Have you ever thought about setting up your own blog? I know I had - off and on for years.
And that's not even taking into consideration the constant prodding I got from my friends and family.
So after finding the proper motivation (and doing plenty of soul searching), I can proudly say that now I am a blogger.
Finally! But what reason would any normal person have to blog? Well, there is definitely more than one answer to that question.
But in the interest of keeping things simple, I will give you my three main reasons for taking the plunge.
1) I Have Something To Say.
Sure, that sounds obvious.
Why else would I set up a blog if didn't have anything to say? Fair question indeed.
And my response is that in the web 2.
0 environment, everyone is able to voice their opinion on everything under the sun.
So naturally, everyone does.
But I find that too often, social media sites can have so much clutter (and SPAM) on their platforms that the truly unique and/or quality voices can get lost in the shuffle.
And, unless a particular account is tied to an athlete or a celebrity of some sort, it can be difficult to stand out.
And there are several instances when I've found a social media poster that I've liked and wished they had their own site.
But too many times, they didn't.
So when it came to my voice, it just seemed proper for me to have my own place to voice my take on things.
Which leads me to my next point.
2) I Have My Own Platform.
This has become the aspect of blogging that I have come to appreciate the most.
Yes, forums and social media sites are a lot of fun, but these are essentially community platforms.
There have been threads on forums that were based on a topic that interested me, so I posted in it.
And even though my intent was to further the conversation, another poster would steer the conversation in a totally different direction.
Of course most times it happened through the natural flow of conversation.
But the result was that the thread died or switches gears completely.
With social media sites, the emphasis tends to be on socializing.
Most users on those sites are primarily focused on chatting and sharing, which is largely the point.
And even though topics of interest will come up here and there, most times users simply want to comment rather than have a discussion.
That isn't a problem.
But often this means that your take can get buried under dozens of other posts.
None of these things are an issue when you have your own site.
Since you have your own platform, the conversation in the comments section flows from the initial post that you write.
It allows for a more focused conversation.
3) It Gives Me Credibility.
Honestly, this is an unanticipated benefit of blogging.
I still participate in forums and on social media.
And there is a definite benefit to having your own blog advertised in your sig or in your profile.
The tendency is that whenever you post a thoughtful or interesting comment, people take you more seriously.
Having your own site projects an aura of authority to folks.
Obviously, it helps to know what you are taking about.
But as long as you do, other users tend to be more inclined to hear what you have to say.
And even better if your thoughts intrigue them, they visit your site! Sure, there are other cool benefits to having your own blog.
As a matter of fact, there are loads of other reasons that highlight the advantages of having your own blog.
These however, are my reasons.
And after all the time I spent thinking about it, once I actually took action and just did it, I benefited tremendously.
Here's to hoping that you do too.
And that's not even taking into consideration the constant prodding I got from my friends and family.
So after finding the proper motivation (and doing plenty of soul searching), I can proudly say that now I am a blogger.
Finally! But what reason would any normal person have to blog? Well, there is definitely more than one answer to that question.
But in the interest of keeping things simple, I will give you my three main reasons for taking the plunge.
1) I Have Something To Say.
Sure, that sounds obvious.
Why else would I set up a blog if didn't have anything to say? Fair question indeed.
And my response is that in the web 2.
0 environment, everyone is able to voice their opinion on everything under the sun.
So naturally, everyone does.
But I find that too often, social media sites can have so much clutter (and SPAM) on their platforms that the truly unique and/or quality voices can get lost in the shuffle.
And, unless a particular account is tied to an athlete or a celebrity of some sort, it can be difficult to stand out.
And there are several instances when I've found a social media poster that I've liked and wished they had their own site.
But too many times, they didn't.
So when it came to my voice, it just seemed proper for me to have my own place to voice my take on things.
Which leads me to my next point.
2) I Have My Own Platform.
This has become the aspect of blogging that I have come to appreciate the most.
Yes, forums and social media sites are a lot of fun, but these are essentially community platforms.
There have been threads on forums that were based on a topic that interested me, so I posted in it.
And even though my intent was to further the conversation, another poster would steer the conversation in a totally different direction.
Of course most times it happened through the natural flow of conversation.
But the result was that the thread died or switches gears completely.
With social media sites, the emphasis tends to be on socializing.
Most users on those sites are primarily focused on chatting and sharing, which is largely the point.
And even though topics of interest will come up here and there, most times users simply want to comment rather than have a discussion.
That isn't a problem.
But often this means that your take can get buried under dozens of other posts.
None of these things are an issue when you have your own site.
Since you have your own platform, the conversation in the comments section flows from the initial post that you write.
It allows for a more focused conversation.
3) It Gives Me Credibility.
Honestly, this is an unanticipated benefit of blogging.
I still participate in forums and on social media.
And there is a definite benefit to having your own blog advertised in your sig or in your profile.
The tendency is that whenever you post a thoughtful or interesting comment, people take you more seriously.
Having your own site projects an aura of authority to folks.
Obviously, it helps to know what you are taking about.
But as long as you do, other users tend to be more inclined to hear what you have to say.
And even better if your thoughts intrigue them, they visit your site! Sure, there are other cool benefits to having your own blog.
As a matter of fact, there are loads of other reasons that highlight the advantages of having your own blog.
These however, are my reasons.
And after all the time I spent thinking about it, once I actually took action and just did it, I benefited tremendously.
Here's to hoping that you do too.
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