Why Do You Blog?
So, in a nutshell, my blog serves me in four ways
Yep, there I was, minding my own business, when all of a sudden I got an email from a student doing research. The student’s name was Tyler and he wanted to know specifically why I was a blog writer.
Specifically he wrote:
I was just wondering what the purpose of your blog is from your own perspective? This is for an assignment where we find a blog and critique it’s communication process. I chose yours because It’s really good. I really like the quote you have on your “contact page.” You also have a lot of people communicating on your blog which is very important to my assignment. Thank you for your time. Tyler W.
Damn good question. Here’s how I responded (unedited and extremely honest):
Hello Tyler,
For me my blog multi-tasks. I can give back to other web developers things that I learn about relative to the topics I write about, or even personal news. I can also share cool things I may come across on the web. Additionally it also serves as a creative outlet for me, a place to jot down some short stories. Also, in that it’s a source of ever changing content, it has some value to certain readers, those readers will share with others and word will spread as it does on the web. In the end-run I will become more widely known. Being that my portfolio is so readily available by way of the blog, my work will become more widely known as well. And those who like it may hire me if my services are needed.
So, in a nutshell, my blog serves me in four ways:
- Sharing technical items and giving insight
- Sharing news and information, even personal
- Creative outlet, stories, fun stuff for me
- Passive advertising, a guy’s gotta eat
Sincerely,
Mike Cherim
So, anyway, that’s my answer. Tell me. Why do you blog?
Neal Venditto responds:
Posted: March 16th, 2006 at 5:52 pm →
Very nice, Mike. In a similar vein, I tend to use my website for web development type things that interest me (usually). I tend to not view it, as I know some do, as a periodical. It tends to be sporatic for that reason, but that really just reflects me all to well.
I think for a “blog” to be good, you need to have something to say. Such as yours, you often discuss and share Web Development information, especially Accesibility related topics, which is why I regularly visit. I of course also enjoy your personal stuff, such as your short stories, but you have a message to share which is what draws me, and a lot of others I think, in. “Blogs” are everywhere now, and with that there are a lot of dead ones. Why? Because honestly, you need something to say. There has to be a point. Sure, digressions are nice and can certainly be enjoyable, but few people would simply want to read a journal account of everything that happened to some guy day after day (Unless you lead a very exciting life, which most people don’t). It seems to me that you blog because you have a message that you wouldn’t mind sharing with everyone, and that message is why people read.
Martin Neczypor responds:
Posted: March 16th, 2006 at 10:22 pm →
The original intention of my site was to work on my design abilities. I was just starting to use CSS to design my sites and wanted to show everyone what I could do. I would use free hosts, but they just couldn’t meet my needs. It ended up making the design process very stressful, so I finally sprang for hosting and started my own site on my own domain. I created a design for it, but then came to a startling conclusion that, yes, I now have a website, but what will it be for? I started a blog because it was something interesting to learn and a way to improve my writing techniques. It gave me a place to archive my thoughts in a medium that was readily available to anyone who was interested. Although my blog is public, I don’t consider it to be. I write for my own enjoyment- if others benefit from it that’s excellent, but my main intent for it is for my own use.
TheMadAdmin responds:
Posted: March 16th, 2006 at 11:49 pm →
Well Mike,
For me I am a tech junkie, I work in IT, I have been into the net before the world wide web came into being. I also like coding being creative and surf the web whenever I get the chance. Blogging just seemed to fit my wants and needs.
I also view it as a cool little venture. I like being TheMadAdmin, I like trying to get readers, raise my standing in the blogosphere. I also got to join Blogadvance and got to be a moderator over there. The community there is great and they make blogging fun as well.
Jonathan Fenocchi responds:
Posted: March 17th, 2006 at 12:25 am →
When someone writes me and asks, “What do you blog for?” I typically respond with, “For emails like these.”
I blog for my readers — the majority of my blog entries in some way positively affect my readers, often in the form of programming explanations, design insight, or other web-related concepts. My content is exceedingly important, and the primary focus of the site.
I blog for my friends — anyone I meet knows that I’m a computer geek, and I’m okay with that, and when I have new friends, my site serves to make it obvious just how much of a geek I truly am. It’s a satisfying feeling overall, to be admired for my geekery.
I blog for myself — my writing, design, and programming skills in some way, shape, or form improve due to my blogging. Additionally, my blog is a helpful way to get my portfolio, name, and personality more popular in the blogosphere, and that’s important because I’m a Web Developer for hire.
Deb responds:
Posted: March 17th, 2006 at 1:26 am →
Hiya Mike
I originally started bloggging because I was forced to. Pocketlint was just a forum and the powers that be that ran the forum wanted a blog and at that stage I was mouthy, opinionated and I didn’t make a lot of mistakes so I was it. There were actually 6 of us that contributed to the blog but slowly but surely I was the only one left.
I hated it at first and I found it hard and I felt pressured to always update but a lot has changed in three years and I’m more relaxed about it.
Now I blog because I’m mouthy, opinionated and I’m running a business. I use my blog(s) to help promote BlogAdvance and it’s also a great place to let off steam and I can be as public or as private as I want to be.
I also blog because I like the community that I’m a part of. I love taking a glimpse into the personal lives of others and I assume that people feel the same way about my blog. It’s like writing a huge penpal letter to myself that everyone else gets to read too.
marie b. responds:
Posted: March 17th, 2006 at 1:43 am →
I blog because it’s cheaper than therapy, plus I’m a fiend for tinkering with CSS and PHP. Also, I wanted to share my photography so I set a photoblog up.
Karl responds:
Posted: March 17th, 2006 at 6:13 am →
Hi Mike,
Well I blog because blogging is trendy, right? No-one’s mentioned that yet!
Seriously though, because I am a web developer, and one that is concerned about web standards and accessibility — my blog reflects that need to connect with other like-minded individuals to share the experience. It’s lonely, frustrating and demoralising in the real life trenches for me so the virtual “group hug” is important. Without a pub our blogs and Flickr accounts will have to do until, circumstances allowing, we get to a conference.
Starting out on blogger.com I posted all sorts of stuff as I essentially experimented with the medium but nowadays, and with my own URL, I am focusing more on writing educational pieces and short posts about what’s going on in our field. The research is educational for myself and hopefully the articles add more noise to the web standards assault on search engines — one day you’ll only be able to find best practice information for web development, even on Page 20
I’d like to think they help at work but I don’t think managers could give a toss — I still had to install an accessibility evaluation tool for someone to review a website with and I still beaver away without being under a project banner.
I’m not about to get asked to contribute to a book (although I am published in online gaming) but hopefully, if I work hard, I can boost my visits to 50 a day by the end of the year *laughs*. Just like soldiering, there is no glory — just an odd, intangible passion for the job.
So in summary then?
Community / friends / networking (no particular order)
Morale boosting
Learning
Educating others.
JackP responds:
Posted: March 31st, 2006 at 9:03 pm →
Why blog? Because if the audience isn’t interested in whatever it is you’re wittering on about, they don’t tell you to shut up - they just wander off to a different site. Only the people who are at least vaguely interested bother to leave a comment. Try repeating half these conversations in the pub and see how far you’d get…
Mike Cherim responds:
Posted: March 31st, 2006 at 11:17 pm →
Lol.
Tarax responds:
Posted: April 27th, 2006 at 2:30 am →
Wow, Your blog is awesome. TaraX
Mike Cherim responds:
Posted: March 7th, 2007 at 6:30 pm →
I just found out I was tagged by Ross Johnson to post The Top Five Reasons Why I Blog. Since I have already done this I’ll let this post speak for me. And since I have done this before I won’t pass it along, but I did want to at least acknowledge the tag.