Blog-Loving

Several posts on this site have been about blogging—starting one, maintaining one, promoting one.  Then the odd one has been about the plans to enhance my own blog and develop services, which hasn’t yet happened due to personal life challenges.  Today, I thought I’d just write about the self-satisfaction of being a blogger.

Your website is where you submit and disclose things/information that are important to you.  You express—share—ideas, thoughts, emotions, worries, beliefs.  Your blog makes a statement . . . it conveys your identity.  Content aside, informational or entertaining, there’s a certain sharing of self; your material and voice are reflections of you. In essence, you’re putting a wee bit of yourself into every post. 

But there’s nothing better than the sheer pleasure—pride—that comes with a completed [scheduled] post.  And whether you’re edifying or inspiring/motivating readers and followers, or attracting individuals who share your interests, you’re drawing similar-minded people together.

The other great thing about blogging is development, professional and personal.  The more you write, the more skilled you become.  (I’m constantly reviewing my writing and, sometimes, I’ll even re-check definitions, spelling, grammar and punctuation rules—and lo and behold, I’ve found that I’ve flubbed up.)  And whether you’re providing professional or business information, or providing guidance, chances are you’re researching; as such, more development, more growth.  A very good thing indeed.

As you progress and post, you learn who you are, what your true voice is.  I tend to have a fairly flat voice, I believe, but when I write as Rey (one of the three private eyes from the Triple Threat Investigation Agency), I have an opportunity to be more “free”, because that’s who she is—a gal who doesn’t necessarily follow the rules and norms.  It’s fun taking on a role/persona and saying to <bleep> with the rules.

What’s also fun?  When you can look back three, five, ten years and re-read your posts.  Maybe you’ll cringe.  Maybe you’ll laugh.  Maybe you’ll pat yourself on the back and smile.  I, myself, wish I’d never deleted my Typepad blog.  Even if I only had one follower, I had some great posts (this I proudly state).  Alas, I’ll never be able to access them.  But such is life.

Lastly, you learn a few things about the technical and social sides.  If I’d never become a blogger, I’d have remained uninformed of so many things; I believe I’d rather have stagnated.  Fortunately, that didn’t happen.  Some things I’d taught myself, some I’d learned from others.  And while I will readily admit I could certainly acquire more knowledge, this is not the time [for me] to do so.

All this to say that I love being a blogger.  If you haven’t yet given blogging a try, do.  It’s an enriching experience.  And while it’s nice to make sales and have 10K followers—in my dreams, LOL—it’s great to commit to personal and professional growth.

Blog, if only for yourself.