Why do you Blog

Talia · Jul 19, 2006

After reading the blogging forum i became interested in people's motivations for blogging. i thought i'd see why people do it and if it's working for them

You can tick 1 or more answers

FYI I don't blog yet but plan to and my reasons would be:
grow my customer base so that people
- buy my books and services
- see me as an expert in my chosen field!

bsolah · Jul 20, 2006

I put down that I do it because I like to write, and also I want to establish myself as an 'expert,' though not exactly. My motivation is to create an awareness that I exist, to get my name out there, and for some reason or another, it could pay dividends when I'm published. This is both in the horror writing sense, and the Marxist revolutionary sense, as well as the meshing of the two.

Talia · Jul 20, 2006

i currently write non fiction so being an expert in my field is helpful!

L M Ashton · Jul 20, 2006

I write to keep family and friends updated on my life here, so far away from them, and also to educate people about life and culture in a foreign country. That option wasn't available on your list.

Talia · Jul 20, 2006

noooooo
but a good one. i hadn't thought about personal blogs in that way!

L M Ashton · Jul 20, 2006

Yeah, well, I'm the first person ever to use blogs in that way. I invented it. I am clearly a genius.

Marilyn Braun · Jul 20, 2006

I blog because I love the subject that I write about - royalty. If people see me as an expert on the subject then all the better!

Thomma Lyn · Jul 20, 2006

bsolah said:
My motivation is to create an awareness that I exist, to get my name out there, and for some reason or another, it could pay dividends when I'm published.

Same reasons here. And of course #1: I like to write.

aka eraser · Jul 20, 2006

Because Dawno made me. Blame Dawno.

Tish Davidson · Jul 20, 2006

An interesting survey of why people in the UK blog and why people in the UK read blogs - very different reasons.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/5197808.stm

KellyC · Jul 20, 2006

Um, where's the "all of the above"?

Talia · Jul 20, 2006

keep the answers coming

KellyC said:
Um, where's the "all of the above"?

kelly you can tick as many boxes as you like, so just tick them all

Tish thanks for the survey. going now to take a look

razibahmed · Jul 20, 2006

I blog because it is now my career. I have been working as a professional blogger for the last 4 months and now I have two blogs from Know More Media, one of the top blog networks in Internet. I enjoy the topic I write (about South Asian business) as I am from that part of the world.

Arisa81 · Jul 20, 2006

I blog because I love to write and I like to have a place I can go and express my opinions. I don't do much of the personal stuff, but often whatever I write about is related to something I've heard, read, or seen and it springboards a topic.
I'm very opinionated

It's nice to have a place to put those thoughts, without annoying people. If people want to read it they can, if not that's fine too.

Insomnicole · Jul 20, 2006

I chose "I just like to write" because it's the closest one for me. I also do it for the feeling of community and support. (There are a lot of weight loss bloggers out there!)

KellyC · Jul 20, 2006

TaliaMana said:
kelly you can tick as many boxes as you like, so just tick them all

Tish thanks for the survey. going now to take a look

Cool, man. Just learned how to use a mouse. :e2tomato:

bsolah · Jul 20, 2006

Tish Davidson said:
An interesting survey of why people in the UK blog and why people in the UK read blogs - very different reasons.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/5197808.stm

That survey seemed to be conducted about MSN spaces, surely not a fair portion of the Blogosphere.

Talia · Jul 20, 2006

also...

bsolah said:
That survey seemed to be conducted about MSN spaces, surely not a fair portion of the Blogosphere.

I think writers have different reasons for doing blogs. an online diary is probably part of it but i would have thought that passion for writing and desire to sell books figured in there somewhere

Camilla · Jul 20, 2006

quidscribis said:
Yeah, well, I'm the first person ever to use blogs in that way. I invented it. I am clearly a genius.

Indeed you are! I was so impressed with the idea that I decided to do the very same thing. So far it's working really well! :tongue

Aside from the above, I also like to blog just because I enjoy writing about stuff that's going on in my life, what I think about it all, etc. I dunno why. Maybe I just like the sound of my own voice? I have to admit though, I'm a much more regular blogger than a journaller, and I suspect that has a lot to do with the community aspect of blogging. "My audience needs me", sorta thing

Fahim · Jul 20, 2006

I blog because I can

I started blogging way back when blogging wasn't so cool and Blogger was still something being developed by one guy. I needed a way to publish a daily account of what I was doing with the software project I was involved in at that point in time and being rather lazy, I didn't want to have to write the entries in DreamWeaver and then upload the updated page everyday (in fact, that's how I did the blog at first). I looked at Blogger and used it for a week but wanted more flexibility. So I wrote my own blogging app and started using it. Ever since then, I've been mostly blogging because I have my own blogging app

I add new features or switch to different blogging platforms and so I keep using my app and testing it out and blogging because I need to test it out ... Oh yeah, I also have this driving need to get things out of my head and on to a web page

nancy02664 · Jul 20, 2006

Mostly for me it's the last two -- "Sell my books and or services" and "Branding/Position myself as an expert." (And, as all this book- and expert-related stuff grew from my love of writing, I had to tick the first choice as well.)

The "branding myself as an expert" thing was most important. Pretty much as soon as I decided I wanted to write a baby name book, I started the--yup, you guessed it--baby name blog.

Once the book comes out, I plan to sell it via the blog--but until then, I'm just trying to build up an audience and start a little controversy.

ShapeSphere · Jul 20, 2006

I've just started my blog today. Wasn't originally convinced that they were highly useful. If everybody is writing their own blog, that leaves little time to read others. Plus the world was hardly short of valuable literature before the advent of blogs was it?

I think people are skim reading and not digesting the full message on most of the blogs. They're posting replies not out of great interest, but to get a link to their site. I could be wrong. Please show me I am.

Essentially, writing a blog isn't making a lot of money. Directly that is.

My days are already busy enough reading the news and sport; reading novels (never enough time for this); looking for more work; writing; teaching; living.

I voted for "Sell my books and or services". A blog may help in a small way.

However, now that I have posted four short pieces on my blog, it does feel nice to have been creative. It is enjoyable to have written something. Anything.

But, and it would be interesting to hear other opinions regard this, some of my best ideas will not appear on my blog. I want to pitch these to magazines and make some real profit from them.

L M Ashton · Jul 20, 2006

Fahim said:
So I wrote my own blogging app and started using it.

Which, for the record, I'm incredibly grateful he did. Because, of course, that blogging app he wrote is entirely the only reason we ever met, fell in love, and got married.

Yay for blogging!

Talia · Jul 20, 2006

quid - how do you meet thru a blog???

antony - i know what you mean about wanting to pitch your best ideas. same as that other thread on whether to put your WIP on the blog. one of my books is partly journal and i have been wondering about including that in a blog but then i want to hold onto it and save it for my book LOL

and whoever said opinionated. yes i am nodding my head wildly. lots of things i'd love to have a good rant about. blacklist people who give me bad service hehe. that's the power of blogging...

bsolah · Jul 21, 2006

Antony, I often skim read most blogs, but there are that few that catch my eye and I read regularly. And yes, a lot of bloggers only comment to get linked back. It's a sad state of affairs, but if I can like a blog, read regularly and comment regularly, and they do the same, and this happens between a group of bloggers, we create a network. I've done that and it's great.

Why do you Blog

Why do you blog?

I just like to write

Replace my newsletter

Sell my books and or services

Branding/Position myself as an expert

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