LOVE, Kloudiia

Yes, not anytime later but now. I was having lunch with two of my best friends yesterday when I casually popped this question to one of them “Why don’t you start a blog?”

To which she replied “I’m not good at writing”

Fair enough. God has given us different talents we can use to make this society a better one. But, who says you need to be a first class writer to start a blog? Something that can be as personal as a private journal that only you get to read, or as public as a site that millions throng to to soak in the wisdom or entertainment value it provides – you are the one to decide which type of blog you want to create.

As I give my friend more reasons to start a blog, she seemed shaky now. Hope that in no time, I’ll get to read her thoughts online! Maybe I could convince more to do so when you’ve heard my 13 reasons:

13 Lovely Reasons To Start A Blog Now! 

1. Organising thoughts better. I find that writing a blog helps in organising and expressing my thoughts much better than to allow them to circulate randomly and headlessly in my head with no direction nor solution. This is especially good for those who may like to venture into public speaking too.

2. More fluid expression. How difficult or easy is it to express our genuine thoughts and opinions without having to start a fight with someone else? It all depends on how well we can convey our message. Blogging helps in this arena, cos when your thoughts are better organised, you achieve clarity. Writing can be a good outlet for expression, and when the habit is built, mapping it over to verbal expression can be done at the snap of a finger.

3. A memory bank. Humans tend to be forgetful. So blogging is how I bookmark events and happenings in my life and other people’s lives (those who are important to me). Now that we get to post photos up there, isn’t it more than words can say?

4. Updates. Friends get your updates on what is happening in your life by reading your blog. This is potentially one of the most popular reason why someone start a blog. And it doubles up as a central point of contact too!

5. As a gift. You could do this to commemorate an important date, anniversary or a special occasion as a gift for a special someone. Jhong Ren started his wedding blog as a wedding gift for his wife, and he is continuing it now even after they have had their perfect wedding to show his love for her! Now he’s branched it into a mini business by offering ebooks too. Isn’t this good?

6. For fun. Do not stress yourself over compulsory frequent postings. Just do it as and when you like it, at your own pace and time. Before you know it, your blog could evolve into something more than just a hobby. It helps to reduce your stress.

7. Building relationships. We make friends over the Internet through social sites like MySpace, Facebook, Friendster and so on. If those applications are good breeding grounds for friendships, what more a blog? I’ve made some friends just by sharing a slice of my life here, and I’m sure you can too. Oh, most of them are faces that I’ve never met till now. But the relationship we share doesn’t stop, in fact it grows with my blog, and with me.

8. As a business. Now that full-time blogging can bring in substantial amounts of money to replace a full-time job, isn’t this a business by itself? Steve Pavlina has done an excellent job in doing this, and because of this he is now highly sought after as a key-note speaker and product endorsement. Wooh, all this done without having to step out of your house.

9. Some extra moola. Even if you aren’t expecting to turn blogging into a business, you still can earn some bits of extra money to buy you that holiday.

10. An identity. Hey, starting a blog means you are owning a piece of the cyberspace! You are the sole contributor to that space, and it can very much represent part of you. If you have been secretly wishing to be Donald Trump, you can! In your blog!

11. Pass it on. Like the story that I’ve just posted. When I get stories that I know will inspire people, forwarding them via email only ensures it lands in the inbox of people I personally know. But you know as well as I do that is only a mere dot in the entire human race. Not that my blog has this capacity to reach the whole world, but it does has a possibility if it gets blogged, don’t you agree?

12. For fame. Well, we know people get famous through blogging too. So if you are shy to go in front of a camera and perform, then why not dive into cyberspace and let your voice be heard? Just remember that as much as it can help, it can also sabotage your success. So be careful of what you do online for fame. You want to be known for all the right reasons, don’t you? *wink*

13. Education. Are you an expert in something? Why not share your knowledge and expertise online and make it widely available to the billions of netizens out there who will be able to benefit from your “teachings” and experiences? The more you share, the more you learn and gain…

Whoa, even I am convinced myself that I should start a blog. Now that I already have not one, but a few, I’m even more assured and positive that my decision 2 years ago was right!

See ya online soon, my dear friend(s).

[tags]blogging, starting a blog, business blogging, monetizing a blog, thursday thirteen[/tags]