Blogging 101, Part One: Why Blog?

You may associate blogging with the late 1990s or early 2000s, but the era of blogging is far from over. Blogs still provide valuable platforms for individuals looking to share their work with a wider audience. From baking to travelling to gaming, blogs connect people with shared interests and help them explore their passions. Still not convinced? Below are some reasons you may consider beginning your own blog.

Find Like-Minded Individuals

Many people choose to blog when they enjoy a hobby or fandom and want to find others who share their enthusiasm. You may enjoy reading or anime and so choose to start a review blog so you can talk about what you are reading and watching. Or maybe you love makeup, so you start a blog where people can share their tips and tricks. For some, blogging is a way to find people who want to talk about the same things, when the people they know outside the computer just aren’t as interested.

Reflect on Your Journey

Some people like to blog for personal reasons, and are not very interested in attracting a large following. In this case, blogging is a chance to reflect on what you are reading, watching, doing, or simply thinking. Of course, even if you do interact with others, you can still use your blog as a chance to think more deeply and meaningfully about what is happening in your life. Writing gives you the space and time you may need just to sit back and muse.

Improve Your Writing

Blogging gives you an opportunity to try out your writing on a real audience. This means that you will have to write regularly in order to keep your followers and you will have to consider how your writing comes across. Is it clear? Is it concise? Could readers be accidentally offended? Blogging makes you more accountable for maintaining a writing schedule and trying to write as effectively as possible.

Build Marketable Skills

Today’s bloggers do more than write. Bloggers may also design their own website, learn how to code, create their own graphics, and market their work through social media channels such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, or even YouTube. All of these are skills that will good on a resume and transfer to various school and work scenarios.

Have Fun

Maintaining a blog can be a time-consuming activity, but most bloggers do it because they find some joy in it. Choosing just the right word, creating graphics to reflect a certain mood, or optimizing posts to try to attract more traffic are challenges bloggers tend to enjoy for their own sake. If you love to write, take photos, or design graphics, blogging could be a hobby you will come to love.

Make Money?

The rise of social media influencers has popularized the idea that anyone can make money by reviewing items online and convincing others to buy them. Companies may pay for these reviews or simply send items to an influencer to feature. However, the possibility of monetizing a blog will be dependent on what type of blog you have and how many followers you have. Because successfully monetizing a blog is unlikely, the desire to earn money or receive free products from blogging should not be the main reason you choose to blog.

You should also keep in mind that monetizing a blog comes with certain responsibilities. If you are making money or endorsing a product for a company you need to follow FTC guidelines for disclosures. Rules for different scenarios may vary, but generally you want to make it explicit that you are either receiving money from posting affiliate links or that you received a product in exchange for a review. The disclosure should appear at the top of your posts, without readers having to click to read more or scroll down, and the disclosure should be unambiguous. Disclosure rules also apply to social media platforms where you may be promoting a product.

Conclusion

The reasons each person has for blogging will be deeply personal. However, a common thread that binds bloggers together is often that they desire to think more deeply about what is happening in their lives and they want to connect with others. If this sounds attractive, blogging may be for you!