There are two separate questions when it comes to blogging, often from two different audiences.
The first question isâWhy do I need to blog? That question typically comes from someone who is a little bit more reluctant. It often comes from someone who is already running a business. Typically, this person has a lot of things that are occupying their time and they are trying to determine whether or not to take some of this valuable time and spend it blogging.
The second question isâDo I want to blog? This question often comes from a hobbyist. Someone who has interest in a subject and is trying to determine whether they have the time, the money, and the patience to set up a blog and communicate about what they are interested in. This second group can often be divided into two further parts.
The first one is the die-hard hobbyist. This person who has interest in the subject and they just want to share with the world. I fit into this category 10+ years ago. As a voracious reader throughout my life and a recent stay-at-home mom, I needed some mental stimulation. What better way to create that simulation than to combine my love of reading with the technical tasks of running a blog?
The second is the person who is looking to augment their income or support an already existing business. The idea of bringing extra income into the house or a business by pursuing a subject that they already have an interest in. The examples of this group are varied. People who love to travel share information about traveling while making money to fund their travel from their blog. Many women and men blog from home while raising a family. The women tend to be referred to as mommy bloggers and the men, daddy bloggers. Their subject matter may be lifestyle subjects, it may be parenting, it may be cooking, or it can be a combination of all these things. Although starting a blog purely as a hobby, it can turn into a source of income. I also fit into this category. What started purely as a hobby blog was gradually converted into a source of income for my family. The creation of my original book blog spurred the creation of several other blogs on different topics, all of which contribute to my familyâs total income.
Back to the title of this chapter: Why do I need to blog?
As I stated in the previous chapter, ultimately, blogging is an electronic form of communication. It is thoughts shared with the world.
Again, back to the title of this chapter: Why do I need to blog? The word blog is often misunderstood. One important thing weâll do in this book is talk in plain English and define all the new or unfamiliar words we use. Blogging seems to have its own language and I donât want that to be off-putting to someone wanting to make the leap! I will define words as we go along, but you can also find a complete glossary at the end of this book.
Letâs start with the words Blog and Website. Although in todayâs world the words website and blog are used interchangeably, they werenât always. Originally, the word website referred to static contentâcontent that doesnât change very frequently. The word blog referred to a journal type of websiteâor information that is added to somewhat regularly. Many people see a website and a blog as separate entities. I donât. One website can have static content as well as content that is being added to on a regular basis. One location serving all purposes.
Your website is your public face to the world. In todayâs society if we want to learn more about a person or a business, we âGoogleâ them. Frankly we expect all public figures and businesses to have a website of some sort where we can find out more information.
Think of Google as a toddler. For those parents reading this, you realize that toddlers donât stay interested in anything for long. Even shiny new toys are quickly abandoned for the box they came in.
Google is similar. Google is attracted to new content. A blog which is posted to on a regular basis provides a steady stream of âshiny new toysâ for the Google search engine. This regular addition of content helps a site rise up in the ranks in a Google search.
One last comment for this chapter or for this sectionâtone and language. As I mentioned previously, I feel that your blog should be a conversation, a dialogue with your readers. A blog post that is a dialogue with your readers is typically casual in its language and tone, like a conversation with friends. Itâs meant to share information as you would over a cup of coffee or a glass of beer with your friends. If your blog post is more formal it will start sounding more like a dissertation or a monologue. It may end up conveying information to an audience, but it typically wonât turn your audience into a community. In short, your audience will react differently.
Think about how you react when reading, letâs say a government website. You are seeking information and you get information. Compare this to how you feel when reading a chatty, personalized blog post. You have a different internal reaction. You may also be seeking information and get the information, but there is a different reaction to this information. As weâll learn in a future chapter, Google places importance on the level of language. This casual level of language is achieved easily when you keep in mind the idea of a conversation or a dialogue.
Weâll come back to the topic of Google Ranking and SEO in a future chapter, but first weâll move on to the topic of branding.
