Tag Archives: why start a blog

Why do YOU blog?

My college English students are all experimenting with blogging, and many of them want to know why. Here is guidance from previous posts on this blog:

What is a blog and WHY should I do one?

Why do people read blogs?

What should your first blog post be about?

Should you set up your own blog?

What do I blog about?

Use your blog to become the GO-TO source for information

To blog . . . or not to blog: that’s a good first question

For some briefer opinions, check out the responses contributed to the community of bloggers on LinkedIn’s group: THE BLOG ZONE.

Brittney Wilson posted this question to the group:

Why Did you Start Blogging?

I am interested to know what made each of you decide to get online and start blogging?

For me it was lateral violence, or bullying, which is a terrible phenomena in the nursing profession in which “nurses eat their young”. I needed to share my experiences with someone other than my husband, and blogging allowed me that outlet.

Here are some of the reasons offered by group members:

Ilias Chelidonis • For me was to put my thoughts and experiences in order, you need to express yourself about all the things you’ve been through, your mistakes and successes,blogging is probably the only mean to do that.

Hao Nguyen • I’m a PR student and I started up a blog quite recently (February this year) and for me, I guess it was a way to keep in touch with the industry by connecting with fellow PR students / professionals.  So far I’m very pleased with the direction my blog’s headed and I’ve learnt so much more about PR just through reading and blogging.

Rebecca Barth • After Extreme Couponing aired, I was suddenly the most popular gal around. You see, I had been couponing for years, and suddenly, when friends saw the money that they could save, they wanted to know how to do it, especially since they know I don’t spend more than about 15 minutes a week (unlike the folks on the show, though I am sure they are super passionate about what they do!). I was starting to sound like a broken record (if you are old enough to know what one of those is!), so I put it all together on a blog. I am loving it!  — The Undercover Couponer

Nicole Nixen • I recently started a blog (seriously – it’s not even a month old) to keep me motivated in writing both fiction and non-fiction pieces. It is my way of applying pressure on myself to carve out time each day to this endeavor. I use the blogs to bounce off ideas I have for current projects and in the coming weeks, to post pieces of current drafts in progress.

Robyn Davis • My blog may be a bit different from others listed here, as it is a “business” blog instead of a personal blog. I started my blog to highlight my work experiences (for potential clients, etc) but, this year, I’ve expanded my blogging to include weekly article-style posts about sales, marketing, and exhibiting as a whole. It has been a great experience that, I hope, has been helpful to other professionals and I am currently in the process of moving my blog from Blogger to a self-hosted Word Press blog. This has been a challenge, but I’m looking forward to coming through on the other side even better off 🙂

Jayna Locke • Thanks for launching this topic, Brittney. It’s so interesting to see all the different reasons people start a blog.

I have had several blogs, but I started my main business blog to share what I have learned about content marketing, and also to give current and potential clients confidence in my expertise. It has been very worthwhile. I have several new clients for whom I write keyword enhanced press releases and blogs, which are my among my favorite projects.

One of the unsung benefits of blogging, in my opinion, is the self-discovery. It’s what you learn along the way. If I had the time, I would write a blog about each of my areas of interest.

Sandy McDonald • My passion for blogging started with a conviction that the world could be changed after we started an online grassroots charity aimed at warming and comforting children made vulnerable and orphaned by HIV/AIDS and poverty in South Africa. This was more a site than a blog (http://www.knit-a-square.com). Just a simple idea, ask the world’s knitters to send 8″ squares to SA to made into blankets. The response was truly amazing and took over our lives. My husband and I had to learn about the orphan crisis and this lead to http://allfororphans.com

Then reality slapped a caveat on our full time unpaid work and we had to get back to earning a living. So I started http://whyyoumustblog.com wanting to pass on what I had learned in creating community online. That morphed into working with small business or owner businesses to build their businesses online. I do have a great interest in helping people move quickly through the learnings it took me ages to understand and to save them time, money and effort.

So do any of these reasons resonate with you? Or are yours completely different? If so, please give my students more to consider.

 

Blogging 101: What IS a blog, anyway . . . and WHY should I do one

 

Yes, a blog is definitely a great way to promote a business online these days – now that everyone can become a publisher at NO cost, or a relatively low one. Anyone with an Internet connection can post his or her thoughts, opinions, and activities on the Global Whiteboard to be read and responded to.

Here are 10 basic reasons to start blogging:

  1. Publishing Platform
  2. Control your Message
  3. Delivery system for your Messages
  4. 24/7 Online Network
  5. New Skill Development
  6. Increased Perception through Web 2.0 Sources
  7. Visibility
  8. Reputation Management [your silence allows your critics to win]
  9. Build Google Presence
  10. Research required increases your Expertise

Follow these five steps to get you blogging

STEP ONE: Before proceeding to Step Two, make certain that you really want to start a blog:

  • Are you passionate enough about a topic that you want to write and publish your ideas on a regular basis?
  • Can you commit to a consistent schedule, e.g., once a week?  twice a week? Twice a day?
  • Will you be comfortable learning as you’re doing? Think of Picasso who said “I am always doing that which I don’t know how to do in order to learn to do it.”
  • Can you be patient about putting in effort BEFORE you see the big “payoff,” i.e. results and lots of readers?
  • Will you make time to read other peoples’ blogs and comment on them?
  • Would you like to be an authentic, honest, interesting Voice in the blogosphere?

If the answer is YES to all six questions, then proceed to Step Two.

STEP TWO: Spend a little bit of time searching the Internet for How To Blog articles. Many may be more advanced than a beginner can understand, but that’s OK. Reading them will not hurt you, and they may provide links to more basic articles.

STEP THREE: Do NOT wait until you think you will write a perfect blog post. If I had waited just over two years ago, I might never have gotten started. Common Wisdom suggests you listen to Nike, i.e., Just Do It. You will learn from your mistakes. After all, when you do get started, few people will know you are “out there,” so you can build your chops and publish content, which can always be revised and/or  deleted later on.

STEP FOUR: Choose a blogging platform. My suggestion is that you go with WordPress – the most popular and well supported blog tool and publishing platform. Here you have another choice: the absolutely FREE http://wordpress.com or the companion platform http://wordpress.org that requires you to (a) have a domaine name that will cost you less than $10 a year and (b) a blog hosting company that will cost around $10 a month. [I am very happy with Hostgator that I have been using for two years.]

Why would you pay when you can blog for free?

Actually, my suggestion is that you do choose the Free option, wordpress.com, for a month or so to make certain you are sure want to commit to the practice. My blog post: http://sharisax.com/2009/10/08/how-to-start-a-blog-step-by-step-and-voila-youre-a-publisher/ will help you set up a free blog.

Again, why would you want to pay to blog?

Self-hosting, i.e. a blog on a platform like wordpress.org will offer you much more control including options like the following:

  1. Your own URL and opportunity to build your brand without having to use the platform name, e.g., http://sharisax.com vs. my “free” blog that was at http://sharisaxiisoutthere/wordpress.com.
  2. An almost unlimited number of designs (or themes) that can be found free online or designed uniquely for your blog by a professional web developer.
  3. Opportunities to sell products and services as well as include advertising
  4. Addition of a large variety of “plugins” or applications that will extend the capabilities of your blog.

STEP FIVE: Just do it! Get started, and here is how to write your first blog post on the free platform.

Conclusion: Basically a blog can put a human face on a company, and people do business with people not organizations. Bloggers are the new Influencers. You can build your authority, and influence, by knowing your audience and writing relevant, original, interesting, keyword-rich content.  Use your blog to become the Go-To Source for information on your area of expertise.

ADDENDUM: I just found a new post that lists these reasons why businesses ought to blog.

I like PUTS FACE ON BRAND the best:

  • Create an image of an expert
  • Interact with clients and prospects
  • Improve search engine rankings
  • Spread the word
  • Talk about more than just products and services
  • Solve client’s problems
  • Build trust
  • Stay on top of your field
  • Build brand
  • Exercise your creativity
  • Put a human face on your brand
  • Proving ground
  • Foundation for social media activities
  • Differentiate from competition
  • Educate clients, prospects, stake holders
  • Increase traffic
  • Make money

Any other reason you can think of?