the blogosphere. Blog fodder is simply food for the blog. We cannot write without anything to write about. Fortunately, or unfortunately, depending on who you are reading, blog fodder does not have to pass the same tests and meet the same standards that fodder for livestock does(obviously not... do you really think this post would have made it through?). While farmers pick and choose what things are fed to the animals, the giant bloggerdom is fed any and all fodder... from the most entertaining and inspiring to the most crude and offensive. You would think it bound to end up in disaster... except, we as bloggers, are much more intelligent than cows. We won't just read anything put in front of us. It doesn't really matter how much is written. It's only going to be read if people like it.

Thanks for your compassion and support as I prepare for my weekend of blog fodder accumulation. I'll try to keep the camera handy so I can report back on all the madness!