Comments on: Why do you blog if not for money?

By: markdykeman

markdykeman — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 15:06:03 +0000

@Rebecca – you are right on that… the journaling connection…

By: Rebecca Leaman

Rebecca Leaman — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 14:16:31 +0000

Here’s another variation on the theme for you, Mark: blogging and journalling have a great deal in common. As someone – E.M. Forster, perhaps? – once said, “How do I know what I think until I see what I say?”
Rebecca Leaman´s last blog ..28+ Free Webinars for Nonprofits – March 2010

By: John McLachlan

John McLachlan — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 14:07:18 +0000

I blog for various reasons (which I explain in my blog post today at http://johnmclachlan.ca/2010/03/03/why-i-blog/ ) but the most important one for me is that it helps me focus on what I think about regarding my work and that makes my work better.
John McLachlan´s last blog ..Why I Blog

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Wed, 03 Mar 2010 12:59:32 +0000

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By: markdykeman

markdykeman — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 01:19:46 +0000

@everyone – your comments have made this blog post a damned interesting and insightful look at the psyche of the blogger (or the writer or the online content creators or…) I am very pleased that so many people took the time to respond. Everyone brought a valuable insight to the post.

I do see some common themes here that I want to explore in my next post.

Thank you, everyone!

By: Scott M

Scott M — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 00:00:07 +0000

Mark, as you may recall, I started blogging many years ago as a way of replacing the “morning pages” exercise that I used to do after reading Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way. I have tried (and generally failed) to blog on a regular basis, according to a given theme, etc. I think I am basically just a writer of short pieces, I have always written short stories and one act plays and so on, so when I have an opinion piece or whatever that I feel like sharing, it winds up on a blog.

As for blogging for money, as someone who writes for a living (more or less), I think blogging is just like any other writing in the sense that you would have to be insane to go into writing for the money.

By: Michael Martine

Michael Martine — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 18:51:18 +0000

Writers write because they go insane if they don’t. They have to. They don’t have a choice. That’s what makes them writers. If they want to make money doing it, there are new skills and information to learn which are separate from the art and act of writing, and these are what many writers struggle with.
Michael Martine´s last blog ..Never Face Writers Block Again (and have Fresh Ideas Every Day)

By: Ted

Ted — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 17:28:48 +0000

I’m gathering materials for lectures and a class I’m planning to teach on life’s best practices. Blogging provides me with a forum for explaining some of my theories and findings and receiving feedback.
Ted´s last blog ..Blogs Addressing Creativity

By: Lucy Thorpe

Lucy Thorpe — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 16:23:30 +0000

I started to blog when a couple of my revenue streams dried up and I wanted to carry on writing and being creative. I hoped it would be a journey that would take me to interesting places. So far I have learned a tremendous ammount and have published a lot of material on my own and other peoples’ blogs. It has given me an archive that I can use for potential clients and employers which is great.
As the journey went on I realised that I did need to make some money out of this in order to be able to afford to carry on, which has been the hardest part.
To hear some people’s stories you would think it was like opening a tap while you fill your bucket. Either they are not being honest or there is a trick I am missing somewhere !
Lucy Thorpe´s last blog ..Lady Gaga London 02 Find your tribe.

By: Justin Kownacki

Justin Kownacki — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 15:52:40 +0000

I blog to become the famous.

Actually, I was literally just discussing this with a friend in Gchat, wherein I said:

‘I blog for work because A) I get paid, B) I hope to improve the social media workspace, and C) by writing about these topics, I understand them (and myself) better. Ditto my personal blog, but trade “get paid” for “use it to network” and “expand my awareness and reputation.” Whatever that’s worth.’

Bottom line: I enjoy writing. If I stop enjoying the act of being read, I’ll still probably write for myself.
Justin Kownacki´s last blog ..Do You Have a System for Social Media Success?