I heard a “seasoned” journalist on the radio the other day dismiss blogging.
“If you are a writer, why would you do it for free?” he scoffed.
What do you think? If you’re a blogger (and you don’t get paid to do it), why do you blog?
And if you don’t blog, where is the strangest place you found a stink bug this winter? Ours was melted into candle wax. Also, a group of them huddled around our furnace’s pilot light and put it out.
Stuff like that gets my goat. Why do people assume everyone operates out of the same value system? I’ve blogged for over 6 years now, still haven’t gotten around to putting any ads on my site and rarely submit anything for publication. (I prefer the editing/developmental stuff as an income source). Why do I do it for free? Does an enjoyment factor matter?
Honestly, my bigger grief is with those who read blogs and don’t stop to comment or connect with the writers. They are, after all, getting something for free – isn’t some occasional feedback warranted?!
I look forward to hearing what others have to say on this topic.
I blog… because it’s there.
… because I can.
… because I love to write.
… because I love to be ridiculous.
… and (sometimes) because I like to hear myself talk. But I’m trying to get over this one.
i’m not sure why i blog. i do so consistently at 6 days a week, and i enjoy it a lot. and i’ve never thought about making money blogging. [though i have thought about trying to submit a few essays or articles for publication elsewhere.]
i think i blog because it forces me to step up my writing just a bit. one of my goals is to write something everyday, just because it helps me think through things. the bulk of this sits as rough bunches of notes in a file on my computer and is never touched again.
but blogging requires that i flesh out those ideas, proofread a little, make some ideas more concise and interesting, and then assemble it all on a page in a presentable fashion. i’m not sure what i like about that. but i enjoy it.
[though it is true that sometimes i feel silly writing so much for so few people. though i appreciate those readers a great deal.]
I started blogging three months ago because I want to be an author. It seemed like a good way to practice. An obvious benefit that I had not considered until I started was seeing how others put their thoughts and feelings into words. Its one thing to have good ideas, which I think I have, its another story entirely to put those ideas on paper in an engaging enough way that strangers might read it and enjoy it.
If you only do things for money, you forget why you love to do them… I have the opposite problem – sometimes I forget that the things I do are worth charging for.
You’ve captured this pelefctry. Thanks for taking the time!
I blog because if I didn’t, I’d be a very frustrated man.
I was offered pay for my blogging; reviewing horror movies & I turned it down. When they asked me why I told them I’m not reviewing horror movies to get attention as a writer. I do it as a fan who loves horror & who wants to remind the younger generations how the horror society that exists today came about. I’m a fan first, a writer second & as a fan I feel it’s my duty to put money into the horror community, not take money from it. The joy of writing is simply a bonus :).
i blog because it might be the easiest way out there to connect my thoughts/talents/jokes with people.
I blog because no one will pay me to write…oh and all the more noble things that everyone else said too.
Stink bug on my pillow…furious. My wife said it’s because I omit more body heat than she does.
Oh and one more thought…when I was at Pitt, I was student liaison. My sophomore year I studied abroad and was paid to blog on the University of Pittsburgh website about my experiences (they posted several abroad student’s blogs each semester). I was paid $25 a blog…not bad for a college kid looking for some extra beer money. It didn’t take long for me to begin to hate those blogs. It became a necessary task rather than something i did for enjoyment, connection, and growth.
I agree with Becky, sometimes, receiving a paycheck removes the simple pleasure of doing something for enjoyment.
in all honesty i write now for free in hopes that someday i might get paid to do it.
I blog because of all the pain that I see in marriages all around me. After having lots of friends tell me their good marriages are just “blah” or just coasting I started blogging to challenge others to keep growing, to find joy in their marriage, to see what is possible. As for pay? well never really thought about it much but in truth I have been paid generously by the wonderful comments and emails I have received!
Most annoying place for a stink bug, if not unusual, is in the light directly above my head at work! They are constantly banging around up there!