I wanted to share why I started blogging for one, very simple reason:

I feel like I’ve talked extensively about why you might want to blog, (or not start a blog).

But the one thing I haven’t talked enough about my own personal, motivations behind falling in love with the concept of blogging. 

And as I write this, I’m only a week away from my birthday so now feels like the perfect time!

I started blogging ten years ago…

And weirdly enough, it started with an involvement in a theatre festival.

I was only a few months away from starting university, and I had just gone through the exciting but gruelling process of writing and directing my play. I also took on supporting roles in a few of the festival’s other plays as well.

And for the first time in my life, I found myself immersed in a  supportive community of creatives that really, truly got me. Then, it suddenly came to an end, and everyone went separate ways.

Because that was my first time experiencing that, I was pretty bummed out about it.

Back then, blogging was a really brand new thing and all my friends were on MySpace. That’s when I got a great idea:  why don’t I give blogging a shot? Little did I know, but that decision would be a huge part of my future.

I’ve always been the type to just dive in and try things, and learn by making a lot of mistakes.

So, I signed up for a Blogger account and just started writing, even though I didn’t really know what I was doing.

So what drew me to the concept of blogging ten years ago, and still hooks me to this day? The following is exactly what motivates me to keep blogging.

1) The relationship element

Nothing means more to me than my blog posts having an impact on my reader’s personal life.

A lot of blogging, for me, is about storytelling. Because telling your story, makes what you have to offer matter to other people. But what exactly do I mean by that?

An article Forbes produced on audience engagement sums this up beautifully: 

Think of traditional movies: This powerful art form engages its audiences deeply, even though those audience members–its customers–don’t themselves act the scenes out (except if the movie in question is Rocky Horror). Moviemakers pull this off through with scripting, acting, lighting, soaring music and the other details that create scene after engaging scene.

The thing about the web is that it has become such an overcrowded place. With site building tools like Squarespace, Weebly, and Wix being commonplace, it’s easier than ever for anyone to set up a website; even if you aren’t web or tech-savvy. And that’s amazing and terrifying all at the same time.

Anyone can put together a website and claim they’re a legit organization.

Yet, content such as blog posts, podcasts, etc is the necessary puzzle piece for people to get to know the people behind the business who have solutions to their biggest problems.

First, they read one or two blog posts about something they need help with. Then they read a social media post that provides a personal, behind the scenes angle of what’s going on with their favourite product or brand.

And then they buy the product, tell a friend about it, write a review, and come back in the future.

I like the idea of being able to be the force that allows that relationship to prosper and grow. I also like helping people pull off the same results.

2) You make what you want out of it

Although there are always rules about how to use blogging in a strategic way, the best part is you can personalize it and make it whatever you want it to be.

Not to mention, no emphasis is ever set in stone, and you can always experiment with new approaches.

For instance, I remember there was a point where blogging started to feel like a chore.

I was writing way too many “how-to” posts and they were offering value. But I felt like so much of my own personal voice was being left out of the equation. 

Suddenly, for the first time in my life, I didn’t enjoy writing. Then I hired a business coach for a month, who helped me reawakened the reason why I started blogging in the first place.

3) It’s reusable 

In the early days of blogging, I quickly discovered just how reusable an old blog post can be.

Because when it’s a “good” blog post, someone will always have questions about the subjects I’ve covered and find actual answers in one of my posts. And it doesn’t matter how much time passes!

Not only can I use blog posts to build trust with others, but I can also :

• Use it to teach people about blogging
• Do entire guest appearances where I revisit things I’ve already written about
• And quote my blog posts in my writing.

But I totally get what you’re probably thinking. You can do that with pretty much any other kind of writing as well. Yet, if you think about it there’s one, very important difference: all other types of writing require access.

It costs money and assumes you can pay the price, and have access to the right account or online store. Then there’s the matter of them only being sold in certain areas. If you don’t have access to the right bookstore at the right time, you’re out of luck. If your local library doesn’t have a copy you’re out of luck.

But the magic of blogging is that it’s much more “for the people” medium. Because there are 3.2 billion internet users worldwide, and the number of users is gradually increasing. And that’s thanks to one very important factor:  widespread affordability.

When I look back at the first time I started blogging, I realized that I just wanted to create something everyone could get access to.

4) Anyone can start one

I remember in my final semester of my undergrad sitting in an HTML 101 class, that I was only attending because I was one credit short from graduation.

By then, I had blogged for a few years, and what I didn’t like about that class is that it seemed so archaic in comparison to the tools I was already using.

Because it was a lot more complicated than it needed to be. There was code to learn. You were expected to build things from scratch.

And that was the first time in all my years of blogging that someone was telling me I needed to do that. Although you can code from scratch (I applaud you if you have the skills for that), you don’t have to.

It was awesome acquiring the basic skills I need to communicate with a coder or web designer. But that’s not why I started blogging.

You also don’t have to have publishing experience, access to a printer, or a huge budget to get started…

I have helped everyone from tiny small businesses, with only one employee, to not-for-profits start/ improve blogs.  And I think that’s one of the best parts of the time period we’re living in.

Anyone with the know-how and ambition to blog can blog. 

In fact, many of my clients that have started blogging went from no knowledge of the medium whatsoever to having a strategic plan in place that helps them produce new content every week.

But what if you don’t have the “know-how”?

Can you start a blog? Of course, you can! If you’re not ready to commit to hiring me to work on your blog, check out my E-book: “Blog on” to take your blog from an idea to a website your readers will love!

As I mentioned earlier, when I started blogging I had no idea what I was doing. But, as time went by I learned a hell of a lot. That’s exactly why it’s my mission to teach others exactly how it works.