Why Should I Start a Blog?

In recent years, millions of people have taken the plunge and joined the blogosphere, but there are also many who are still skeptical of its benefits.

Some are stuck on the idea that blogs are little more than personal diaries broadcast over the web, and do not recognize other contexts for which they might be valuable. Others claim that blogs peaked several years ago, and now turn to social networks and micro platforms while declaring that “blogging is dead.”

But despite these schools of thought, there are many advantages to blogging and diverse reasons why you might want to start your own blog. This article will outline what we find to be the most important.

Top Reasons for Starting a Blog

Sharing a hobby or passion – One of the benefits of blogging is that it provides you with a platform to share the activities you enjoy most in life. Whether you are passionate about travel, photography, or even coffee, a blog is an excellent outlet to publish your thoughts and experiences.

For some people, social networks like Facebook and Twitter are sufficient for this purpose, but having your own blog allows you to reflect beyond arbitrary character limits, publish all types of content, and actively control your own space on the web.

Finally, in contrast to the often homogenized nature of mass media content, the value of blogs comes from the unique style and tone of voice of their authors. This role of bloggers as “citizen journalists” helps bring these niche topics directly to the people who care about them most.

Career networking and branding – If you are currently in the market for a job, or if you would like to change your career someday, blogging is a great way to take a big step towards your dreams.

As long as you have some expertise in your chosen area, you can quickly and easily start to share your ideas and get feedback from others in the field. With some hard work, you can even get on the radar of thought leaders and other influential folks in your industry. In addition, the process of writing posts related deepens your own knowledge of the subject area.

Become a more confident writer – Another benefit of blogging is that it gets you to write regularly. Being able to express yourself clearly in writing is such a valuable skill in today’s society, and posting frequently on a blog is a great way to hone your craft. After blogging for a significant period of time, it’s amazing how much easier it becomes to put your thoughts into words and structure a coherent post in a short period of time.

For blogger Katy Meyers, writing used to be a long, laborious process, but when she started writing blog posts twice a week, it practically became second nature.

Develop other good habits – In addition to the main act of writing, blogging helps build a number of other valuable skills. These include consistency, creativity, and research skills in order to back up your points.

Why Not to Start a Blog

We think that these advantages should be reason enough for most people to start a blog of some sort, but there are some circumstances where blogging might not be appropriate. The following are three reasons why you might not want to start a blog.

• You hate writing, or aren’t passionate about finding new blog topics

• Your schedule is so busy that you won’t be able to keep it up

• You are only blogging for a big payday or to become famous quickly

How to Set Up Your Blog

If you’ve decided that you do want to start a blog, you can choose either free-hosted or self-hosted blogging platforms. Read about both options in detail in our How to Create a Website tutorial, or learn about getting your own domain name or hosting space.

If you already have a blog, why did you decide to start it? What value are you adding to the community? What makes your blog unique?

Image credit: jaylopez