Why do you blog?

Why do you blog? People are always asking me about the appeal of blogging, especially since I made the transition from freelance writing. There are lots of reasons I blog, all of them good.

Writing about topics I enjoy. When I wrote articles and web content, my clients didn’t always assign enjoyable topics. For those jobs the research was tedious and I found myself dreading the work. As a blogger, I get to talk about my passions, the things I really enjoy.

The writing is less structured. I don’t have to follow the AP format and I can use “I” as much as I want. I can be biased and opinionated if I’m so inclined. If I want to go off topic once in a while, well, I can do that too. Blogging allows me to speak freely.

The community. This is probably my favorite thing about blogging. Visit Freelance Writing Jobs and you’ll see a wonderful, thriving community. I’m so proud to see so many comments under each post. In fact, I don’t even have to respond to everyone to encourage comments; my visitors continue the discussion among themselves. I wish I could take credit for building my wonderful community, but all I do is post. Thought provoking discussions among my readers are what stimulates the response.

Money. Earning money doing what I love is really the icing on the cake. After working for 18 years in corporate America, I can’t tell you what a joy it is to be able to wear something comfortable, pick up a mug of coffee, head over to my home office, and talk to my friends. Really, that’s what blogging is to me, talking with my friends.

I enjoy sharing with others. I like to talk. I mean I really like to talk. In the real world this doesn’t go over well. Here in the blogosphere I get to share what I know with others.

Blogging opened many doors for me. Freelance Writing Jobs became such a success; I was able to land the gig with About Weblogs. From there I was hired to blog for a major cable television network and other corporate clients, as well as some prestigious networks such as Performancing, b5Media and of course, Blogging Tips. While I had success as a writer, blogging continues to provide me with new opportunities.

There’s so much more to it. As a stay at home mom, blogging allows me to make my own hours so I can be there for my family. My clients are the nicest people I’ve worked for yet and I can’t wait to do my job every day. If those aren’t good reasons for blogging, I don’t know what are!

So tell me, why do you blog?