8 Cool Things About Blogging - By: Claire Morawski

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. Blogs are nowadays, full of VALUABLE information - and it's important to stress the value in the word 'Valuable' - a blog is NOT a place where one would write nonsense and fill it with scammed articles - as like this the blog won't last too long. People don't like going to blogs to read about this product and that, unless it's professional reviews and there is also other valuable information where the reader can benefit from.

LET'S NOW REVIEW 8 COOL THINGS ABOUT BLOGS:
1. they are dynamic. Whereas traditional websites are static, blogs are constantly changing - and this depends on how often the 'author' adds pages and posts to the blog. If there is always valuable information, people keep coming time and time again to the blog to read the recent information, will subscribe to the feed to be updated through their inbox about the recent post, and eventually the 'author' will be viewed as an expert and as the person-to-go-to in his/her area of expertise.
2. blogs are interactive The author creates a post, uploads it to the blog, a reader leaves a comment, the author comments back, another reader leaves a comment, yet another reader replies to the previous comments, and on and on it continues. 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 personally come across posts which have been written 3 years ago, and readers and 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. Hence, all the 'hard' work and effort that one puts in writing an article is not lost 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 home page of your blog there might only be a few posts, at the back there is a ton of information that can be easily accessible. So one can spend hours on a good blog.
4. blogs are easy to update and easy to create. Another thing which I simply love about blogs is that one does not need to know any special computer language (like html) to be able to create one's own blog. Nowadays it's so easy to build a blog and to update it regularly.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. they are your voice. The blogger or 'author' has total control on what information to give out and what kind of message he / she wants to pass on to his / her readers. In addition, the blogger can choose a topic he / she wants to write about - usually blogs revolve around 1 topic, and can choose if he /she wants to blog as a hobby, part-time or as a professional - with the difference being of how often one posts an article and how much work you want to put into it, and hence how much money one wants to earn from blogging.
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. can enhance your career. Through blogging, and hence greater visibility, one can experience positive career and business impacts, and build a reputation for thought leadership in your industry.

THE VERY FEW DISADVANTAGES THAT I CAN THINK OF
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. At least 2 per week - or you can have a 'rock' post once a week, and other small supporting articles for the rest of the week.
2. too personal. A balance has to exist on what to post. Some decide to keep their blog strictly business, although a lot of readers love blogs because it makes the blogger that much more of a human - so one might decide to put in a bit of personal information, at least in the About Page. One has to be prudent and realistic what information to place on one's blog - you don't want your reputation, business or career to be put in jeopardy.
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 spammy. 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 net for valuable information - the more 'free' value you can provide your readers, the more they will keep visiting. Subsequently, once a relationship of trust is built and you are viewed as the 'expert' in your niche, then it is time to start monetizing your blog

About the Author

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 Training, where you will be taught in easy-to-follow steps how to create your own self-hosted blog.

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