Why Blog?
Are you blogging for money - or for some other reason?
Much seems to be made of the fact that it is possible to make money blogging. I make my living doing so, as do several people I know, but this was not the original idea behind blogging. It is also fair to say, despite the plethora of people telling you how easy it is to make money blogging – it is not that easy.
Blogs started out as online diary and there are many reasons to blog other than to make money. Some people blog for themselves and don’t care if no one reads what they write. Some people blog about something they are passionate about that they want to share with the world.
Some people blog about their phone for goodness’ sake. I did a search for “iPhone blog” (in parentheses) and got 172,000 results. Now, I don’t know how many actual iPhone blogs there are, but I was a little surprised at the amount. Either there are an awful lot of people in love with their iPhone, or someone got the idea that you can make boatloads of money from blogging about it. Personally, I tend to use my phone to make telephone calls and would have a tough time coming up with something to say about it day in day out. Even if I owned an iPhone, which I don’t.
But that’s one of the great things about blogs – there are no rules. If you want to get on the ‘net and say just about anything you like, you are free to do so. Of course, you may have to suffer some consequences and there has been a disturbing increase in the amount of lawsuits against bloggers. And apparently, anti-Muslim remarks can get you sent to prison in some parts of the world. Not that that should be considered in any way to be an anti-Muslim remark. 
Porn stars blog, politicians blog, even corporations are setting up blogs to persuade us they are really not all about screwing us for every penny they can, and want to be our friend. General Motors have now set up a blog called “Fast Lane,” and if you want to look at possibly the most boring automobile blog on the planet, pay them a visit. Considering what they have to work with and the resources at their disposal, you would think they could come up with some more interesting subjects to discuss. You might want to think about hiring a decent blogger to write that one for you guys. 
So, what drives you to blog? Therapy? Passion? Money making? Is it the fame and fortune or do you just want to be able to tell your Grandma you are on the internet?
Comments welcome.
lightpig | January 29th, 2008 at 1:24 pm #
Make more friends！
Mark Knowles (Post Author) | January 29th, 2008 at 1:26 pm #
Welcome new friend.
Amanda | January 29th, 2008 at 1:31 pm #
I was introduced to the world of blogging by one the of the most technologically unsavvy gals I know. She had started a Blogger blog to help deal with a bad personal patch she was going through, and what I read on her blog was real poetry. Being a writer, my interest was immediately piqued.
Anyway, I started one up to showcase my creative writing. I started reading about blogs and blogging, went through a transitional period of starting up blogs and then dropping them, and now have a handful I’m rather proud of and look forward to posting on every morning. I find blogging an essential tool in keeping my mind sharp and the creative juices flowing, as well as offering a sense of carving out my own corner of the world.
Now, I have blogger friends who share what has become my passion for this form of writing. I think it’s a fantastic platform for all voices. Of course one can monetize anything, and good on people who can do this, but for now I’m content building up communities and relationships with people who share my interests.
Mark Knowles (Post Author) | January 29th, 2008 at 1:50 pm #
Sounds like a great reason to do it to me. Good for you.
Martin | January 30th, 2008 at 11:13 am #
I write my blog because I’m passionate about Higher Education and I want to help uni students (current and prospective) to make the most out of their study, university life, and beyond.
Simple as that.
As I state on the blog itself, “If just one of my posts helps to make just a slight improvement to just one person on just one day of their uni life, then it’s a worthwhile job.”
Mark Knowles (Post Author) | January 30th, 2008 at 11:26 am #
Well, it’s certainly nice to see that there are some bloggers out there who don’t just want to make a few bucks.
beadinggem | January 30th, 2008 at 11:42 am #
I started my blog because as a beginner beading teacher, I thought it would be nice for students to see their work online - good pat on the back for a job well done. I also needed some sort of website to post my local workshop schedules.
I then started to include inspirational professional jewelry artisans. As a bookaholic and history buff, I also get to tell informative and entertaining stories about the gemstones, jewelry and people who wore them, because I don’t have time to do so during actual designing classes. So my blog is both an inspirational and informative one, very different from other jewelry blogs. In the process, I discovered I enjoyed writing very much and it has become another creative outlet.
Mark Knowles (Post Author) | January 30th, 2008 at 7:12 pm #
Jason Simon | February 3rd, 2008 at 5:05 pm #
I write to share my ideas about an attitude of openness towards difference.
– Jason Simon