I will spend some time soon writing more about why people blog, but I ran across a wonderful post by Greg Balanko-Dickson called “Am I a Lazy Writer”.
In the post, he addresses the issues of why he blogs.
The real reason I started writing online and sharing business information, tips and articles and now book’s is because there is just so much crap in the small business space…For the business owner who just wants good information on running their business better, it can be a disappointing and frustrating experience.
…Just like anything else in this world if you share your knowledge, help people solve problems with quality content, it says something positive about you and your business. That is called branding, good business and being a good citizen.
It is easy to write, it is hard work to write with quality, meaning and substance. It is even harder to write so that someone keeps reading.
Greg blogs out of a frustration of not finding enough information on the web for his needs, and he assumes others have the same needs as he does, thus, he can do the research for the information he wants, and share it with others at the same time. While he is at it, he is helping the world out by providing good information and establishing himself as an expert.
I think that confessional posts like this are good for the soul. They help you to examine why you blog and why you write about what you write about. It helps to clean the mind and focus in on your blogging purpose. And the more you blog with a specific purpose in mind, the better your blogging ability.
So take time in this new month in a new year to do some soul searching and a little confessing on your blog. Why do you write what you write and what do you expect from your public statements via blogging? How does it make you feel? What do you get out of it? What do you hope to gain? What do you hope to lose? Be honest and admit why you blog.
If you blog about why you blog, please let us know with a trackback or link here so we can read more about why you blog.
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17 Comments
I blog because I have no one to share what I feel with. Someone out there would be listening somehow. Think of it as techno-carthesis.
I blog because the dna in my head told me to socialize survival aptitude internationally as a well timed replacement for die-on-schedulism, our current and very flawed paradigm.
Now you like me!
I blog for several reasons. One is to try to earn an income from blogging. Another reason that I blog is to express myself. I also love to write and to create. And I have several other reasons for blogging.
Several months ago I placed a forum topic in the topics at my website asking this very question. I didn’t get many answers but the responses were varied. It seems though that the common variable was the desire to express themself.
I agree that many blog as part of their desire to express themselves, but I’m interested in deeper reasons. Is the reason to express yourself because you don’t or can’t in your day-to-day life? Is it because you are naturally shy and reticent and blogging unleashes your spirit? Is it because you really think people want to hear what you say? Is it because you think what you say is important and will change the world? Is it because you want to make a difference in the world around you? Is it because you are a writer and the need to write, even in a blog, is great? Or is it because it just feels good?
There are a lot of reasons to express yourself, and there are even more reasons to make money, though blogging isn’t high on the list of great money makers. Still, this begs the question of how, through blogging, do you think blogging will help you make money? I’m not talking about which ads you use, but how you will blog in order to attract enough visitors to turn a profit.
So, down and dirty, why do you blog?
And post a link or trackback to any posts you write on your blog about why you blog so we can help others understand better why they blog.
Just started my blog a week ago.The main reason is to share and to help people find
a good topic for their ‘safety talk’ as I think it’s hardly to get a good topic or
lesson learned from the incidents especially in the oil and gas and petrochemical
industry.
My blog is my creative outlet. I can talk about whatever’s on my mind, or what interests me in that particular part of the day. I like helping people and I try to bring some of the perhaps ‘less looked at’ issues to the table that other bloggers are maybe not writing about so much.
I blog to express myself, to be creative. I like to write and it lets me escape from what I do everyday (Im a computer science major) so i quite often talk about topics that aren’t exactly ‘computer’ oriented. It helps keeps me connected with so many facets of life that I would otherwise miss.
I was introduced to Al Quran(the Quran /Koran ) at the age of 16, and on my blog I do what I have been doing ever since: share my understanding of Al Quran and related topics, with those who are interested to know, and attempt to clarify the misconceptions about Al Quran among both the Muslims and non-Muslims.
If I could figure out how to post a “trackback” to my “why I blog,” I would! Perhaps, ultimately, because I’ve failed at scrapbooking and I want to record present history for my children.
By including a link to a article or post, not the blog itself, in a post on your blog, a trackback is automatically done, with no effort by you.
Or, you can manually post a link to your post here in the comments.
I checked out your blog and found your About page, which is what I assume is your blog’s purpose. It has a lot of conditional statements in it, and I think you need to be clear and focused, with no conditions, on what your purpose is. It appears that your purpose is to provide an outlet for creative expression and sharing discoveries, as well as creating an “online personality” to help your family “know you better”. That’s wonderful!
So I would expect wonderful stories of your past, present, and future, so people can get to know who you are.
Also, a little word of advice. The first photograph you published is 3 or 4 times the width of your blog’s design. Consider making it a thumbnail or reducing the size.
I also recommend you read What Do I Do With My New WordPress.com Blog to learn how to write posts on your WordPress.com blog, which includes an explanation on trackbacks and pings. Good luck and go for it!
hi. i blog because i’m stricken with a terminal case of verbal diarrhea. 😀 hee. actually, i blog because it’s therapy for me and i actually can’t stand it when i learn something and i don’t share it… i’m an exhibitionist in a lot of ways, and blogging is just another venue to exercise my exhibitionism. 😀
hi lorelle! i blogged about this topic on: http://loriethereselocara.blogspot.com/2007/04/why-why-why-dilaylah.html…
thank you!
What a great post. Personally I blog because I think I have a persepctive to offer about our industry – aviation – that no one else does. I hope that people will stop by, read and walk aways thinking “I never thought about that,” or “I never thought about that issue in that way.”
Now that I’ve been at itfor six months, I can’t imagine not blogging to tell you the truth.
I am addressing this question today on my own blog, so I’m linking you.
As for me, why do I blog? For a few reasons. I’m interested in recording my experiences for the future since I’m a terrible mother who never keeps a baby book! LOL. I’m interested in getting my voice out there. I’m interested in meeting other people who have interesting things to say. And I am fortunate to make my living from writing for other blogs, like Good Housekeeping and BabyCenter. I never would have gotten those gigs had I not had one of my own. I can raise my kids and stay home – it’s a great thing for me.
Thanks for the post!
Why i blog? I want to help some of my friends who had serious problem in their life, but sometimes i just want to be controversial among bloggers although some of my post is not controversial enough… but, i know a blogger who likes to trashed other site… he likes to insult them and than challenge them to perform hacking and stuff, no one can hacked his site till today… now that guy should answer your question “WHY HE BLOG” (I think) 🙂
I blog for purely personal reasons. I send my posts to my family and friends. Seems like a safe and acceptable environment to tell them things — light and funny sentiments or otherwise — I never would be able to tell them in normal everyday conversation. 🙂
I completely agree. If you are into blogging as a business venture, and it’s not something you have a passion for, forget it. I have 3 blogs that are things I live for (writing, building blogs, and recovery from addiction). I write valuable content and have plenty of followers. That’s what it takes…. a subject that you are passionate about.
I love your blog! Keep up the great work!
Robin
For me, blogging is about keeping a record of a process — whether it’s the development of my writing career and thoughts that shape me, or the development of a business I’m involved in. In the latter case, people interested in the business can research where it’s been and where it’s going, and this may be helpful to their process. But sometimes it’s nice to look back and remember those incremental changes that sometimes are hard to recognize as you go through them.
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