Remarkablogger

I blog for all of these reasons. I love trying to build my blog into something grande and something that will allow me to be a full time writer and to not have to work as a sales assistant for the next few years. That is why I love my blog

That’s the way to break it down, man. Awesome.

Sometimes I split the “why do you blog?” into two questions - 1) “What prompted you to start your blog?” and 2) “What end goal do you want to reach with your blog?”

In other words, “Because of what?” and then, “In order to what?”

Or you can boil it all down to just, “So what?”

A lot of us lose sight of our blogs’ purposes sometimes. This post is a great resource when that happens. Thanks Michael!

Hey Ryan, thanks. I’d have to say I’m a genuine blend of all four. I want to express and market myself, while connecting with others. Eventually, I’d like to turn that into income.

In addition to asking yourself, why do I blog, how about asking “Why would people want to read my blog?” I heard someone complain recently about a bunch of blogs in their RSS feeds posting political commentary, when they had never done so before. That’s a good way to lose your audience. Is it better to blog about what you happen to feel like blogging at the moment, or what your audience is interested in learning more about?

I blog because I have a ridiculous amount of words in me, and they need a place to come out.

And also for most of the reasons you’ve listed.

I blog at work because it’s part of my job (but I’d probably do it even if it wasn’t). My personal blog is effectively my practice studio. I practice writing. I practice coding. I practice hospitality.

We all have their reasons for blogging. For the most part though, people seem to be blogging to make some extra cash. People see blogging as an easy way to make money even though it is just as hard as anything else to make money. You really have to be determined and never give up on your blog to make the kind of cash you are hoping for.

People get pretty bored with their own blog if no one is ever reading it. There are people like writer dad who is a blogger but really isn’t worried about making money with advertisements. He is more about building conversations.

@Michael - No need to apologize, thanks for keeping the important part of the post.

Just to build on what I said, I really think keeping your audience in mind is critical, whether you are trying to make money or not. The question is: Am I providing value?

As long as you provide value (and value is in the eye of the recipient, right?) then you will be rewarded. That reward might take the form of readership, affiliate sales, or accolades. But whatever the reward, it is a reflection of the value that your audience believes they are receiving.

Thank you for this post and the chance to articulate why I blog. I blog for reasons 1, 2, and 3 and although I hope money will be part of what comes out of it, I’m not sure my way of blogging actually fits #4.

What I’ve come to see in thinking about this is how impossible it is for me to separate out the goal of making money from all the other goals. Making money has almost always been tied to doing what I naturally want to do throughout my life. I’ve never been able to make the goal of making money the top priority, however, and that may have to do with my living a very simple life materially. I don’t think what I do would be as fulfilling or enjoyable if I made the money part the main goal, and yet sometimes I wonder if I’d make more money if I did give that more priority.

The trouble for me with making money number one is similar to the trouble with politics. Sometimes big sales seem associated with a certain kind of dishonesty as in statements like “this is the best…” or “I promise you that…”. I can say “my customers have experienced this” but I can’t say “this is the best for everyone”. Also, if selling my product becomes uppermost in my mind, then I lose the authenticity of expression and the human connection that you are talking about.

I wanted to add a major reason that I blog that I didn’t see in your list — that is that I learn a lot from blogging as my understanding of my experience and viewpoint deepens as I share with others. Teaching is part of my work and I definitely find that teaching is learning.

Well, thanks again for the chance to ponder on these things!

I blog primarily to market the company website and more and more frequently for social networking.

I blog for fun. I find it relaxing and a way to express my inner thoughts. When I sit and type, I feel a release like no other. Thanks for sharing!

Took me a day to come round, because I was out building that human connection you mentioned.

We began blogging to promote our skills and services by conveying expertise. Over time, we realized that we enjoyed blogging more for blogging’s sake. Then we began reaching readers and having conversations, and that in itself was powerful. Now we couldn’t pass up on blogging and love it just because of what we take away from it, not just what we give.

I blog to help people. I went through a change in my life through figuring out what I really wanted and pursuing it. I blog to share my story and to help others rid their own lives of the word Someday.

That sounds a bit like an ad for my blog, but it really is why I blog. And from that I hope to earn some money selling workshops that will help people even more than the blog does.