Why Do You Blog? [Reader Poll]

88 | Posted In Blogging by David

Simple question: Why do you blog?

To help people? To make money? Promote a business? For your own personal enjoyment? To vent?

What was it that originally inspired you to start blogging?

And, I have a followup…

IF making money from it is a goal of your’s, did that goal come later? Has that goal changed your original reason for getting into this?

I’d love to hear your answers. Please share them in the comments.

UPDATE: Yes, my own answer is forthcoming. :) You first. :)

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  • http://LivingMontessoriNow.com Deb Chitwood

    I blog to encourage parents and teachers.

  • Sherryl

    Originally it was to express my ideas about books and writing, and the teaching of creative writing. Then I realised I was communicating with people and it started to feel more purposeful.
    Now I think that I can put 20 years of teaching creative writing into something useful to people, and maybe make some money out of it, too. I’m not interested in writing a 300 page how-to book (everyone else has done plenty of those) but shorter, focused ebooks suit me perfectly.

  • http://twitter.com/AbernathyPhoto John Abernathy Photo

    Because there is so much inside that I have to get it out and the wall doesn’t satisfy.

  • http://www.BuzzAboutDisney.com Mike

    Cuz I love Disney and I want to share my experiences with all the other Disney fans as well as the rest of the world, and if I make a couple of dollars along the way, even better.

  • http://twitter.com/cjtweets2 CJ Smith

    I agree. To help people through my experiences as an entrepreneur and business consultant. There is no better teacher than real life experience.

  • http://www.themomwrites.com Prerna

    To help people, to create and be part of a community. Simple.

  • Anonymous

    Initially, I started blogging because of a passion for fatherhood.

    Although that passion has not receded, I now write with the hope that my words will encourage others in their journey’s through fatherhood and parenting. It is now more about them than it is about me.

  • http://machoarts.com/ Suraj Vibhute

    I started as a enjoyment, after some time realized that it’s nice way to share knowledge with people who have interest in same subject. Now it’s automatically driving money!
    So it’s a best job which I enjoy!

  • http://www.lazybastardlife.com Jason

    I blog to practice writing, share some thoughts, and hopefully make at least $150 per year to keep it all free.

  • http://www.mikeslife.org Mike CJ

    As a business, pure and simple. We wanted to replace our bricks and mortar business with one which would provide us with an income while we travel. Being creative, helping people and enjoying what we do are all bonuses that came along with it.

  • Tim Morgan

    Good question David, so good in fact it has caused me to think about it and write something.
    I haven’t a public blog yet but want to for the following reason(s):

    I have two small businesses here in small town New Zealand – computers and commercial printing.

    The thought occurs to me that as our small businesses want printing (business cards, brochures and the like) then sooner or later these guys will want a web presence (WordPress blog, Google Places etc) for more advertising reach. Our local coffee bar print customs come to mind but others too including a customer who is to start a “get married in scenic NZ” business.

    If I am to sell the idea of a WordPress blog to small businesses, had better get a*se into gear and learn not only the technical stuff plus the all important marketing/other aspects which is why I
    appreciate what David Risley and Inner Circle members have to say.
    (Actually, already have a WordPress blog or sorts running as a virtual machine – no it’s not hard to setup – to learn from).

    So my interest in blogging is for business reasons.

    The path to success for this venture is I believe by communicating and sharing experiences with others.

  • Patricio Arellano R.

    I recently retired as a teacher in environmental engineering. Through a blog I hope to continue communicating with my students and youth in general and be able to help them a little more.

  • http://www.josephdantes.com/blogs/shorts Joseph Buchignani

    Your question is an illusion.

    There is no “to blog.”

    Instead, there are two blogs.

    The first blog is a personal record, written to benefit the author, exposed to the public to increase its psychological impact on the author. Everything goes, a jumbled torrent… the personal blog. It speeds the evolution of the author’s ideas, and aids his memory, but rarely achieves popularity, due to its lack of concern for serving its audience.

    The second blog is a teacher’s (or entertainer’s) voice, written to benefit the audience. These are the popular blogs we know and love. People have many reasons for wishing to teach or entertain, but since the goal is to reach the other, to have an audience, every blog of this type must either teach or entertain.

    Most people attempt to combine both types into a single blog.

    I feel that doing so is a mistake. It increases resistance, dissonance. Should you self-indulge, or audience-delight? A constant struggle between usually contradictory goals results. Neither goal is achieved, effort exceeds payoff, and another blog dies.

    Escape Samsara. Enter Nirvana. Divide and conquer.

  • http://www.homestudiocorner.com Joe Gilder

    I blog to help people, and to market my business, which also helps people.

  • http://lessonslearnedfromtherealhousewives.com lisa-squared

    I started to blog because I had an idea for a book and then realized that it would be better served as a blog. Blogging is promising. financial freedom, more time etc. Sounds like I’m talking about network marketing but thankfully I am not!

  • Anonymous

    I started at first just as an instrument of personal accountability and then it became a way to help people, entertain, and vent. Now if it would start being profitable….

  • http://lessonslearnedfromtherealhousewives.com lisa-squared

    When people comment on your blog and use the name of their blog, rather then their actual name, does this bother you? Just curious. This question is for all who posted here and did the same.

  • Anonymous

    No…I normally just differentiate the fact that some have, or are trying, to create a blog brand as opposed to creating a personal brand. This would be interesting to find out the consensus among the broader community though!

  • http://www.getbusymedia.com Steve Murphy

    To learn as I teach. This economy isn’t kind to 24 year olds who wait around for opportunity to come knocking, so I started my blog (along with 5 others my age) to share my knowledge and learn from others. So far it has been worth every minute, and I can’t wait to see how it grows on its own.

  • http://www.lessonslearnedfromtherealhusewives.com lisa-squared

    Yes, I agree! This is one of the reasons I asked. Thank you for your insights.

  • Anonymous

    It started because I love writing. I was a journalism student in college and it was a way to keep writing every day. Then I discovered that I could make money online and it become a way to get out of the retail job that I hated at the time. But what keeps me writing is the great people that I’ve met along the way.

  • Danielle O’Connell

    Great question: I blog to help people learn how to make healthy choices, and to make it a little easier for people who find health and wellness overwhelming and time consuming, and therefore avoid doing the little things that are important for taking care of themselves. I also think it’s a great way to create a community of like minded people.

  • Anonymous

    Absolutely…glad I could help!

  • http://coffeehousewordsmith.com Joe Barlow

    I blog for many reasons. In no particular order:

    1. I enjoy helping other writers find new publishing opportunities.
    2. I enjoy establishing myself as an authority in the fields of writing and publishing.
    3. I see it as the first step to building my personal brand into a self-sustaining business entity. I plan to eventually start a membership site, and providing coaching opportunities.

    -j.

  • http://www.downthewriterspath.com Vikk Simmons

    I started blogging in 2002 when it still had its first blush. As a writer I was excited to find this new online publishing platform that offered so much immediacy and intimacy. It wasn’t so much the option to self-publish as it was to have the close connection with a reader. Blogging allowed me to share things I’d learned, discoveries I’d made and that’s pretty much the reason I continue to blog. The wall is down and it’s me and the reader.

    The idea of monetization came much later.

  • http://www.cruisinaltitude.com Kerwin

    :-) … funny as my only thought about Snohomish County is Boeing :-) .

  • http://www.cruisinaltitude.com Kerwin

    :-) … funny as my only thought about Snohomish County is Boeing :-) .

  • http://rad-info.net Peter Radizeski

    I blog for a couple of reasons. One, I have a lot to say, so I blog to get it all out. I also blog for SEO and name recognition. It’s a business builder! I blog mainly for my clients – current and future – on ways that they can beat the competition and get better at delivering service, sales and marketing.

  • Alan

    I originally started my blog because of business, it was a way to get my business out in the public eye, but as I progressed I realised that it was also becoming about my skill sets and learning, which I do better at by doing and writing than I do at reading.

    It is also about wanting something more from life than I currently have, and a way that I can get more from life is by showing others how to get more from theirs!

    Sometimes it becomes an escape from the drudgery of life especially on a bad day, and I get to impart some knowledge to other people so that they may not make the same mistakes I have!

  • http://manelandmedia.com Omotola Ajibade

    I blog to help people and for my own personal benefit. I love thought provoking conversations and try to have the create content that does that.

  • http://impossibledreamsmedia.com/ Chris Jones

    Started simply because I enjoy it. Now I make a living doing it. Still enjoy it.

  • Anonymous

    I started blogging because in the beginning it was an outlet to personal stuff I was dealing with at the time. Now, it has morphed into something completely different and I have found my true passion in writing and helping others.

    Do I want to make money: HELL YEAH! I would be lying if I said otherwise, but it’s not my main focus at the moment. If it happens, great, and if it doesn’t I am ok with that too.

  • Anonymous

    That’s a nice simple yet hard question.

    I started blogging because I wanted a place to store my own record of everything I tried.
    Pretty soon however I discovered ‘the blogospere’ and being a social person and one who loves to write, I pretty soon found myself getting thoroughly involved.

    Through this process I found my niche and now use my blog to drive my growing business and brand. Making money from my blog is obviously a goal but it’s more of a by product of doing everything else that you need to do – rather than being something you strive for.

    Good to check in again David, how’s things mate?

  • Anonymous

    Really?

    That is interesting. What DOES Kikolani stand for or mean anyway?

  • mayg_

    I blog for my personal enjoyment – it provides a forum for me to express my opinions, vent, and share knowledge (future aspiration). No intention of making money from it as I struggle with the insecurity of whether anyone would think that what I have to say is of any value.

  • http://kikolani.com/ Kristi Hines

    Kikolani is a combination of my middle name (Leilani) and my grandmother’s name (Akiko). It’s also a first name occasionally used in Hawaii. :)

  • Anonymous

    ah. Thanks for replying Kristi.

    (that was a little anti climactic actually LOL)

  • http://www.gynexinreviewsinfo.com gynexin

    I blog as a way to give back. Of course, theres the other side of me thats also looking for a small side income, but making really good money on a blog takes a lot of work and a lot of time. Expecting to make a full time salary is very ambitious and requires a lot of business know-how and planning. Right now I blog because I’ve learned so much from other blogs and wanted to give back in my own way. I also find so much cool stuff around the internet and learn something new everyday, so I want a way to share that, beyond just social networking.

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