8 Cool Things About Blogging

SHOULD I CHOOSE A BLOG OR A TRADITIONAL WEBSITE?
Let's go over some of the positive aspects of blogs. When blogs started, they were seen as personal diaries - although this is not the case anymore, one can still find blogs which contain personal aspects of someone's life.

Nowadays blogs are mainly a place where one posts VALUABLE information - and I can't stress enough the value in the word 'Valuable' - blogs are NOT a place where one writes garbage and scammed articles, as like this the life of the blog will be very short lived. Readers don't visit blogs to read constantly about this and that product, where the author is pushing a sale - unless the posts are professional reviews, where the reader can actually benefit from reading the post.

LET'S NOW REVIEW 8 COOL THINGS ABOUT BLOGS:

1. they are alive Whereas traditional websites are static, blogs are constantly changing - and this depends on how often the 'author' adds pages and posts to the blog. Once there is always valuable information being added to a blog, readers keep coming to the blog to read the lastest post, they will even subscribe to the feed, leave comments, and so on - and eventually the 'author' is viewed as the-person-to-go-to in his / her niche.

2. blogs are interactive I write a post, someone leaves a comment, I comment back, another person leaves a comment, I comment back, and on and on it goes. With blogs there is a communication going on and a sense of something 'alive' behind the computer screen, which with traditional websites this could not be done. And people LOVE leaving and reading comments, especially when the 'author' comments back. I have seen blogs where the post was written 3 years back and people are still leaving comments. The more comments one has, the more the blog is viewed as professional and the 'author' as an expert, because it's the way people psychologically think.

3. posts are archived. Your posts will still be accessible and 'pulled' by the search engines when someone researches one of your keywords - even years on. So all the hard work that one puts into writing articles will not die after a few days or months. In addition, the posts go in archives, and one can easily access them through a search box, or by means of category or date, through your blog. So, although on the page of your blog where you have your posts, there might appear to be only a few posts, at the back there is loads of articles that are easily accessible. So one can spend hours on a good blog.

4. blogs are easy to update and easy to create. Another positive things about blogs is that one does not need to know any html or special computer 'language', to be able to create a blog. Nowadays, it is very easy to build a blog and to regularly update it.Now, to make it clear I favour a self-hoste blog where you own the blog, as opposed to a blog where you have no control over it because it is hosted somewhere else. Although building such a blog (self-hosted) takes a bit more time and determination, it's worth the effort, knowing that you can fully customize it how you want and that you own it. Also, it's so easy to add videos, pictures, link to social media accounts, recorded training calls, audio recordings, forums, shopping cart, …

5. your blog is your voice. The 'author' or blogger is completely free to design what information and what kind of message he /she wants to convey to his / her readers. Morevoer, the blogger usually chooses a topic that she / he wants to write about - usually a blog revolves around 1 topic, and the blogger also chooses whether to blog as a hobby, part-time or as a professional - the difference being the amount of articles posted per week, the amount of time spent on the blog each week, and hence how much money is to be earned from the blog.

6. blogs can be a 'stand-alone' business. Those who blog professionally, earn an income from their blogs. There are various ways in which one can monetize one's blog - I will be dedicating a future article dealing with 'Monetizing Your Blog'.

7. blogs can supplement an offline existing business. Creating a blog can help your company be regarded as a thought leader within your industry. In addition, prospective clients can read your blog, interact, and purchase products and services from you.

8. blogs can improve your career. Through your blog, and hence a greater visibility, you can experience positive changes in your career and business, and build a reputation for leadership in your particular industry.

SOME DISADVANTAGES THAT I CAN COME UP WITH

1. one has to commit. You need to be constantly adding articles and other type of information, for you readers to keep coming back, as otherwise your blog will cease to exist. Depending on your reasons for blogging, then this is a clear indication of how often one should post a new article. I recommend, at least 2 posts weekly - or you can go down the route of having a 'solid' post weekly, and other small supporting articles the rest of the week.

2. too personal. A balance has to exist on what to post. Some people keep it strictly business, although a lot of readers like reading blogs because it makes the blogger human - so some might decide to put in a bit of personal information. In addition, one has to be cautious and sensible what to place on one's blog - no one wants to ruin their reputation, career or business.

3. hot topics. Same goes for controversial and radical topics - one has to weigh really well what to write about. It's fine to write what's your opinion about someone or something, but keep in mind that after a while, too much negativity can become boring, and a blog can be potentially viewed by 1.6 billion readers.

4. too much spam. I bring up this subject again, as it could easily be the difference between having a good blog with many readers and subscribers, or having a 'ghost' blog. People search the internet for valuable information - the more 'free' value you can give your readers the more they will visit again and again. Then once you build a relationship and you are viewed as an 'expert' in your field, then you can start looking for ways to monetize your blog.

Claire Morawski wrote an article about the 8 cool things of blogging to help people like you to improve your personal, financial and career growth by understanding the benefits of starting your own self-hosted blog. If you are ready to take over the blogoshpere, and would like to create your own professional blog, then gain access to Claire Morawski's Tr

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