Today I want to open the floor, so to speak, to all my bloggy friends.
- I want to know a few things:
- Why do you blog?
- How did you get started blogging?
- What has been the benefit of blogging in your life?
- What have been the best parts of your blogging experience?
- Have there been any bad parts of blogging?
- You can answer these questions here or write a separate post and then come back and let me know.
I started thinking about these questions as they pertain to my life in the last few weeks because I had become very wrapped up in social media while trying to promote my books and I started to hate it. I hated it because I missed blogging. I missed sharing with my “followers” here. I don’t like the term followers because many of you have become my friends – friends I don’t see or talk to in person most of the time (with a couple of exceptions) but friends, nonetheless.
Many of the people I have met while blogging have prayed for me, checked on me, encouraged me, and sometimes even gently corrected me.
There have been recent seasons in my life that I don’t think I would have survived without my blog friends.
I truly am feeling choked up as I write this.
What a blessing it has been to connect with bloggers in my “real life” (not that blogging isn’t real life). I never imagined I would be able to call my readers my friends – such as Facebook friends but also real friends.
So to answer my own questions:
I started blogging because I enjoy writing and my brother was blogging so I started to keep one too. My first blog was called the same as this one, Boondock Ramblings, and it was what was called a “mommy blog” because I blogged mainly about my son.
I blogged back then to connect with other moms and share stories (both funny and stressful) and simply to have a creative outlet. Today I still blog for the creative outlet and to connect with others.
The benefit of blogging is that it has allowed me to connect with other people who have encouraged me and supported me and laughed and cried with me.
It has also been something I can do other than sit and worry about my problems or concerns.
Connection with the other bloggers has also encouraged me in my walk with Christ, or as a reader, or mom, or just a person.
Is there a downside to blogging? Sometimes. There have been times I’ve felt pressured to write something, even when I’m busy, but that’s more my problem than blogging’s problem and I luckily haven’t had that feeling in a while. There can sometimes be rude people who leave rude comments but that has very, very rarely happened to me.
There are times when bloggers can get into the comparison game and compare their lives to the lives of other bloggers. That’s a negative but something I have not done very often, luckily.
I’ve already mentioned the best part of blogging above but I will reiterate again that the best parts of blogging are meeting people, getting to know them, and forming friendships with people who have stumbled onto my blog for whatever reason.
For whatever reason you stopped on my blog – I thank you. I’m glad you’re here. I’m glad we have become friends. I’m thankful that God brought you here at just the right time in my – and your – life.
I hope you’ll stick around.
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Great post and a good way to reflect!! I love that it made you choke up writing this post, our blogs and the people who encourage us should fuel us with emotion and passion!!!
I blog to share about life experiences through things I’ve gone through or am currently experiencing..lessons I’ve learned along the way. I try to make it relatable for others who might be struggling or even celebrating!!
I started blogging about five years ago to help process some childhood trauma. It’s really been therapeutic and has deepened my relationship with God as I look to His word in effort to overcome obstacles.
Blogging has been beneficial as I find writing therapeutic, plus visiting with fellow bloggers through comments is such a wonderful blessing in the blogging world!
One of the downsides in blogging (for me) is that there have been times when I’ve published something personal and immediately afterwards it’s like I just pushed “panic” instead of “publish”..suddenly satan is all over my emotions, causing me insecurities over what I wrote. He’s certainly that way though, whenever we do something to work toward God then satan is right there giving backlash. Thankfully our God is bigger and always more powerful, no matter what!!!!
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Answered here: https://breathofhallelujah.com/2023/09/01/why-do-you-blog/
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Pingback: Why Do You Blog? – Breath of Hallelujah
Why do you blog?
Currently I use my blog to process/ remember general life things that I want to share with the friends and family who follow it. In the last several years I’ve striven to also share encouragement in the family department.
We live in a world that is largely anti-child, and it saddens me greatly. Before I met my husband I never, ever thought I would have children, let alone eight, and sharing about raising my kids gives me an opportunity to demonstrate just how much God can and will work in our lives.
I don’t really think of the blog as a mom blog because I’m not deliberately speaking to moms, but my goal is to present one take (ours) on the positive side of life with children. My family is not perfect by any means, and I don’t pretend to have even half the answers, but thankfully God is there to fill in the gaps!
How did you get started blogging?
A friend talked me into getting a LiveJournal account back in its early days (circa 2001-ish?). You needed a referral code to join, and once there I discovered a few other friends already on. I tried MySpace for a while too but liked the writing focus on LJ better. In the beginning my unexperienced young self didn’t know what to do with a blog, so I just posted a bunch of surveys. I’ve always liked surveys. 😉
What has been the benefit of blogging in your life?
Free therapy! Lol! Actually, starting to blog was in the middle of a long chain of events that led to meeting my husband. Definitely the biggest benefit. 😉
What have been the best parts of your blogging experience?
Connecting with people I likely would never have sought out otherwise. I’m much more outgoing online than I am in person.
Have there been any bad parts of blogging?
Honestly, the worst part is that I tend to get in a writing zone and don’t want to leave until I’m done. With littles running around, this is pretty much impossible to do so I struggle with my attitude sometimes. I feel like I’m making progress in that department–God sat me down a few years ago and we had an emotional heart-to-heart, if you will.
Bottom line, my husband and children come before the writing. The times I can gracefully let go of writing interruptions, the happier I end up being with the eventual result. The times I get irritated or shut out kids in order to write, the less satisfied I am at the end. I see it, and I’m getting better at responding in a mature way, but it’s still hard!
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This was such a great response. I so agree about the atitude of our world about children. I love reading your blog and following your life. I never felt like I could have that many children but I admire those who do.
And that worst part about writing – yes! I get in that zone and want to finish it too and sometimes I have to take the break and be there for the kids. They do come first but I do get grumpy when I get interrupted.
I related to this part for sure: “The times I can gracefully let go of writing interruptions, the happier I end up being with the eventual result. The times I get irritated or shut out kids in order to write, the less satisfied I am at the end.”
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Oh goodness, I’m going to have to come back to this post when I have more time to give you my answers. Right now, I’m cleaning my house like mad before it gets hot again. Starting my ladies Bible study tonight and tomorrow my sister and brother-in-law from out of state that we haven’t seen in over a year are on their way for a stay at our house for the next couple of weeks. BUT I’m SO glad we found each other in this blogging world. And someday, we are going to meet in real life, my friend! Love you too!
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I need to clean my house before the hot weather hits again too. I have homeschooling stuff all over the place and I am completely overwhelmed. You have a ton going on! I hope it all goes well! The visit should be lovely! And yes, I am glad we found each other too and we are going to meet one day. We will have to meet in the middle.
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This is an interesting post, Lisa. I actually only started blogging two years ago. And, I was whining to my son a few months ago about losing subscribers (I have less than 100) and just moaning and groaning about it. He asked me why I was blogging. That stopped me right in my tracks. I honestly didn’t have to think too hard about it. I blog because I like the community I’ve built with some of my subscribers, the community I’ve joined with other bloggers, and because I needed some kind of creative outlet. I blog because I’m lonely, I guess. I don’t blog to make money or to get free stuff (though I do get some of that). I don’t blog to put out the idea that I have the perfect life. I really began my blog for two reasons…I didn’t see anyone else in the fashion blog world who looked like me (short and round) and I wanted to maintain or even boost my neuroplasticity.
The best part of blogging has been the learning. I could have paid someone to get my site up and running, but I wanted to do that so I could learn something new. Now, my blog doesn’t look polished and professional, but it does look like me…imperfect and real. I already touched on the other best part…the people I’ve “met.”
I would be remiss if I didn’t say I haven’t received free stuff. I’m a brand ambassador for April Cornell, a brand I’ve loved for decades. I buy way more than I receive, though. I have received other free clothing, shoes and even a hair dryer. I have turned down at least as many as I’ve accepted.
I think the bad parts are coming up with something to say twice a week that I think my readers will want to read, losing subscribers and wondering why, taking photos of myself, trying to better manage my time.
I do wonder how much longer I can keep at this, how much longer will a fashion blog by a middle-aged woman from Central Indiana be relevant, and will people still want to read what I write. Even though I say I’m a fashion blogger, I don’t usually do “try ons” or hauls. I just wear what I own and try to come up with a reason to write a blog post.
Gosh, it might have been easier to write a blog post!
https://marshainthemiddle.com/
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Why do you blog?
When I blog is it part therapy, part creative, and part personal. It is where I can jot things down in writing that I (1) want to remember (2) want to share and (3) want to vent.
How did you get started blogging?
I started blogging back in the days of MySpace. Those blogs are long gone now. I used to use it to talk about music that the radio station I was working at was going to be playing – new songs, new artists, etc… Then I began to write about the birth of my son and my mother’s battle with breast cancer.
When MySpace went away and Facebook became a thing, I used their “note” feature to write, but eventually stopped. It wasn’t until I was going through my divorce that my therapist asked if I kept a journal. I told her I used to blog and she suggested I start again. That brought me to Word Press and in the 5+years I have been blogging – all the big changes in my life (and some fun stuff, too) wound up as blog topics.
What has been the benefit of blogging in your life?
It has always felt good to write. Seeing my thoughts writing down (on paper of in blog form) helps me to process them. The “therapy” part of it really helped me through some dark days.
I have always wanted to write my “autobiography” so that my children know about my past – funny stories from my youth, the things I remember about my mom and dad, etc. If I had to sit and write it all at once – I wouldn’t know where to begin. Today, I can look back and pick various blogs and compile them into something that would literally be my life story.
What have been the best parts of your blogging experience?
Without a doubt, the best part has been connecting with other bloggers who share the same interests as me. I also like connecting with those who have different interests, too. I have met some really great folks through my blog. I have book/reading friends, radio/music friends, and movie/entertainment friends. I also have met people across the globe through my blog and love hearing about their lives and their culture.
Have there been any bad parts of blogging?
I suppose there are. I get plenty of spam emails, but most are caught by the spam filter.
I know from my radio days that not everyone will agree with you, so I try not to debate with folks. I respect that they have different opinions. Mostly, though, it is a good thing
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Love this answer. I never used MySpace by I used something called Live…something or other for a while. Live Journal maybe? Then I used Blogger and then I went to WordPress.
And I agree about compiling posts for my kids later on. That’s been an idea for me too. Of course I won’t compile the dumb and silly ones. *snort*
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I started blogging because I wanted a place to neatly store my personal thoughts. I used to use Facebook for a long time to document my life. But going back through all that stuff on Facebook was tiring and didn’t catch much attention from me or my “audience.”
So, I decided to leave social media mainly because posting all that content felt like I was yelling in a busy room but no one cared to listen. Oddly, the more I used social media, the more alone I felt.
Blogging, on the other hand, lets me set achievable goals. Even if not many people view or respond to what I write, I’m fine with that. I knew that would happen. This blog is like a collection of what I strongly believe in and info I’ll always support. I might not have a super unique point of view, but readers can understand who I am and what I stand for.
When I write, I think about readers all over the world. I want to share information, not push anyone to agree. I just want folks to realize that there are others who think like them. And for those who disagree with what I write, I hope they can see things from a different angle.
In short, I blog to be a happier version of myself in a world where social media can really hurt your self-confidence.
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This line: Oddly, the more I used social media, the more alone I felt. — so true.
We blog for a lot of the same reasons. Love it. Thank you for sharing!
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