Remarkablogger Manifesto: Why Do You Blog?

Sep 18, 2008
28 Comments
 
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why A note on the audio: I applied an over-zealous noise reduction filter to the sound and didn’t catch it until it was too late to undo it. The audio quality is affected by this a little, so you may want to turn up the volume to compensate.

Below are some notes, but the more complete information is in the audio portion.

Four Reasons Why People Blog

  1. Blog to market a person, product, service, or idea (blog marketing)
  2. Blog to fulfill need for personal expression (not mutually exclusive of blog marketing)
  3. Blog to have human connections
  4. Blog to make money, but without other points above, success is unlikely

Blog to Market (Blog Marketing)

  • Represent yourself–a way to say: this is me. Market yourself.
  • Sell products and/or service online and blog about benefits and uses.
  • Market ideas you believe in and want to see spread, such as political opinions.

Personal Expression

  • We all have a need to express ourselves.
  • Blogs are a great way to express ourselves.
  • Self-expression is not mutually exclusive to marketing or making money–it’s related.

Human Connection

  • One of the special aspects of blogging is commenting–the human connection.
  • We need connection to other people or self-expression happens in a vacuum.
  • We seek validation and engagement with others.
  • Human connections happen online via the social web.
  • Great example: A Caregiver’s Journal, for adult caregivers of aging parents. Two other great examples: Men With Pens and Successful Blog both have rockin’ comments.

Make Money

  • Paid blogging.
  • Advertising/affiliate sales.
  • Business blog marketing.
  • Selling products/services.
  • Not a good reason by itself, but good in combination with the other reasons above.

Combinations

I think people blog for a combination of these reasons (except for the last–some do not try to make money at all). You want to understand which reason or combination of reasons is the most important to you, because you can treat that like a strength. You can focus on that and build on that. Why you do something has a lot to do with how you do it.

Tell Me Why You Blog

I’d love to hear why you blog and which reasons are most important to you, if you’d care to share in the comments below.

Here’s to your blogging success!

Michael Martine, Remarkablogger

Blog Marketing is what I blog about, Blog Consulting is what I do–How can I help you? Click here to find out.

[photo credit]

  • Alex, that's a great story. That's really the driving force behind this whole series of posts: changes in life. The inner drives the outer. Thanks for stopping by and commenting. :) Good to have you here.
  • I blog to help people. I went through a change in my life through figuring out what I really wanted and pursuing it. I blog to share my story and to help others rid their own lives of the word Someday.

    That sounds a bit like an ad for my blog, but it really is why I blog. And from that I hope to earn some money selling workshops that will help people even more than the blog does.
  • Dammit, Michael, why do you have to be so remarkable with your advice? I write my blog for the first three reasons, though I do hope to make money indirectly. I have no immediate plans to put ads on the site.

    (Note to self: Read and respond to Michael more regularly.)
  • Took me a day to come round, because I was out building that human connection you mentioned.

    We began blogging to promote our skills and services by conveying expertise. Over time, we realized that we enjoyed blogging more for blogging's sake. Then we began reaching readers and having conversations, and that in itself was powerful. Now we couldn't pass up on blogging and love it just because of what we take away from it, not just what we give.
  • @Tammy - do you find your personality and your need for self-expression coming through in your blogging and social media use? I would imagine you are, but I'm curious if it's something you've noticed.
  • @Patrick - Provide value is my freakin' mantra. That, my friend, is rule #1. Glad to see you are onto that.

    @Lance - I don't think the self-discovery aspect of blogging gets enough mention. It's very true: you will learn about yourself when you blog. You will learn quite a lot, in fact. I have the suspicion that some people quit blogging because they don't like what they learn about themselves.

    @Mary - Mary! Long time no see! And what a great point you bring up. Wow. I believe you are correct: you can't separate the goal to make money from the other goals. But... a goal is not the answer to why. A goal is what you reach in your attempt to express yourself and live according to your own beliefs.

    You can't operate with selling uppermost in your mind, but it does have to be the seed of your strategy. See this post: The Secret to a Successful Business Blog: Sell without Selling.

    @Mark - Thanks, man! :)

    @Leona - Don't be too surprised if that doesn't also help you market your business. Just make sure your readers can easily become your customers.

    @Mike - I think that like artists and atheletes, bloggers have a huge opportunity to channel their creative and emotional energy.

    @Sonia - I know! When I first discovered blogging, I was like, "how could I ever possibly NOT do this?" It was an instant yes.
  • I started blogging to see what would happen, really. I've been talking too much online for about 20 years, so it just seemed like a natural progression. :) Blogging has opened a lot of doors that I wouldn't have even seen, much less walked through, if I hadn't just started a blog & watched what happened.

    Terribly airy-fairy for Remarkablogger, I know!

    1, 2, 3 and 4 all play an important role for me.
  • I blog for fun. I find it relaxing and a way to express my inner thoughts. When I sit and type, I feel a release like no other. Thanks for sharing!
  • Hi everyone,

    At first I started to blog just as a kind of journalling process. Blogging encouraged me to reflect, to be able to add to previous blogs, edit and so on. Then "the teacher" in me hit the keyboard and I started to share all the things I was learning about, so my blogs morphed into a mixture of reflection, commentary, learning exercises for readers and now I include links to blog entries I love.

    I would love my blog to build my coaching, facilitation & medition business but that is secondary to it helping me get clarity (about what I teach/coach), connection, contribution and personal expression.
  • I blog primarily to market the company website and more and more frequently for social networking.
  • Michael, this is a wonderful series, perhaps some of your finest stuff I've read to date.
  • Thank you for this post and the chance to articulate why I blog. I blog for reasons 1, 2, and 3 and although I hope money will be part of what comes out of it, I'm not sure my way of blogging actually fits #4.

    What I've come to see in thinking about this is how impossible it is for me to separate out the goal of making money from all the other goals. Making money has almost always been tied to doing what I naturally want to do throughout my life. I've never been able to make the goal of making money the top priority, however, and that may have to do with my living a very simple life materially. I don't think what I do would be as fulfilling or enjoyable if I made the money part the main goal, and yet sometimes I wonder if I'd make more money if I did give that more priority.

    The trouble for me with making money number one is similar to the trouble with politics. Sometimes big sales seem associated with a certain kind of dishonesty as in statements like "this is the best..." or "I promise you that...". I can say "my customers have experienced this" but I can't say "this is the best for everyone". Also, if selling my product becomes uppermost in my mind, then I lose the authenticity of expression and the human connection that you are talking about.

    I wanted to add a major reason that I blog that I didn't see in your list -- that is that I learn a lot from blogging as my understanding of my experience and viewpoint deepens as I share with others. Teaching is part of my work and I definitely find that teaching is learning.

    Well, thanks again for the chance to ponder on these things!
  • Why do I blog? Good question! When I began I had illusions that this "might" lead to some extra change in my pocket. In reality, what I've found is that for me, it's about connecting with other people, and getting to know "me" better. And that has all been very positive! Would I like to make some money from blogging? That would be cool, but it's definitely not the reason I blog anymore...
  • @Michael - No need to apologize, thanks for keeping the important part of the post. :-)

    Just to build on what I said, I really think keeping your audience in mind is critical, whether you are trying to make money or not. The question is: Am I providing value?

    As long as you provide value (and value is in the eye of the recipient, right?) then you will be rewarded. That reward might take the form of readership, affiliate sales, or accolades. But whatever the reward, it is a reflection of the value that your audience believes they are receiving.
  • @Betsy - I think you meant "each other." I would probably marry myself if I could, but I think that's illegal! ;) Anyways, I know what you mean. Blogging is a journey, but not one without a destination. "Make money" is not a destination. It's a result--a dividend to use your (wonderful) word.

    @Patrick - Yes! The intersection of why you blog and the needs of an audience is where there there is traction. Sorry to edit your comment but it was originally too self-promotional and off-topic.

    @Jonathan - Yup. Focusing on building a community and providing value is absolutely the best marketing-without-marketing you can do (and you're doing it well).

    @Kat - Blogging is a continuous practice, a stream of praxis flowing through time, each moment stamped with a permalink (hey, that's some blog poetry, there).

    @Chad - Glad to see you're aware of how different reasons are emphasized for different blogs. That does make you more well-rounded. I'd be interested in hearing which reason feels most natural to you.

    @Franklin - I don't think most people are blogging to make money. But that group definitely gets a lot of attention. If you operate in that sphere, it seems like everyone is doing the same. There are millions of bloggers who aren't interested in money at all.

    What you say about determination is very true, and that is what separates the successful from everyone else.
  • We all have their reasons for blogging. For the most part though, people seem to be blogging to make some extra cash. People see blogging as an easy way to make money even though it is just as hard as anything else to make money. You really have to be determined and never give up on your blog to make the kind of cash you are hoping for.

    People get pretty bored with their own blog if no one is ever reading it. There are people like writer dad who is a blogger but really isn't worried about making money with advertisements. He is more about building conversations.
  • Like most people that responded, I blog for a combination of the reasons. I contribute to a few different blogs in which I direct my emphasis to one of the specific reasons. I find by doing so, I naturally become a more well-rounded writer.
  • I blog because I have a ridiculous amount of words in me, and they need a place to come out.

    And also for most of the reasons you've listed. ;)

    I blog at work because it's part of my job (but I'd probably do it even if it wasn't). My personal blog is effectively my practice studio. I practice writing. I practice coding. I practice hospitality.
  • Great list, Michael!

    I blog for many of these reasons, the largest of which is to build community and exchange ideas. And, as a writer, it also provides a public outlet for my "practice."

    And, no doubt, there is a reputational/marketing benefit, though, I believe you actually get a greater bump on that side of the equation when you don't focus on it and, instead, focus on delivery quality content and engaging the community.
  • In addition to asking yourself, why do I blog, how about asking "Why would people want to read my blog?" I heard someone complain recently about a bunch of blogs in their RSS feeds posting political commentary, when they had never done so before. That's a good way to lose your audience. Is it better to blog about what you happen to feel like blogging at the moment, or what your audience is interested in learning more about?
  • My husband and I blog because time is full of moments. We decided to marry our talents as well as ourselves - he's the photographer and I, hopefully, am the wordsmith. The blog seemed to be the platform that fit us most immediately, although we have additional plans.

    Blogging is another wonderful journey that we are able to take together and share. We blog because we are interested, because we can learn and engage, and because we hope we can put a piece of the world as we understand and experience it out there to connect with others.

    Blogging has been an investment of our time, talent and vulnerability. The dividends have been amazing!
  • Hey Ryan, thanks. I'd have to say I'm a genuine blend of all four. I want to express and market myself, while connecting with others. Eventually, I'd like to turn that into income.
  • @Ryan - It is very achievable to become a full-time writer based on your blog. Writer Dad has reached this goal in a shorter-than-usual time. If you haven't seen his blog, I highly recommend it.

    @Mary - Wonderful! Build your audience, build their trust in you. Show them you have what they need. Then when you want to market to them, sell them what they need based on their trust of you. That way you will never be a sell-out.

    @Easton - I like that distinction between "because of" and "in order to". That is very incisive strategic thinking.

    @Everyone - Check out Easton's blog at http://visionaryblogging.com. It's good stuff! I met Easton at SOBCon 08 and he's one of the most genuine and sincere people I've ever met.
  • That's the way to break it down, man. Awesome.

    Sometimes I split the "why do you blog?" into two questions - 1) "What prompted you to start your blog?" and 2) "What end goal do you want to reach with your blog?"

    In other words, "Because of what?" and then, "In order to what?"

    Or you can boil it all down to just, "So what?"

    A lot of us lose sight of our blogs' purposes sometimes. This post is a great resource when that happens. Thanks Michael!
  • I blog for a combination of the reasons above. First and foremost, I want to share helpful information with others in a way that allows for conversation, as blog comments do. The human connection.

    Second, I eventually want to market a line of products, but that is secondary.

    Making money with my blog will be nice, if only because that money will buy me the time to do more of what I want. Right now, I juggle my blog, a website and a full-time day job.
  • I blog for all of these reasons. I love trying to build my blog into something grande and something that will allow me to be a full time writer and to not have to work as a sales assistant for the next few years. That is why I love my blog
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